As part of the winning team in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe is no stranger to competition. Luckily, his love life has been an easy ride.
Cheslin and wife Layla, a chartered accountant, have been together since 2013. They met at the DHL Newlands stadium, and the connection was instant.
“We had played a Currie Cup game against the Xerox Golden Lions, and after the match I noticed a beautiful girl in a red hoodie coming down Boundary Road outside DHL Newlands,” Chelsin said in a statement.
“She stopped myself and Kurt Coleman, because her friend wanted to take a photo with us, and I have been in love with her ever since,” he said.
They soon began dating, and Cheslin knew Layla was the one for him. He popped the question in September 2016, after his team’s victory over the Boland Cavaliers at DHL Newlands. The location was extra special because it’s where they first met.
Take a look at their proposal:
WATCH: Cheslin Kolbe proposed to his girlfriend Layla Cupido at #DHLNewlands, and she said yes! #cheslinjoulekkerding
Posted by Stormers on Friday, 30 September 2016
The pair tied the knot in 2018 at Webersburg in the Stellenbosch winelands. Fellow rugby stars Siya Kolisi and Justin Geduld acted as groomsmen, and Rachel Kolisi served as a bridesmaid.
The couple’s daughter Kylah, who was nine-months old at the time, came down the aisle in a custom-made cart with a board that read: ‘Daddy just wait til you see mommy’. Their godchild, Siya and Rachel Kolisi’s son Nicholas acted as pageboy. He carried a sign that read, ‘no stepping this now Uncle Chessy’.
Layla walked down the aisle to ‘The Prayer’ by Celine Dion, a live duet sung by Vernice Platje and Danelle Lewin from the Hillsong church in Cape Town the couple belong to. For her big day, Layla wore a fit-and-flare Robyn Roberts dress covered in beaded lace with long sleeves, a detachable tulle skirt and a low open back.
They had an unconventional navy blue four-tier wedding cake with gold printed leafing and orchids flowing down, and a personalised hand-made topper figurine of Cheslin running with a rugby ball and Layla catching him/falling for him- depicting their love story.
South African comedian Siv Ngesi was the MC for the reception. Later in the evening, the wedding party was entertained by fire dancers.
Their wedding day was captured in all its glory by Top Billing, take a look:
The couple now live in France with their two-year-old daughter Kylah, and Cheslin plays for French rugby team Toulouse. They are expecting the birth of their second child very soon.
Feature image: Instagram/Layla Kolbe
