Jessica gets married

“Absolutely perfect! I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”

This was how Durban rape survivor Jessica Foord described her wedding day when The Mercury caught up with her on Sunday.

Foord and Jono, both 24, exchanged vows at Pecanwood in Howick, in a private country-style ceremony attended by 110 guests on Saturday.

Foord wore a white boob-tube empire-line wedding gown by Durban designer Katherine Kidger and opted to walk down the aisle barefoot.

“I didn’t wear shoes so my feet were painted white and my bridesmaids had henna painted on their feet… Katherine was a lifesaver; I asked her three weeks ago to make my dress and it was perfect. My first wedding dress was messed up; it was too big and completely wrong.”

The couple asked that Jono’s surname be withheld to allow them to start a new chapter in their lives.

Jono said he had proposed to Foord in Margate on April 21 last year.

“I took her for a walk on the beach in Margate. I packed our favourite sweets, jelly babies, and two small bottles of champagne. It was after 4.30pm, close to sunset. Before we sat down, I hugged her, told her I loved her and whispered words from the movie Casper: ‘Can I keep you?’” he said.

Jono said he then went down on one knee, pulled out a ring and asked Foord to marry him. He said Foord fell down, hugged him and said: “Of course.”

The couple made their way to Underberg on Sunday to attend the Splashy Fen music festival. Foord said it was her 11th Splashy and she was not going to miss it.

Foord was gang-raped near Shongweni in March 2008. She has been hailed for going public with her ordeal and started The Jes Foord Foundation, a non-profit organisation helping other rape victims. - The Mercury