Reuben was supportive of my music passion

How did you get to know each other?
Reuben: I met Faith at Anytime Message Assembly Church, Nairobi in 2013. She had come for a concert. Because we did rehearsals together, she became my friend. That was around the same time I had been praying for a wife. The more we communicated, the closer we got.
Faith: I was invited to Nairobi to sing at a concert. I used to stay at my sister’s home before concert day. I met Reuben at church and his band was my back up. Given my passion for music and him being a drummer, we bonded easily.

How did it go?
Faith: It all started with a “hey” at church. When I returned home, our communication was inconsistent. However, we reconnected in 2014 and got close.
Reuben: I travelled to her home in Jinja in 2015 to ask for her hand in marriage. After getting consent from her family we started dating the following year.

How did you react to his visit?
Faith: I was suspicious and not sure if I wanted to take the marriage path. However, by the time he came home to seek my parents’ consent, I had already fallen for him - that is why I did not sabotage his visit.

What attracted you to each other?
Reuben: The first time I greeted her, I saw courteousness. Faith has an extraordinary character and a beautiful heart.
Faith: Reuben is honest, God-fearing and supportive of my passion for music.

How did you plan for the wedding?
Reuben: We had originally planned to have our wedding in Nairobi but I later realised it would be better if we had it in Uganda. Ugandan weddings have more glam and are lively. And, since our introduction fell on the same weekend, we opted to have both functions in Uganda to cut costs.

When was that?
Reuben: On April 28, 2018 at Inner Veil Ministries Tabernacle in Jinja. We later hosted our guests at Forever Resort in Jinja. We were honoured to have Pastor Andrew Furlong from Trinidad and Tobago officiate at our wedding.

Faith, what did you like about the wedding venue?
Faith: It has a scenic water view and a spacious play area for the children. The bouncy castle enabled children have more fun as opposed to being confined in one place.

How did you raise funds?
Reuben: Apart from friends and family, I had saved some money towards the function and I had accumulated some substantial amount which also came with interest.

Did you face any challenges during the preparations?
Reuben: Yes, it was hectic to run around for everything because we wanted to give both functions our best because the introduction fell on the wedding eve. Luckily, I got people on board to give a hand.
Faith: No, my sister had wedded two months earlier and being part of her organising committee gave me an opportunity to identify different service providers such as those for cake, decoration and food.
What were the most expensive items on the budget?
Reuben: Food at Shs5.1m and decoration at Shs3m.
Faith: We wanted the best and service providers complied.

What kind of rings did you have?
Reuben: We had authentic silver rings from Nairobi which I bought at Shs1m. I chose them because they are durable and befitted our lifetime memory.

And the cake?
Faith: It was multiflavoured and we wanted our guests to have a feel of different tastes. The centre piece had four tiers cost us Shs2.5m and other 14 small tiers cost Shs300,000.

What was your colour theme?
Faith: Black, gold and white. Black is my favourite colour and it blends well with gold. For white, because all my sisters are married, they preferred to send me off while wearing their wedding gowns for church and later changed into white dresses at the reception.

Reuben, tell us about your suit?
Reuben: I had my suit tailored in Westlands - Nairobi a place where most Indians and Turks buy their suits. It cost Shs550,000. I later changed into African attire whose material I bought from Nigeria and had it tailored in Nairobi at Shs1m.

What about your wedding gown?
Faith: I wanted a unique gown that I could not find with the already made dress. I had a white gown blended with silver on the sleeves and sequins at the hem. I had it tailored to my expectations at Shs3m.

How did you blend your jewellery?
Faith: I went minimal because my gown had lots of embellishments. I had a tiara, a bracelet and a watch.

Who was your maid of honour?
Faith: Patience Gejje Ibaale, my elder sister. I was her maid of honour and she is my confidant. I had seven bridesmaids who are my elder sisters and sisters in-law.

Reuben, who was your best man?
Reuben: My brother James Mwaji. It was easier conceding to him than anyone else. We kept it family and the five groomsmen were my brothers-in –law.

What excited you most?
Reuben: I was overwhelmed with joy when I saw Faith walking with her father. She looked beautiful. I also enjoyed the dancing at the reception.
Faith: I danced a lot in the morning and at the reception. I loved the cultural blend.

Did anything go wrong on that day?
Reuben: No, because a friend who wedded before me had advised me to stay calm in case of any situation.
Faith: The cameramen did not turn up for the kasuze katya. I got angry to have missed that bit of the day being captured because it was beautiful and important.

Did you go for premarital counselling?
Reuben: Yes, it all started from the time I talked to my pastor about my marriage intentions. The pastors emphasised the point of having the Holy Ghost. My father has been exemplary, I have never seen him do weird things.
I also live by Ephesians 5, “A man who loves his wife loves his body”. More so, at the wedding, we were told to lead our marriage as Jesus Christ would lead the church to live happily together.
Faith: We did not get official lessons of what to do when we get married but my parents among other people offered different pieces of advice. I believe in prayer for my marriage. I remember my mother cautioning me about being kind no matter the situation and the need to pray together.

Did you go for honeymoon? What excited you the most?
Reuben: We have been moving around different places in Uganda and Kenya. The most memorable was at Sigona Golf Suites in Nairobi where we watched animals play. Also, their service and the food was nice.
Faith: The tours to different places in Jinja were fun.

How much did you spend on your honey moon?
Reuben: About Shs7m.

What would you do better if given a chance to wed again?
Reuben: I do not think I would change anything, apart from putting emphasis on the music and photography providers. We missed out some beautiful shots. The music people asked for more money to play gospel music. I would look out for more genuine people who do not ask for extra money.
Faith: I would ensure that all the people I want to be part of the entourage are available because I missed a friend due to uncertainties.

What would you tell someone that is wedding soon?
Reuben: Weddings are not expensive and you will never have enough money for a wedding. Start with what you have.
Also consider the love and happiness with your spouse-to-be before anything.
Faith: Surround yourself with the right people, only those who want and wish the best for you and consider you as well.
Work within your budget to avoid having debts after the wedding. Look for the best, it does not add up getting something expensive but of poor quality. You can get something affordable if you go for good bargains.