"TOP BILLING FIASCO OF THE YEAR" - yummie.co.za

The pre-event blurb read ‘The Aleit Group in collaboration with Wedding Diary and Top Billing is creating the most spectacular bridal competition ever – an event that promises to be the most glamorous night of the year in the SA wedding industry.’ The first prize was advertised as being worth R300 000.00 and included an overseas holiday, a local holiday and a R12 000 shopping voucher. Brides all over South Africa rushed to enter this prestigious competition.  Your wedding screened on Top Billing? Come on, every self-respecting wannabe bride-to-be in South Africa would kill for that.

Suspicions should have been raised when Aleit Group founder Aleit Swanepoel stepped down as a judge for the competition after entry to the competition had been closed. In fact, suspicions should probably have been raised when Wedding Diary announced that The Aleit Group has been chosen to create and coordinate the event. After all, The Wedding Diary does state on their website ‘We will assist you in planning your own wedding, without the use of a professional wedding co-ordinator.’ The final was hosted at The Stars’ Mixing Room at Cape Town Stadium on 26 November, and Chanel Ferreira walked away the winner. But contestants are crying foul, and with good reason. Turns out that dear Chanel is a senior co-ordinator for none other than..............drum roll..... Aleit Wedding and Event Co-ordination! Arrogantly, Wedding Diary managing director Carl Wallace states that it is a complete co-incidence that the winner worked for Aleit and as far as he was concerned the matter was settled. And Aleit? Swanepoel said the complaints stemmed from “sour grapes” on the part of one of the brides and that ‘The Aleit Group had no stake in the competition and did not have any input into the evaluation of the contestants on the night. ‘ Ja right.  The Wedding Diary blurb prior to the competition being launched clearly states that The Aleit Group had been chosen to create and co-ordinate the competition. Albeit? http://www.yummie.co.za/content/december10/articles/top-billing-fiasco-of-the-year.htm