'The dry-cleaners lost my gown'

BRIDE: Carolyne Chemutai

GROOM: Dalton Kongo

GUESTS: 45O

DATE: December 29, 2014

VENUE: KISII CENTRAL SDA CHURCH

BUDGET: Sh700,000

FIRST DATE

Carolyne: I first met Dalton in 1999. I was 15 and he was 19. We, however, barely talked to each other and soon after he flew to the US.

Fast forward to January 2004 when I had just completed high school and he had come back from the US. We would meet in Kapkatet town in Kericho County. I often tried to ensure we met in places where my parents could not find us. Our meetings were great as I was so young and naive, while he was older and more experienced. I always looked forward to meeting him.

THE PROPOSAL

Carolyne: Mine was an over-the-phone proposal. On August 26, last year, while he was in the US where he resides, he called me and told me he loved me. He then asked me to marry him. I said yes.

THE DRAMA

Carolyne: After the wedding plans were up and rolling; having set the wedding date and even invited friends and family, we had to cancel at the last minute. Dalton was unable to get back to the country in good time for the wedding, forcing us to postpone the ceremony.

It was such a depressing time for me since people thought the whole wedding was a sham. Some even suggested that he would never come back and I was just a naive girl who had been taken for a ride. While some empathized with me, most celebrated my misfortune.

After we set a more appropriate wedding date, my gown got misplaced at the dry cleaners one month to the wedding and could not be located for three days.

In addition, our families had an issue with the wedding budget. They felt that I had gone way out of budget and needed to cut down on cost. However, all was sorted out.

On the wedding day, the ceremony started late but the people waited patiently. I can never thank them enough for their support and prayers

IN HINDSIGHT

Dalton: The most important lesson we learnt from the planning process is to put God first in everything that you do. He is able to help you through any problems and challenges you face.

Carolyne: Keeping an open communication as a couple is important. Once you let people from the outside - whether family or friends - come between the two of you, there will be great misunderstanding and it is easy to break up just before the wedding. I almost broke up my engagement by listening to outsiders who know nothing about my relationship with Dalton. I regret lending them an ear.

My advice to couples planning a wedding is; be sure of the person you want to marry. Do not get married because everyone else is, or you will be in for a rude shock. As they say, marriage is not a bed of roses. As long as you love each other and both of you have put God first, everything will fall in place.

Dalton: Plan your budget within your means. Do not go for expensive things to please other people and bring unnecessary tension just for one day. Remember there is life after the wedding and do not take a loan to cater for a wedding. It will only complicate things more.

Carolyne: For the ladies, do not make any decisions without involving your fiancée. The consequences of such actions could be dire.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Carolyne: Walking into church and seeing the multitude of people in attendance was dumbfounding.

The 17-day honeymoon in Zanzibar was unforgettable. The residents of Zanzibar are very friendly and hospitable. I did not want to come back home.

Dalton: Being pronounced husband and wife before God and men. It is the best thing that has ever happened in my life.