Books got us hooked

BRIDE: Edna Gicovi

GROOM: Edwin Thairu

GUESTS: 500

DATE: April 30, 2016

CEREMONY: Kenya High School, Nairobi

RECEPTION/ PHOTO SHOOT: Kenya High School

BUDGET: Sh650,000

FIRST DATE

EDNA: We met at Daystar University where we were students and both worked for the school newspaper. As a result we made common friends and had a lot of shared interests, which made us very good friends over the years. We kept in touch even after Daystar though we did not start dating until long after we had both graduated, in December 2014.

EDWIN: Our first meeting was in a bus ride from Daystar’s Athi River campus to Nairobi’s CBD, a distance that gave us all the time we needed to talk. That bus conversation set us up for a seven-year conversation on books, God and life. After graduating in 2014, I asked Edna out for coffee at Java. It was then that she officially accepted to us being a couple.

THE PROPOSAL

EDWIN: I worked on my plan for more than three months, adjusting it and then starting over again. She’s a smart woman, so I had to be very discreet. Some of my plans entailed inviting our close friends for a surprise proposal and have it captured on video, but I eventually settled on a quiet private proposal.

EDNA: It was about three months to our wedding and we were already neck deep in wedding plans. For the longest time, we would joke about how unconventional we were for not doing the whole engagement thing, and I remember telling him we needed not to and we should save that money for something else.

 Sometime towards the end of January 2016, we had planned to picnic at Karura, where I would show him how to do crayon etching or scratch art, something he was very fascinated by. We made our way there one cloudy afternoon, the threat of rain hanging over us.

Armed with crayons, paint and other supplies, we found a clearing somewhere in the midst of the trees, settled there and got started on the art. At some point, he started making a ‘connect the dots’ thing on a plain piece of paper and when he connected them, they spelt out, “Edna, will you marry me?” I was so surprised and even teared up a little. We ended up having a very long conversation about love and life. It sounds weird but I have to say that I did not expect a ring even at this point because of our previous conversations and self-imposed unconventional ways. I thought he was only asking me to marry him officially, which was great. I thought that was it.

So after an afternoon of long conversations and art, we were ready to leave, and in a bit of a rush because it looked like it would rain. I was busy packing up everything and looking for the box that held the crayons. I kept asking where the box was then he asked, “This box?” I turned to find him holding a red, heart-shaped ring box - yet another wonderful surprise. I started crying again. It was such a beautiful and unexpected proposal. I was in a happy daze for quite some time after that.

EDWIN: Seeing her tear up with joy had me smiling inside for I could clearly tell that she did not suspect my plans. My concern at that point was to say something authentic enough to resonate with her.

THE DRAMA

EDWIN: Planning the wedding amid busy schedules and responsibilities was rather hectic. Weddings can be quite financially taxing and raising all that we required for the wedding was not easy. We received a lot of support from our families and friends.

EDNA: When it started pouring, we did not know what to do especially with the reception being held in the open. However, the Master of Ceremony skillfully altered the programme to see that gifts and speeches were presented inside the chapel.

WITH HINDSIGHT

Many lessons have been learnt including to be kind to each other and bear with each other’s weaknesses while celebrating each others’ strengths and to rely on God for guidance on everything.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

EDNA: Walking down the aisle holding my parents’ hands with him waiting for me at the altar.

EDWIN: Watching her walk down the aisle. I realised this was a moment I had been waiting for all my life.