Find the right person, you won’t regret

How did you meet?
Merina: We met at Watoto church Downtown Kampala on Easter 2014. It was by coincidence that on Easter Monday we met again on a bus to Mbale. I was going back to work and we exchanged contacts.
Darius: True, but we did not fall in love then, we kept in touch as friends.

When did you get close?
Merina: We would sometimes meet for dinner once in a while since both of us were working in Mbale and during that time we discussed a lot.
Darius: Despite the fact that we were communicating on WhatsApp, we were not that close until when I invited her for dinner.

What attracted you to each other?
Darius: She is beautiful and as we got closer, I liked the inner her. She has character traits of the wife I dreamt of.
Merina: He is handsome, courageous, knows what he wants, loves genuinely and above all he is God-fearing.

Did he propose to you?
Merina: Of course, he did several times but I turned him down. He is persistent, one day he asked me on a serious note whether I would marry him, I accepted his proposal in December 2015.

How did you feel?
Merina: I was excited because he was straightforward.
For how long did you date?
Merina: One year.

Who was the maid of honour?
Merina: Mrs Oliva Mutatiina, she is my good friend.
Darius (interjects): And my best man was Dr Adams Kamukama, my elder brother and friend.

When did you come up with a wedding date?
Merina: May 2016 when I was in the last semester of my Masters degree. We wanted it after my final exams and graduation.
Darius: I wanted us to cement our relationship now that she was done with school.

What was your budget?
Merina: Our proposed budget was
Shs 57m but we adjusted it accordingly. We raised funds through pledges that were collected in several meetings by friends, family and well-wishers.
Darius: We revised our budget to Shs30m which I raised from my savings. My brothers, sisters and friends also contributed.

Where did you shop for the rings?
Merina: We bought them from South Africa through our friend Shallon Kukundakwe who works there.
Darius: They silver and each costs 3,000 South African Rands (approximately Shs 750,000).

How much did your suit cost?
Darius: I bought it at Shs470,000 from Select Garments.

Did you involve a wedding planner?
Darius: No, there was no need for one because our friends and relatives helped.

What were you doing on your wedding eve?
Darius: We had a giveaway ceremony at her parent’s home in Kyamate Ntungamo. I returned home by 9pm, had a brief meeting with the best man, party chairman and the caterer until 11pm and we parted
Merina: I had a giveaway ceremony which ended at around 8pm and I rested.

Were you disappointed in any way?
Merina: Yes, salon people delayed me and failed to do the hair style I wanted.
Darius: I was anxious about whether everything would go as planned.
What did you enjoy the most on that day?
Darius: I enjoyed seeing my partner dance. I had never seen some strokes. She was happy. Also my dad’s speech ; he praised everything and was inspirational.
Merina: I enjoyed the way the main celebrant conducted the ceremony. At my reception I was delighted by the lively welcome.

Where did you buy the wedding gown and maids dresses?
Merina: I got my wedding gown from Unik Bridals at Namaganda Plaza; I hired it at Shs 800, 000.
A tailor at City Complex Nakasero, Kampala made the maids’ dresses each at Shs240,000, my changing dress at Shs350,000 and the groom’s shirt at Shs150,000.

Where did you have the church function?
Merina: St Peter’s Cathedral Bweranyangi, Church of Uganda in Bushenyi District.

What went through your mind during the ceremony?
Merina: I was asking myself the kind of man my husband would be. He looked so courageous, everything was beautiful and he made me the proudest bride in the world.
Darius: I was so worried about the rain that was threatening to pour heavily.

Did you go for premarital counseling and what did you learn from it?
Merina: Yes, I learnt a lot of things such as sharing responsibilities, child upbringing, our differences and how we can live happily with them.
Darius: I learnt that we were different people going to stay together and they taught us how to get along.

What are some of the challenges you encountered?
Merina: Majorly it was about the salon but otherwise almost everything went well.
Darius: It was hectic to coordinate things since the function was in the west and I stay in eastern Uganda.
Also, I had a very short time to plan for the wedding since we had it a day after the introduction ceremony.

What would you change given a chance to redo your wedding?
Darius: I would increase the number of guests.
Merina: I would give a week’s interval between the giveaway and wedding to give me and the entourage ample time to prepare for salon and the rest.

How many guests did you have?
Merina: They were about 600 guests but we had budgeted for 300.
Nelson: We had close to 600 guests. The budget was not more than 350, by God’s grace; we managed to cater for all of them fully.
What is your advice to those planning on wedding?
Merina: Marriage is beautiful, they should not get scared, once you are with the right person, do not hesitate to face it, you will never regret.
Darius: It is all about getting the right partner. It is never about the budget. Plan with what you can raise, do not look at what you anticipate from people’s contributions.

The deal
Date: December 3, 2016
Groom: Darius Tumwesigire
Bride: Merina Asasira
Officiant: Very Rev Canon Nobert Tibikoma
Church: St Peters Cathedral, Bweranyangi, Bushenyi
Reception: Crane Resort Hotel Bushenyi
Theme colour: Red, Golden yellow and Turkish blue
Honeymoon: Crane Gardens, Bushenyi
Budget: Shs30m
Guests: 600
Honeymoon: Lake Bunyonyi, Bushara Island

HIGHLIGHTS

Rings
The Tumwesigires ordered their silver rings at RS 3,000 (approximately Shs750,000) through a friend in South Africa.

Food
The most expensive item was food and they had to pay a service provider to deliver it. It cost them Shs 8m. It was enough for the guests, factoring in the excess that came in.

Cake
The snow-white coconut cake which was baked by Asiimwe, Darius’ friend at Shs 1.7m. It befitted the wedding because it was big enough and the couple ensured to serve every one of their guests.