BRIDE: Joyce Chao Mzughula
GROOM: Collins Odhiambo Onunga
DATE: Sunday, December 27, 2015
GUESTS: 300
CEREMONY: Ziwani S.D.A Church, Mombasa
RECEPTION VENUE: Bamburi Welfare Club, Mombasa
BUDGET: Sh420,000
FIRST DATE
JOYCE: Our very first meeting was as a result of something I am yet to fully comprehend. I rarely visit my aunt but on this day as I was coming from college, I was compelled by some strange force to pass by my aunt's home in Bamburi, if only to say hi. That was in February 2010. Little did I know I would meet Collins on that day, though we did not talk much besides exchanging the mere pleasantries.
COLLINS: I had gone to visit a friend of mine who happens to be a neighbour to Joyce's aunt. I had never seen her before but after our first encounter, I became her secret admirer and would take pleasure in her beauty her from afar. Whenever I would visit my friend, I would say hi.
JOYCE: There was something about him that just made me laugh whenever we would converse. That and the fact that he was very kind made it easy for me to give him my name and number when he asked for it. A few days later, he asked me out on a date and made our relationship official.
THE PROPOSAL
JOYCE: After that, we spent every other Christmas together by the beach, the only alterations being the company with which we spend this day with. The Christmas of 2014 was no different. We (Collins and I) were accompanied by my two sisters for what seemed like a normal day at the beach.
As beach games go, we built sandcastles together just before going for a swim, but on this day, Collins was in no mood to go for a swim, or so I thought. He however urged my sisters and I to have fun in the ocean as he remained behind and passed time building a castle.
COLLINS: When they returned from the swim, I had build a well decorated sandcastle and crowned it with the engagement ring. Accompanying the castle was a card.
JOYCE: The card was written, "Will you marry me and be my lovely wife so we get old together as we explore the beauty of this world?". Well, I could not say no to that. That day marked one of the greatest moments of our lives. Our love grew more from this point on.
THE DRAMA
JOYCE: Were it not for our shrewdness, we wouldn't have had clothes for the wedding. Our tailor, whom we had told that our wedding was slated for the first week of December, did not have the bridal team's outfits ready by then. Most of them were ill-fitting and were no sight to behold. However, since we had more time on our hands, the necessary corrections were made in good time.
On the day of the wedding, the caterer served us with beef biriani that had gone bad. We later came to find out that this was because she had bought the meat on a Thursday and had failed to preserve it well (our wedding was on a Sunday).
The remaining food was in short supply but our guests were gracious enough to stay till the end of the ceremony. We wished we had included more vegetarian food on the menu but the damage had already been done. We ended up paying half the price for the food.
COLLINS: On our arrival at the reception venue, our DJ felt inspired to play the secular song 'Amarula' by Zambian musician, Roberto, with our church pastor seated right next to him. In our church (Seventh Day Adventist) we only play gospel music during the wedding reception hence it was very funny to see many of our guests join in dance.
It took the intervention of the best man to request the DJ to switch to a gospel track. Luckily enough, our pastor did not notice the hiccup but our master of ceremony, who doubles up as a church elder, was not so enthused.
ADVICE
JOYCE: People need to realise that marriage is holy and it needs God and parents' blessings. Since a wedding comes once in a lifetime, one should enjoy the day to the fullest.
COLLINS: It is important to follow due process when getting married. Because of following the right procedure, my relationship with my in-laws grew stronger more so with my mother-in-law who is a staunch Christian and a perfectionist who always wanted the best of her three daughters. The moment we announced our wedding, I earned their respect and love.
WORDS: Rose Kwamboka
PHOTOS: Maarufu Mohamed