Your wedding is fast approaching and there is so much to do! The pressure is on and one of the things on your very long list of things-to-do is to put together a wedding registry at your local home store. The problem is that the thought of wandering down aisle after aisle of crockery and cutlery and platters and all the kitchen utensils you supposedly need but have not idea what they do, is exceedingly boring. And now you have to drag your soon-to-be-husband with you as well whose dislike for these aisles is greater than yours. The thing is that you have been living together for a few years and to be honest, most of the kitchen/dining/home paraphernalia that you need, you pretty much already own.
So what to do?
Well, if you are outdoor people like we are, you drive straight to the nearest outdoor store and begin the browsing. There are so many more exciting things to find at an outdoor store and even though some of it might be crockery and cutlery the exciting adventures that these utensils will accompany you on is more than enough motivation to keep you browsing.
My fiance and I found ourselves roaming for hours through our local Outdoor Warehouse deciding what we would really like (and need) to add to our camping kit. As we browsed, the conversation was about what trip we would use each item for and the value each item would add to our future adventures. We came up with new places we would like to see and the many activities that these places would open up for us. As we drifted around the store our list started to grow: crockery, cutlery, steak knives, braai tongs, a cooler box, a flask, a water/juice cooler, camping lights, camping stove, gas, and so on. We left the store very excited, perhaps not so much about the items we had just put on our wedding registry but for the places we would take these items.
The day of our wedding arrived and it really was everything we hoped it would be. All our friends and family had joined us, the venue (Sand River Getaway) was stunning and rustic and reflected who we are as a couple so well. Perhaps this is because my parents own Sand River Getaway and the wedding venue was built just for us but has been cherished by other love-birds too. The outdoor chapel and reception deck with a view of the valley make for a peaceful yet breathtaking backdrop to a wonderfully romantic occasion.
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| Our wedding at Sand River Getaway |
The day after our wedding we headed up to Hogsback in the Eastern Cape for a mini honeymoon with a car filled with two very excited newly-weds and gifts from all our loved ones. That night we we sat in front of a warm, crackling log fire inside our misty mountain cottage with a fine glass of red wine and excitedly opened our gifts. We were delighted to find everything we needed for our future adventures - camping accessories.
My in-law’s close friends were very generous and bought most of the crockery and cutlery items on our Outdoor Warehouse registry and then cleverly packaged them in a plastic stackable box for easy transport. We were also very excited to receive a large cooler box from my boss, a smaller cooler bag from my husband’s aunt and uncle, as well as vouchers for Outdoor Warehouse which we used to buy the last few items like the gas stove and camping lights which we packed into another box the same as the one with the crockery and cutlery. It was here our camping boxes were born and these boxes are very special to us and go with us on every camping trip: be it Mdumbi in the Transkei, Kgalagadi in the Northern Cape or the Western Cape coast to Namaqualand.
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| Camping boxes |
The very first place we used our camping boxes and other camping accessories was on our real honeymoon, to Blyde River and The Kruger Park, which makes these wedding gifts even more special and a real part of our life together. Every time we take these boxes with us on a camping trip we take with us the love of friends and family. So if you cringe at the thought of dragging your feet down the aisles of your local home store perhaps a trip to the local outdoor store will quicken your step.
