Hendrik and Chantelle’s wedding was held at Rustic Gem in Cullinan.
Hennie and I met on Tinder 5 years ago. He opened with a cheesy pickup line and I was hooked. He sent me memes for a few weeks before we met in person and it was an instant connection.
Hennie proposed to me at my parent’s place on July 30th, 2022 at a family braai.
Our wedding day was beautiful. It was intimate, rustic, and very relaxed. There were a few small details that didn’t go according to plan, but as I watched Hennie cry (which he never does) at the end of the aisle, it all faded away and the rest of the night was just us, having a great time celebrating our love with family and friends. A highlight for everyone there was watching Hennie dance the night away as very few of us had ever seen him dance. My mom and brother came over from England for the wedding, which was really special for me.
I made my dress from scratch, having never made any clothing before that. The top of my dress was completely hand-stitched, each pearl and lace was hand-stitched. The dress had over 600 pearls individually sewn on. I loved making my dress because I knew it was inexpensive and therefore I didn’t have to worry about ruining it. This gave me the freedom to cut half my dress off halfway through the reception and later take a dip in the pool with it
The decor was made mostly by me. It was a very rustic wedding, so the DIY look fit well. Flowers were done by a florist who works with my maid of honor.
My hair and makeup were done by Lynette van Zyl.
I’d like to thank Rustic Gem, especially Elaine. She was so accommodating and welcoming. She even ran up the hill to the suite to get the rings that had been forgotten and got them back down to us before we needed them. I’d also like to thank the DJ for reading the crowd and providing such a light, fun atmosphere
My advice to future couples is to enjoy it without worrying about what people think. Cut your dress, wear something crazy, do something wild .. don’t let people tell you how it’s “supposed ” to be. As soon as those doors open and your eyes lock across that aisle, everything fades away, nothing matters anymore and you remember why you are there.
What is our future together? That’s a tough question to answer, but I do know that whatever it is, we will enjoy it together with laughter and love. We are enjoying the “right now” and if we can keep doing that, I think we have a long, happy future ahead of us.
