Beautiful Grace Rheeders was a finalist in Miss South Africa 2011, and she's from our lovely city of Durban. Do we have talent here, or what? Grace works in public media relations, but she is also a model, surfer, and events coordinator. We just love showcasing Durban's talent, so we interviewed Grace this past week - below is what she had to say!
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| Top photograph was Grace's Miss South Africa 2011 entry |
You were a Miss South Africa finalist; what made you enter Miss SA? And what did you take from your experience?
I entered Miss SA as I felt it was a great platform to achieve some of the goals I had set in my life; it was a positive experience, and I learnt a lot about myself and other people, I grew mentally, emotionally and I finally learnt how to keep my hair neat for more than a few minutes!
Would you encourage other young girls to enter?
Yes, I would definitely encourage young girls to enter, the whole process is character building, and you get exposed to opportunities that you wouldn’t get a chance to experience on any normal day.
Were you modelling prior to Miss South Africa?
I did a bit of modelling by default prior to Miss SA, however modelling has never been my main focus in life.
We love showcasing Durban talent such as yourself - which other talents in Durban inspire you?
Designer Haroun Hansrot (see this Top Billing article on him here). From the fashion weeks he has done all over the world, to the fabric he uses, he is definitely up there with the best in the industry. He is also a really nice person; I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t get along with him.
You surfed competitively - among other sports we hear - are you still a surfer?
Once a surfer, always a surfer! My heart will always be in the ocean!
So, behind the surfer girl and model, what are your other loves?
I love to cook and have dinner parties! I have a hopeless love for Gordon Ramsay, and watch his cooking shows religiously...
Where is your favourite place in the world that you have visited?
I find it hard to say what “my favourite place" is as I have travelled so much and everywhere I have been is so unique and full of different culture. Its hard to compare which was better than the other... however, Maldives and India are definitely on top of my list!
As a design and wedding blog, we have to ask: describe your dream wedding?
I was never the kind of girl who ever thought about getting married or what my wedding day would be like.... if and when I do get married I'd hope the sun would be shining, definitely sometime in the afternoon going into the evening; it would be outdoors, either by the beach or by a lake. Decor would be colourful, and a light breeze billowing the light chiffon drapes, which would be thin enough to see the stars in the sky. Cuisine would be Indian. This is all subject to change haha.
When do you see yourself getting married?
There is no good or bad time to get married, when the time and the man is right will be the day I decide to get married.
What do you see in the future for yourself in the next year?
In this next year I would like to :
· Figure out what I would like to study next
· Find a car small enough to parallel park without re-modelling it!
· Start a fashion line
· Start my own events and PR company
Tell us about yourself in three words...
Happy, Ambitious, Optimistic
Have some fun and finish these sentences:
Right now i'm happy about making Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) from scratch.
Coffee is the best/worst thing that ever happened to my mornings.
I'm so excited about Top Gear coming to Durban.
People would say that I'm a closet Indian.
I get annoyed when people come in the kitchen when I am cooking.
When I wake up in the morning I hit the snooze button at least 3 times before I actually get out of bed.
I don't understand why weekends have to be only 2 days long!
I'm terrified of anything that crawls, except babies!
Tomorrow I will go to gym, its been a week since I have gone.
If I had a million Rand I would hide it away from myself so I don’t spend it on clothes and decor!
Thank you so much to the gorgeous Grace for allowing us to feature her on Ruby & the Swallow - it was such a pleasure to work with you, and we wish you only the very best for your future!
Find her here on her official Facebook page and here on her Twitter page.
Picture Credits: Supplied by Grace and from her Facebook albums.
Labels: Durban, events, Grace Rheeders, Miss South Africa finalist 2011, modelling
