Course mates turned lovers
LOVEBIRDS: David and Scovia Lukyamuzi after wedding.
What you need to know:
MARRIAGE IS SWEET. After living to together for a while, David Lukyamuzi Kalwanga, Busujju MP, wedded his better half, Scovia Najjuko, a company agent. CHRISTINE KATENDE captured the conversation of how the class mates liked each other and chose to get married.
How did you meet?
David: We met at Makerere University in 2005 but I remember Scovia used to help me a lot with my course work. She used to encourage me never to miss lectures and tests. As a friend, Scovia used to keep my money and was trustworthy.
Scovia: We were at Makerere University School of Education. We were class-mates in the same discussion group.
How did friendship at the university turn into love?
David: When she accepted my outing invite and I used the opportunity to declare my love intentions. Scovia accepted after six months.
What later made him the man of your dreams?
Scovia: David is a go-getter, ambitious, loving, caring and hard working.
The 26-tier cake which cost the Lukyamuzis Shs 10.4m was big enough to serve the thousands of guests. Most parties feel complete after every guest has partaken of the cake.
What attracted you the most to Scovia?
David: She is beautiful, well-behaved, caring, responsible, encouraging and a good financial manager.
Did you give him a hard time or was it automatic when he proposed?
Scovia: It took me about six months to accept, I wanted to prove his seriousness as well as get to know him better.
How was the proposal done?
David: I requested her to move in with me which she accepted after I visited her parents in 2007.
Scovia: He promised to marry me and fulfilled it. It was private proposal. I don’t remember him having a ring when he proposed, but David kept surprising me with adorable gifts.
When then did you say I do?
David: February 18, 2017 at Namirembe Cathedral. Our wedding was officiated by Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira. We headed to Kampala Serena Hotel and Sheraton Kampala Hotel for garden and studio photos and later hosted the guests at Nawangili, a place in my home constituency Busujju, Mityana District. I wanted to have a people wedding.
The guests take to the dancefloor with the groom. COURTESY PHOTOS
How many guests did you have?
David: I expected 25,000 guests but the number exceeded to 28,000. I am only grateful that all people were catered for.
What was your theme colour?
Scovia: I chose royal blue because it is a fabulous colour that I have always loved.
How big was your cake?
David: They were 28 tiers which cost us Shs10.4m.
Where did you get the rings?
David: I got the rings from Germany at Shs4.2m. I only went with the measurements.
Which cars did you use?
David: We had the best convoy. It comprised 22 cars including a cross country that I used with my wife, Range Rover Sport and Land Cruisers V8.
Which gown did you have?
Scovia: I had two gowns, a mermaid (white) one for church at Shs9m and another pearl white for reception at Shs4m. I ordered for them through a friend from Turkey. I had two changing dresses (fitting royal blue and a gold) at Shs4.5m. I had three pairs of shoes.
How many maids did you have?
Scovia: Fourteen because they are my good friends. I did not consider size and height but they managed to organise themselves well.
Seven wore yellow and green and the other group had peach and cream. My sister Betty Nabaterega was my maid of honour because she is my best friend and is understanding.
The couple looked smashing in their changing outfits. COURTESY PHOTO
How much did your suit cost?
David: I ordered my suit from Turkey at Shs7.2m; this included the outfits and shoes.
Why did you choose MPs as your groomsmen?
David: I aimed at having something unique. I had 21 MPs as groomsmen and luckily they had the art. They matched the maids.
What was interesting on your wedding?
David: The way people cheered us at the reception and I was excited that all service providers delivered to my expectations.
Scovia: The appearance of the entourage and reception décor thrilled me. The high table was well-arranged too. I also looked great.
LOVEBIRDS: David and Scovia Lukyamuzi after wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe. COURTESY PHOTO
Did you have any fears?
David: I feared that may be people would not turn up given the time the service was slated, surprisingly, the church got filled up.
Scovia: I was worried about the rain given the fact we had an outdoor wedding but thank God it did not fall.
Were there any disappointments?
David: The fact that both my parents had passed on saddened me. None of them witnessed their dream come true, this made me teary.
Scovia: I was angered by the salon person who delayed us by an hour yet church service was in the morning. He however deployed a crew that managed to pull it off in time.
How much did your wedding cost?
David: Approximately Shs300m.
How did you manage to pull it off?
David: I started saving early enough. I used the money solicited from friends to supplement the budget. Three months was enough time to have it done.
Charles Peter Mayiga,(Left of groom) the Katikkiro of Buganda and Edward Ssekandi, the Vice President attended.
What challenged you the most during preparations?
David: Delivering invitation cards and rewriting some of them.
Scovia: It was a hustle linking up with the maids and making them agree to my choices given the big number.
How important was premarital counselling?
David: We went for a month’s long sessions which helped me distinguish between a man and a husband. I now know the importance of being positive towards my partner. I’m also keeping track of whatever I was taught.
Scovia: I was encouraged to always pray for both my marriage and family. Being loving, patient, strong, kind and caring are the other elements that were emphasised the most.
Where did you go for honeymoon?
David: We went to Dubai for two weeks. I had a lot of fun.
Scovia: I relaxed after the hectic preparations. I also had fun with my husband.
What would you do better if you re-wedded?
David: Nothing, I sealed it, it was well- planned with uniqueness.
Scovia: I had the best wedding, I would not change anything.
gown
In case you buy a gown for your wedding day, you can later hire it out or sell it off and use the money to clear any outstanding debts. For memories sake, some people keep their gowns for their children.
cake
The 26-tier cake which cost the Lukyamuzis Shs 10.4m was big enough to serve the thousands of guests. Most parties feel complete after every guest has partaken of the cake.
camera moments
Consider having extra camera people so as to capture all moments of the day. This will help you have a complete function as well as reduce on the pressure.
rings
David and Scovia settled for gold rings so as to show how much they treasure each other. “Scovia is my golden treasure and the time we will live together will tell,” says David.
maids
Scovia chose to have her friends around her; she did not consider size and height but who she felt comfortable with them.
cars
The Lukyamuzis opted to have a number of classy monster rides such as Jeep, Range Rover Sport, and a Mercedes Benz cross country which made a beautiful convoy.
