Cape Town – Married at First Sight South Africa participant Gaven Taele entered the social experiment hoping to find his ideal match with the help of experts.

But on his wedding day which aired on Friday on Lifetime (DStv 131) the 41-year-old was left waiting at the altar.

His match 27-year-old Lebo Diutlwileng decided to not go through with the wedding and left the venue without a word.

The moment the show’s executive producer Rebecca Fuller-Campbell came up to tell him that his bride had left he was a bit dazed, says Gaven during an interview with Channel24.

“My first thought went to my family who had been sitting waiting for the ceremony. I immediately thought of protecting them and making sure that they were okay. I completely blocked out the nerves and the excitement I had been feeling prior to that.”

Dealing with such a personal moment being so public cannot be easy and since the event Gaven has kept a low profile socially to adjust to the shock of everything that happened that day.

“I have taken to spiritualitly and the show experts Martsie and Paula have been helping me deal with the situation. They have been very supportive and understanding,” says Gaven.

If he had the opportunity to speak to Lebo he says that he would ask her if she was okay and if she needed any help.

“I can’t image it was easy for her. To have come so close and have to quit at the last minute could leave one with some damage.”

A GOOD MATCH?

Relationship expert Paula Quinsee says that because Lebo did not have the full support of her family the pressure became too much for her to go through with the wedding and she decided to leave.

Despite the outcome of the matchmaking she still believes that Gaven and Lebo were a good match.

“When making a match, we consider a number of elements such as a person’s background, values, interests, financial standing, career aspirations, family orientation, partner wish list, psychometric assessments, in-depth interviews and more.”

She continues: “Even though the match is good on paper, the couples still have to do the work once they are paired up. There will always be some differences, as we are all unique individuals and we each have different perspectives on the world.”

LIFE AFTER MAFSSA

For Gaven going through this entire process has taught him that he is stronger than he thought he was and that he is more accepting regardless of the outcome of the situations he is faced with.

If given the choice he would definitely sign up for the social experiment again.

“I would say yes to the process again. I feel I did not get to experience the possibilities of being ‘married at first sight’, which is after all what I had initially signed up for.”

He hasn’t entered the dating world just yet; he is taking his time to let the universe work its magic.

(Photos supplied: Vivid Images)