3 “Yes, Men Cry Too – Real Reactions from Grooms in Southern Africa”

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Yes, Men Cry Too – Real Reactions from Grooms in Southern Africa

🧍🏽‍♂️ Featuring: Jonathan van Rensburg
👰🏻 Bride: Lianne Botha
📍 Wedding Location: Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa
💒 Theme: Rustic Romance x Mountain Magic
🎩 Guests: 95 close friends & family
📸 Photographer: Wild Fern Weddings
🎵 Song he cried to: “You Are the Reason” – Calum Scott (string quartet version)

🌲 A Love Rooted in Nature

Jonathan van Rensburg, a wildlife conservationist from Pretoria, never thought he’d cry at his wedding. “I’m not the emotional type,” he claimed during planning. “I’ll be fine.”

Famous last words.

His wedding to Lianne was held on a misty autumn afternoon in Dullstroom, surrounded by pine trees, a trout dam, and rolling hills bathed in gold and grey. The ceremony took place on a wooden deck overlooking the water, with handcrafted macramé hangings, fynbos garlands, and raw wooden benches that gave it a warm, unfiltered elegance.

The mood was already intimate—but no one expected the groom’s raw emotion to become the moment of the day.

🧍🏽‍♂️ The Build-Up

The morning began with fly-fishing at sunrise (because, of course it did—this is Jonathan we're talking about). He and his groomsmen shared coffee from enamel mugs, sat on the porch of their forest lodge, and played a few rounds of “which groomsman forgot the belt.” Spirits were high, laughter echoed through the trees, and everyone expected a chill, confident Jonathan.

But at 12:45pm, things changed.

Lianne sent a letter through her maid of honour. It read:

“No matter how this day unfolds, I want you to know—you are enough. Just as you are. You always have been.”

Jonathan teared up immediately. “That line wrecked me,” he later said. “I thought I’d hold it together. But I knew then—I wasn’t getting through this dry-eyed.”

👔 What He Wore

Jonathan’s suit was perfectly him:

A forest green jacket made from recycled cotton-linen blend

Tan chinos and dark brown leather boots

A fynbos boutonnière, handpicked from the venue’s garden

His late grandfather’s gold pocket watch (the only fancy thing he wore)

He looked relaxed, earthy, elegant—but his face told a different story. From the moment he stood at the altar, his breath was shaky. He wiped his hands on his pants twice. And then… she came around the corner.

😭 The Moment She Walked In

Lianne’s entrance was timed to the swell of the quartet version of “You Are the Reason.” The song echoed across the dam. Her veil blew gently in the breeze. Her dress—an off-white boho-style gown with flutter sleeves—moved like mist.

And Jonathan?

He broke.

One hand shot to his mouth. The other clutched his chest. A soft “Wow…” escaped him. And then the tears came. Silent at first. Then flowing, as he dropped his head and wept.

Not loud. Not dramatic. Just pure.
Guests whispered, “He’s crying…” and then many of them cried too.

Lianne reached him and wiped his face before anything else. “I love that you let yourself feel this,” she whispered.

💍 The Ceremony & What Followed

They exchanged vows in their own words. Jonathan's voice cracked as he read:

“I spent my life loving the land… and then I met you, and realised I’d never truly known home.”

He paused, teary-eyed again. Lianne reached for his hand and smiled through her own tears.

Later, during the reception, his best man joked:

“We expected Jono to give us a wildlife fact mid-ceremony. Instead, he gave us a TED Talk on love and vulnerability.”

Everyone laughed, and Jonathan—still misty-eyed—raised a glass and said,

“It was the best cry of my life.”

📸 The Photo That Went Viral

One photo, captured just as Jonathan burst into tears, ended up trending on Instagram after their photographer posted it with the caption: “Yes, men cry too. And it’s beautiful.”

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