Ntando and Peter Stemmet are a busy young Johannesburg couple. They first met in 2012. ‘We just clicked,’ says Ntando (31) of the day she met Peter (31), her husband-to-be. ‘We immediately bonded over our love of sport. But more than that, I fell in love with his kindness and “genuineness”.’
‘All you want as a man is for your woman to make you feel like you’re the king of the earth, and Ntando does exactly that,’ Peter says.

Bridging the gap
They chuckle over the ‘fair price’ Peter paid as lobola to Ntando’s father. ‘Being a Zulu girl from KwaZulu-Natal, I was very impressed by this white man who could pronounce my surname perfectly when we met,’ she laughs. ‘He’s very good with languages and genuinely interested in learning about other cultures. I love that about him.’
He’s pretty ‘old school’, Peter says: ‘I like to conduct myself as a gentleman and in her I found my lady. She’s the epitome of grace, elegance and beauty. I love her so much.’

Their spark secrets
To keep the romantic spark in their relationship alive, they do their best to be thoughtful all the time. ‘It’s about the little things you do for each other,’ Ntando says. ‘Like making time to Skype when I’m overseas for work, or sending each other sweet messages during the day.’
They make a point of spending quality time together. ‘We watch tennis, rugby, everything, together. Except golf! That’s the only sport Peter loves but not I,’ Ntando quips.
‘I love surprising her,’ Peter continues. ‘It doesn’t have to be a trip to Italy; it could be something small, like flowers or a movie. I send her love texts every day. We’re very religious, so I like sending her Bible texts that relate to my love for her.’
‘I love when he does that,’ Ntando says.

They do differ in some respects though. ‘I tend to overanalyse things and want to talk about everything, whereas he’s more sensitive and wants to think things through,’ says Ntando.
Communication is key, they agree. ‘It’s important to remember that you may sometimes be ready to communicate but he may not. So give him space and time. Once both of you are ready, you can talk things through. It requires patience and knowing that you’re in this together,’ says Ntando.

‘From my side, it’s very simple,’ Peter says. ‘Firstly, always agree with your wife,’ he laughs. ‘Secondly, just be yourself. That’s who she fell in love with in the first place. So be the best you that you can be.’