More than a summer romance

WEDDING bells were ringing in the island as head gardener Brett Moore married his South African girlfriend, Yolandi Visser.

The couple tied the knot at the Greffe in St Peter Port on 20 February in front of Herm friends and colleagues and then had a reception lunch at Da Nello. Later, champagne celebrations continued at the Mermaid Tavern and included a beautiful hand-made wedding cake.

Yolandi, originally from Pretoria, first came to Herm in 2004 and has spent the past four years working in the White House Hotel and Ship restaurant. She was the Ship assistant manager last season.

She met Brett in 2005 during her second summer here when he came to the island to work as a truckie. With a background in horticulture, he soon joined the gardening team and his talents won him the position of head gardener just over a year ago.

Although they didn't get together straight away, Yolandi always noticed Brett around. It wasn't long before their relationship blossomed.

'I went to the Mermaid after work one day for a drink with a few friends and Brett was there,' said Yolandi. 'We all went back to someone's house to watch a film and ended up staying up most of the night. He has a great sense of humour and I've always found that really attractive. We were together all the time after that.'

Working seasons in Herm usually means separating in winter, but for Brett and Yolandi this was more than a summer romance. She returned early in 2006 because she missed him too much.

'I went home for the winter and was supposed to come back in January, but I ended up coming back after six weeks because I couldn't stand to be away from him.'

Last year they moved into Belvoir House together and began to make it their home. Then in the winter the couple spent a month travelling in South Africa, where Yolandi realised she was pregnant.

'We'd been talking about getting married for ages and knew we would do it eventually, so it made sense to bring it forward.'

They had planned a quiet wedding and expected it to be a private affair, so were over the moon when so many of their friends turned up at the registry office.

'It was such a surprise,' said Yolandi. 'But we had a really lovely day.'

The couple are not only embarking on a lifetime together, but are facing a hectic first year as man and wife. Their baby is due on 21 March and Brett has a huge summer workload as he prepares the island for entry into this year's Britain in Bloom competition. They hope to have a blessing in August followed by a party for family and friends and another blessing in South Africa. Any honeymoon plans are being put off until October.

For now, though, they are still enjoying the first flush of wedded bliss.

'It's nice,' said Yolandi. 'I love being married. I knew the first time I saw Brett that we would end up together.'