A petrol station probably does not feature as one of the most romantic places to propose to your girlfriend, but there was no better place for 27-year-old Morgan de Beer to pop the all-important question to Cassey Voogte.
It was at pump 1 at Shell garage in Cambridge where De Beer met his now fiancée almost two years ago, when she made the first move and asked for his cell number.
De Beer, who is a regular customer at the garage, walked in one Wednesday morning to ask for permission to propose to his bride-to-be at pump 1 from the manager on duty, Chantelle du Preez.
Du Preez said when she was called to the forecourt, at first she thought a customer wanted to lay a complaint.
“I never expected anyone to propose at a garage and everyone who was around us was drawn into his request. It was giggles everywhere and everyone wanted to know how it all started and why he would want to propose at a garage,” she said.
When the clock struck 7.30pm on Wednesday, De Beer fetched his girlfriend of 18 months from work, as he does every day.
He parked at pump 1, which had been cleared for their grand arrival. De Beer stepped out of the car, went around to the front where the 22-year-old Voogte was seated, opened the passenger door and knelt in front of her.
Voogte’s first question before responding with a big “yes” was: “Did you tell my dad?”
To which De Beer responded immediately: “I got his blessing this morning.”
De Beer then jumped for joy and shouted: “Yes!”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, an emotional Voogte said she had not seen the marriage proposal coming.
“He did not do anything out of the ordinary – it was like any other day.
“If my dad doesn’t fetch me, my boyfriend fetches me and fills up his car. His petrol gauge is always on full,” she said.
De Beer said he was so nervous that he forgot all the words he had prepared to say, but was happy that his fiancée could make sense of what he was saying.
“We met for the first time at pump 1 after her 13-year-old cousin came to ask for my number, which I did give,” he said.
Voogte interjected.
“We saw Morgan walk past our car at the garage and my dad jokingly said he was a decent guy and would make a great boyfriend.
“My little cousin then went to ask for his number, but I lost it.
“Weeks later, I went to find him on Facebook. We talked on the inbox, but I hesitated giving him my number.
“We eventually exchanged numbers and we met up for an ice- cream date,” she recalled.
De Beer said he was ready to be a loving husband and father to their child, who is due in a few months.
“After our first date on April 2016, I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with and I decided to take the big step after finding out that we were pregnant,” he said. — sisiphoz@dispatch.co.za
‘I do’ and some pumped-up courage make couple’s day
It was at pump 1 at Shell garage in Cambridge where De Beer met his now fiancée almost two years ago, when she made the first move and asked for his cell number.
De Beer, who is a regular customer at the garage, walked in one Wednesday morning to ask for permission to propose to his bride-to-be at pump 1 from the manager on duty, Chantelle du Preez.
Du Preez said when she was called to the forecourt, at first she thought a customer wanted to lay a complaint.
“I never expected anyone to propose at a garage and everyone who was around us was drawn into his request. It was giggles everywhere and everyone wanted to know how it all started and why he would want to propose at a garage,” she said.
When the clock struck 7.30pm on Wednesday, De Beer fetched his girlfriend of 18 months from work, as he does every day.
He parked at pump 1, which had been cleared for their grand arrival. De Beer stepped out of the car, went around to the front where the 22-year-old Voogte was seated, opened the passenger door and knelt in front of her.
Voogte’s first question before responding with a big “yes” was: “Did you tell my dad?”
To which De Beer responded immediately: “I got his blessing this morning.”
De Beer then jumped for joy and shouted: “Yes!”
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch, an emotional Voogte said she had not seen the marriage proposal coming.
“He did not do anything out of the ordinary – it was like any other day.
“If my dad doesn’t fetch me, my boyfriend fetches me and fills up his car. His petrol gauge is always on full,” she said.
De Beer said he was so nervous that he forgot all the words he had prepared to say, but was happy that his fiancée could make sense of what he was saying.
“We met for the first time at pump 1 after her 13-year-old cousin came to ask for my number, which I did give,” he said.
Voogte interjected.
“We saw Morgan walk past our car at the garage and my dad jokingly said he was a decent guy and would make a great boyfriend.
“My little cousin then went to ask for his number, but I lost it.
“Weeks later, I went to find him on Facebook. We talked on the inbox, but I hesitated giving him my number.
“We eventually exchanged numbers and we met up for an ice- cream date,” she recalled.
De Beer said he was ready to be a loving husband and father to their child, who is due in a few months.
“After our first date on April 2016, I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with and I decided to take the big step after finding out that we were pregnant,” he said. — sisiphoz@dispatch.co.za
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