Real People in Love: Chantele & Jonathan

I just knew I had to feature Chantele & Jonathan when Chantele contacted me. Chantele is the woman behind Daisy Dayz, the place where she stashes her adorable outfits, inspiration, and life. They are the first international couple I have featured in this series and I couldn't think of a better couple, Chantele & Jonathan tied the knot last month and it is so sweet to read about these newlyweds.

How old are you & Jonathan?

We are both 22.

How long have you been together?

We have been together 5 and a half years.

What are your occupations?

We currently both work in a bar, he is a manager and I'm a barmaid. But I'm hoping to be running my own business soon.

How did you meet?

We had known each other for a while in school, but didn't become friends until college.

How did you get engaged?

We were in Kentucky for his uncle's wedding, and his dad told me we were going to pick up tickets to go to the races. This sounded plausible to me and I didn't really pay any attention to where we were driving. A few minutes later we stopped and they started getting out of the car so I followed suite. We were actually in the middle of Florence National Park, in the snow. Jon walked me over to a giant stone tortoise in the middle of the grass and got down on one knee and asked! I was totally oblivious to the plan that everyone else seemed to be in on! He gave me my grandmother's engagement ring (which I had previously given him) and it was perfect.

Tell us about your wedding day:

I am a very calm person so wasn't stressed about anything. The whole day I just seemed to be running on adrenaline. I didn't feel the cold which had my bridesmaids shivering all morning and I didn't get tired even after being up at 5 am! I was only worried about John all morning, as he was a little panicky at the rehearsal! The first thing I asked the vicar when I got to the church was "Is he ok?" and luckily she assured me he was! Walking down the aisle is a funny feeling, you have to walk slow but all you wanna do is rush down to stand next to your man, who is grinning like a Cheshire cat (at least mine was). Jon's hands shook for the whole service and I could see how nervous he was, but we got through it.

We had an amazing day overall, everything was so perfect and luckily nothing went wrong. Even the weather being a bit wet didn't stop us having the perfect day. Only problem is, it's over too fast! Make the most of every moment.

Define Love:

I'm not sure I can but my mother actually said something (that her grandmother had said to her on her wedding day) in her speech that kind of defines love. When you are in love you know everything is going to be ok. No matter what life throws at you, having the person you love standing next to you means you're going to come through it.

What is the toughest part of being in a committed relationship?

I think it is learning to compromise. Learning that it's not just you opinion or feelings that matter any more.

What is the best part?

Cuddles! lol. I swear a cwtch* is the best thing in the world, it solves all problems.

What is the best day the two of you have had together?

That's a hard question as I think there have been loads. Apart from our wedding day, of course, I love days where we can just go out and be alone. Just be a couple. Whether it be a trip down the bay, a walk in the park or even wandering around the shops in town As long as I can be alone with him and hold his hand, I am happy.

What makes you different from other couples?

I think our understanding of each other. We know each other so well. People have teased us for years that we are like an old, married couple, we still argue like other couples but it never lasts long and luckily we never seem to argue about the big stuff in life. And we usually just end up laughing it off and having a hug!

What is your favorite thing to do together?

Like I said, a good cwtch is the best thing in the world, so a big cuddle while watching a decent film is probably our favourite thing to do together. But eating out somewhere new with some good friends is also something we really enjoy

Do you have a song?

Not really, when we first got together it was "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers but at our wedding we danced to "We Got Love" by Tom Jones. The lyrics to "We Got Love" are just perfect for a wedding.

What is the most essential element of making it?

Compromise and understanding towards your partner.

What are your hopes for the future?

Individually we both have career hopes for the future but together the next challenge is buying our own home.

Anything else the world needs to know about love?

You have to work at it, it isn't all plain sailing. The stuff you have to work harder at in life is usually the stuff that is more rewarding in the long run.

As always, if you'd like to participate in the Real People in Love series, just shoot me an email!

*Note from Cole: If you're like me you don't know what "cwtch" means so you'll have to look it up, but when you do you'll realize it's one of the sweetest terms in the world and that you'd love to include it in your wedding somehow.