What I did with my gown

Ruth Kirunda, 26: Kept it for future generations
My wedding gown is safely tacked away in one of my closets back home. My intention is to give it out to any of my daughters, most probably the one who will get married first. I want one of them to have it and not any other female person. This is because it is something that I bought myself expensively from Turkey. It cost about $3,000, about Shs7,540,500. I did pick this particular gown for my big day because of the lovely designs and stones.

Maria Bazannye,34: Returned
I was given various options by the owner of Ms Tamale Boutique in Masaka. She told me that if I wanted, I could hire any gown of my choice, buy or alternatively, have made any designed I wanted and then take it back to them. I went for option three.

After my wedding day on December 9, 2000, I returned the gown to the boutique. It had cost about Shs400, 000. My changing dress cost about Shs200, 000 from the same boutique.

Loy Ssenfuka, 39: It is for hire
I came up with the plan of hiring out my wedding gown a few months after my wedding last year on August 28.

I could have sold it, but I decided not to after a close friend hinted that I would benefit more from hiring rather than selling it.

The gown cost me about Shs2.2m and it was the tailor who came up with the design. She reasoned that it would be nice on me. Indeed, I was not disappointed after trying it on the first time after she had made it.

Florence N. Ssenkungu, 27: My two gowns were hired
I was lucky to have two wedding gowns on my wedding day, thanks to my husband.

Before September 10 last year, our wedding day at Kitovu Cathedral in Masaka, I had done a few surveys around town and found out that there were two specific gowns that had the designs and fashion that I wanted.

One was from Sister’s Classic Boutique located along Luwum Street and the other was from Queen’s bridals in City Center Complex. After discussing the matter with my husband, he agreed that I could have the two gowns, on condition that I hire both since it was cheaper rather than buying.

The gown from Queen’s Bridals is the one I wore for the church service and it was hired at Shs800, 000 and the gown for the reception is the one I obtained from Sister’s Classic Boutique and it was Shs600, 000.

Apophia Norah Jaggwe: Kept it
I bought my wedding gown from Tirupati Mazima Mall, in Uchumi in Kabalagala. It cost me Shs7.5m. My husband and I decided to buy and keep the gown because we wanted it to forever remind us about the day we got married to each other. Even after the wedding on September 15, this year there are days I just look it for the purpose of reminding me about the special day when I got married to him. Just like my wedding gown, I decided to keep my changing dress as well, which I bought from Pioneer Mall at Shs2.5m.

As told to Esther Oluka.
fullwoman@ug.nationmedia.com