Cape Town’s own olympic athlete Wayde van Niekerk made headlines across the country when he became the 400m record holder. He achieved a lifetime dream that day. It seems that the runner is set on making all of his wishes come true, as he found and married the girl of his dreams too. We take a look at his wedding, marriage, and more.
In December 2016, the Olympian got engaged to his girlfriend of 3-years, Chesnay Campbell. Taking to Twitter with excitement, van Niekerk posted a video showing off the ring, with the words “SHE SAID YES” written in bold across the footage.
— Wayde van Niekerk (@WaydeDreamer) December 29, 2016
Shortly thereafter, Van Niekerk announced that he would be concentrating on plans for his wedding, and shared no other details other than the fact that he was very excited to marry the love of his life.
In October 2017, the pair tied the knot at the Bloemfontein Botanical Gardens. They had over 200 guests join them, including other sporting starts such as Siya Kolisi, Caster Semenya, and TV personality Siv Ngesi.
In a tweet Van Niekerk said, “Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” accompanied by a black and white picture of him with his new wife on their wedding day.
“So blessed to start this next adventure with the girl of my dreams!” he said.
Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you @Neshney. So blessed to start this next adventure with the girl of my dreams! I ♥️ you! pic.twitter.com/mhr0SNOwZE
— Wayde van Niekerk (@WaydeDreamer) October 29, 2017
Chesnay detailed how the pair planned their wedding.
On the decor, she said: “When it came to picking a wedding planner, everyone suggested one person, @tonypengofficial. I’ve never been the girl who dreamt and planned her wedding since she was 10 years old & Wayde kinda just told me that I can do whatever I want to, as long as he can pick his own suit. 🙈 I met with Tony and told him all I want is for it to be white and as long as everything is pretty, he can do whatever he wants to,” she explained.
“The end result was everything I didn’t know I needed. He kept it clean and classy. Simplicity at its best. We didn’t want the over-the-top “celebrity” wedding because that’s not who we are. We wanted our guest to be able to communicate without having big plants & decor in their faces. We wanted it to feel intimate and comfy. It was the details in the simplicity that made it the most beautiful night ever.”
About the reception, Chesnay said, “I can’t say anything else but that our reception was the biggest party ever. Having all our close friends and family around us made it very beautiful and super fun. Everyone danced. I mean, EVERYONE danced.”
On the wedding day as a whole, Chesney said it was beautiful. “An ice cold day at the end of October ( I’ve always wanted an autumn wedding and God listens to his children so I will take all the blame, sorry) But I’d do it all over again even with the cold weather. What’s a cold breeze if you’re marrying your best friend?”
The couple are still as in love as ever, and Wayde shows off his wife very often.
I wanna give you what’s better than better. @Neshney #Fifteen27 pic.twitter.com/jhQ07jlzYJ
— Wayde van Niekerk (@WaydeDreamer) July 26, 2020
Image: Twitter / Wayde van Niekerk (@WaydeDreamer)
