Joburg couple Sibusiso and Kundi Dube tie the knot a little more than a year after their first date.

The meeting

Sibusiso: We went to the same university and both studied law, so we met about 15 years ago. We re-connected in August 2020 when Kundi was doing a series called The Legal Dish for her YouTube channel and she interviewed me, among other legal professionals. The rest, as they say, is history.

The attraction

Kundi: It was his confidence, intellect, thoughtfulness, humour, and muscles.

Sibusiso: I was struck by her smile, confident yet calm nature, easy-going personality, and genuine sincerity.

Dating

Sibusiso: Having reconnected after The Legal Dish, we were chatting via WhatsApp one evening and I asked her out for coffee. Coffee turned into hours of chatting and a meal. I couldn’t wait to see her again, so I gave her three date options for the coming weekend — she chose two. A couple of dates later and I asked her to be my girlfriend, she said yes. Most of our dates were at different restaurants, a tradition that we have carried on throughout our relationship (we love trying out new places).

The lightbulb moment

Kundi: On the first date. I had observed and interacted with him over social media and liked what he portrayed, so I was keen to see whether we would “vibe” in person. We definitely did, and that’s when I knew. Thereafter, every interaction was just confirmation. When he had flowers delivered to my office after our third date, I remember being so excited because it was then that I knew that the feeling was mutual.

The proposal

Sibusiso: The planning for the proposal started after three months of dating. My initial plan was to propose after six months but, because we chatted about everything, she politely told me not to do that [laughs]. We always discussed getting engaged after about 12–14 months of dating, which was the plan (we obviously plan everything).

About 10 months into our relationship I started making arrangements to get a ring designed for her; we had been to jewellery shops a number of times so I knew what she liked. Leading up to our one-year anniversary I made her believe there was a grand celebration planned, which she believed would be the proposal. About two days before our anniversary I took her to a picnic at a hotel she had previously mentioned wanting to go to for lunch.

I knew I would not be able to keep a straight face throughout the afternoon, so as soon as we arrived at the venue and we were set up I got down on my knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes…

Lobola negotiations

Sibusiso: I e-mailed lengwalo to her parents on the evening I proposed, and the families met for the first time about a month later. All went well, there were no hiccups, both families got along well. Kundi’s family is Venda, so I ensured that one of my delegates was Venda speaking, which assisted the process. It was agreed that the final part would be concluded two months later, being the day when we celebrated umembeso. 

The wedding

Kundi: We knew we wanted an outdoor ceremony, so the month was an important consideration. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that it wasn’t a rainy month, so we opted for early April 2022. It’s the beginning of autumn, which informed our colours and theme for the wedding. We went with earthy tones, with the bridesmaids wearing copper-coloured dresses and the groomsmen wearing two-piece suits in the same shade. The décor we kept simple and elegant, with the main colours being white and copper tones. The wedding was held at a beautiful venue in Joburg. The matrimonial ceremony was conducted in a garden that gave a very tranquil “Garden of Eden” vibe. The reception was then held in a closed, spacious hall with elegant finishes.

The dress

Kundi: I knew that I wanted something simple, classy, elegant, and fitting. I searched long and hard for a designer who I felt would pull it off and stick to the deadline. I eventually stumbled across a designer based in the West Rand, close to where I lived at the time, Thando of T-Classique. I showed her both my white wedding dress design and the traditional wedding dress, and knew from the first consultation that she was well-suited to the task. I met with her at the end of February for the first time, we had about four fittings, and both dresses were ready in the first week of April. It was a pleasure working with her.

The suit

Sibusiso: I designed the suit myself and used my suit-tailoring brand, Bhut Masudi, to make it. I wanted something that was stylish and elegant, but with the sufficient amount of pizzazz. The suit needed to say “kushada uBhut Masudi” without being over the top.

Breaking tradition

Kundi: There was no “cutting of the cake” ceremony or throwing of the garter.