New Year, new love stories! This month we are celebrating the special bond between Ronice (31) and David Nkhwazi (30)
Ronice wrote in to tell us about their fairy-tale story saying “We met in late 2011 at his sister’s pre-wedding rehearsal. He was one of the groomsmen and the entire bridal party had met at his sister’s place for the dance rehearsal. I had accompanied my mom as she had accepted a role as the lady in waiting. Although our parents knew each other through mutual social gatherings they had attended together in the past, David and I had never met. We met for the first time at the rehearsal. I recall stealing secret glances at him during the entire rehearsal, obviously, I could not have him notice that I was blown away by his handsome features, tall lean torso and what we defined back then as ‘swag’. He didn’t notice me though. Or so I thought. In June 2012, he tracked me down via Facebook and asked me out on a date. He admitted that he had had a relentless longing to get to know ‘the girl with the big green eyes’ (I wore green contact lenses back then) since the first time he laid eyes on me the year before at his sister’s pre-wedding rehearsal but he had never found the courage. Of course, I had to give him a hard time, just to see whether he was up for the challenge 🙂 Eventually, in October 2012, he won himself the first date, and the rest, as they say, is history!
The couple dated for just over 3 years before tying the knot a few days before their 4th anniversary. Ronice says she knew he was the one from the day they went on their first date. She reminisces: “David looked at me with piercing intrigue. It mesmerized me and often threw me off. I had never met someone that gave me so much undivided attention. I will never forget how we would sit in a restaurant and each time I spoke, he would gaze at me as though there was no one else in the room.”
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The proposal
David popped the question in a simple but special fashion. “David had invited me out for dinner after work one evening. I knew something was going on when he urged me to join him after my unsuccessful protest due to pressing deadlines at work. As we arrived at the restaurant, his usual jovial mood changed to a serious one that I was not accustomed to. He parked the car, turned to me and began rehashing our journey together over the last 3 years and what an incredible one it had been. He told me how he could not imagine being with anyone else. He poured out his heart out as I’d never seen him do and right there in the middle of the parking lot, sitting inside the car, he got out a tiny box containing the most beautiful engagement ring and asked me to marry him!”
Ronice says she had imagined how the big question would be popped: “We’d be on a boat heading towards an exotic island and we’d be sitting on the deck indulging in wonderful seafood, fresh fruit and sparkling wine while the sun melted slowly in the distant horizon. A string quartet would appear out of no-where stringing Mozart while he got down on one knee. And there he would ask me to spend forever with him as he gently slid the diamond on my engagement ring finger. I would jump up for joy and fireworks would explode in the background as we sailed off into our happily-ever-after. But there were no fireworks in the sky. There was no music. Just me, David and the few cars splattered around the dark parking lot north of Johannesburg. What I cannot explain were the fireworks in my heart, the music of my heart thumping persistently against my chest – urging me to say something, and the tears flooding my face. I was in love with this man and the answer to his lingering question was an undisputable YES!”
The Wedding Ceremony
Ronice and David got married at Moon and Sixpence in Muldersdrift on 5 November 2016. “We had wanted a summer wedding with clear skies and no chance of rain since we were planning a garden ceremony. Every moment of our wedding was incredibly magical. I am naturally quite shy and every thought of the big day made me extremely anxious. So I was so pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had with my groom on the day. I felt like I was celebrating an amazing milestone with my best friend. But my biggest highlight has to be our first dance. He took me in his arms and those piercing eyes gazed intently at me in bewilderment for what felt like hours. My gaze was fixed on his, and although after a while a few couples joined us on the dance floor, my gaze was fixed on him as he was on mine. And for those few minutes, we were the only two people in the room and I fell in love with him over and over again.”
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Like any couple, they have had to make some adjustments including adjusting to living together. “Living together for the first time was great until it became a challenge. We had never spent so much time in each other’s space. We were always together, we travelled to work and back together and were always together on weekends. Being the type of people that loved our separate personal space, this was beginning to become a challenge for us. We fought constantly until one day we both reach a breaking point. After taking a few hours out separately we came together and discussed our challenges. Through pre-marital counselling, we had learned that we needed to hone our communication skills. We spent a long time openly discussing our separate needs and challenges and worked together to find solutions. It took some time after that but I think I can safely say, we’ve realized the importance of embracing each other’s individuality within the relationship and it has worked well ever since. Today I cannot imagine having a better house-mate!
The couple says being polar opposites they have learnt the importance of communication and compromise. “Communicating openly about how we feel about certain things helps us not to take anything personally and keeps us constantly laughing.”
Love is a journey and each couple needs to find ways to keep the journey exciting and interesting. For Ronice and David its regular dates nights “so we do them at least once a week. Getting out the house and having dinner in a new environment adds to the excitement of engaging fully with each other. We also love the outdoors so we surprise each other with exciting adventures as often as possible. Our adventures can be a weekend away in the mountains, or simply a movie (that one person picks because we can never decide on a movie) cuddled up on the couch with tons of snacks!”
Ronice and David’s 5 secret ingredients to a lasting a happy marriage:
- Praying together
- Communicating openly about everything
- Loving yourself fully without expecting your partner to fill a void within you
- Adventure (getting rid of monotonous routine)
- Loving and respecting your partner unconditionally
Wedding suppliers:
- Photographer: SDG Wedding Photography (solodeogloriaphotography.com)
- Videographer: First Kiss Videography (http://www.firstkiss.co.za/)
- Master of Ceremonies (came with his own DJ that we were happy with): Zanchito
- Decor: Exquisite Flowers
- Cake: Indulge Decadent Dining and Boutique Confectionery
As our monthly winners, Ronice and David win a Four Cousins hamper.
Say “I do” with Four Cousins Sparkling Wine
Every bride-to-be has a thousand pending items on her list, invitations to design, dresses that need to be picked, menus to sign off on, the list goes on. Now there is one less thing to worry about because when it comes to your perfect wedding vino, the choice is obvious; Four Cousins Sparkling wine. In fact, Four Cousins and weddings are so perfectly suited, that any bride automatically gets a discount on her purchase of wedding wine online or at the cellar when presenting her wedding invitation (20% off for purchases at the winery and 15% off for online purchases). To take advantage of this offer by Four Cousins, simply contact Annaliza at 023 615 1505 or here.
The refreshing sparkling range adds flair to any occasion and is available in a luscious sweet Blush, fruit-driven and elegant sweet White, fruity sweet Red and crisp, dry Sauvignon blanc. The sweet bubblies are best enjoyed with spicy food and desserts while the Sauvignon blanc Brut goes perfectly with seared tuna, chicken, salmon and creamy pasta dishes.
Buy Four Cousins products from their online wine hub at www.fourcousins.co.za. For more information about Four Cousins, visit www.fourcousins.co.za and find them on social media.
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