THEY looked like they’d stepped straight out of the pages of a fairytale when they got married 28 years ago: he in his white jacket with gold trim and medieval breeches and she in a white gown with a dazzling 10-metre train.
But what really made the Johannes burg couple’s big day so remarkable was that all the clothes worn by the wedding party had been made by the groom, Gideon van der Westhuizen (then 23) – including the gown worn by his bride, Collette Rossouw (then 22), and the outfits of their five groomsmen and bridesmaids.
“The bride was stunning, but the groom was the one who had everyone talking,” YOU wrote in an article that appeared in our 14 October 1993 issue, which showcased Gideon’s handiwork.
And recently when the couple’s only son, Trevennon (25), married his fiancée, Chantall Strydom (23), Gideon’s sewing machine went into overdrive to ensure it was a day to remember.
“When I was a kid I saw pictures of my parents’ fairytale wedding,” recalls Trevennon, who works in the hotel industry in Johannesburg. “Chantall and I decided we wanted to have the same one day.”
And Gideon (now 50) was happy to oblige. Not only did he conjure up a dream wedding gown for his daughterin-law, but with the help of his mother, Poppie (84), he also created six waistcoats for the groomsmen as well as six bridesmaids’ dresses.
And on top of all this, he also made the seven-tiered wedding cake. It was a marathon undertaking, but he’d happily do it all over again.
“Chantall decided what she wanted for a wedding gown and we sat down and planned it together,” Gideon tells YOU shortly after the big day at the Makiti wedding venue near Muldersdrift, Gauteng.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 29 April 2021 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 29 April 2021 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William
