He proposed in Senior Six vacation

Groom and bride arrive at their reception venue.

What you need to know:

Joseph Obaa employed in the Information and Communications Department at Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda and Susan Akurut, an accountant, wed on April 19, 2014. They shared their wedding moments with Esther Oluka.

How did you meet?
Joseph: I knew Susan right from childhood. We attended the same church, Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) in Kumi District and even studied at Bishop Maraka College in the same district for O-Level. Although I went to Ngora High School while she went to Entebbe Secondary School for A-level, we met again during our Senior Six vacation. It was during that time that we fell in love and I used that as an opportunity to propose marriage. It was 2009 and we were both 24 years old at the time.

You proposed marriage during your Senior Six holidays?
Joseph: Yes, I did propose at that time because I felt I was ready to settle down. On the other hand, I knew deep down in my heart that Susan was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted her to have that assurance of how serious I was about the relationship.

How was the proposal done?
Joseph: I simply asked her to become my wife. This was as I was escorting her to pick her nephew from school.

And how did you react to the proposal, Susan?
Susan: Joseph’s proposal took me by surprise and that is why I did not agree to it immediately. I asked him to give me a bit of time to think about it. When I told my aunt whom I was living with at the time about it, she was happy about the news since she had personally known Joseph.

When did you tie the knot?
Joseph: We did it on April 19, 2014. I had wanted to wed as soon as I had finished proposing to Susan, but I realised it would not be possible because they were many things to do including finding jobs, completing our university education and paying the dowry.

Did you have a clear picture of what you wanted for your big day?
Joseph: We wanted a very simple function. We did not want a wedding exclusively funded using loans and that is why we used our savings and generous contributions from friends and family members.

Did you organise the wedding yourselves or did you get some help?
Joseph: We got a lot of help from members of the wedding committee who were about 10 in number.

Where did you look for ideas and inspiration for the event?
Joseph: Mainly from wedding magazines and married friends.
Susan: We also had a counsellor, Mr Emmanuel Elimu, who gave us interesting advice about marriage and what to do during the event.

What was your highlight of the day?
Joseph: It was during the time of taking the vows. Susan used her own words and said them with a lot of emphasis.
Susan: The time of exchanging the vows also stood out for me. His promise of love and commitment did strike my heart.

Did you encounter any disappointments?
Joseph: There was a power blackout while we were at the reception. It occurred at about 7pm. We waited in vain for power to return but it did not. Then we learnt that there was no fuel for servicing the generator. Since it was getting late, everyone at the function just improvised with their phones for lighting. The reception ended at about 7.30pm after starting at 5pm.
Susan: The DJ (Disc Jockey) did not play the song I wanted while I was being walked down the aisle. I hid my anger behind a huge plastic smile.

Were there any funny moments?
Susan: Yes, there was one particular moment. As soon as an announcement was made that the food was ready, the wedding crashers were the first ones to get in line and some of them kept pushing our guests while others even fought for the food. The organising committee could hardly control their big numbers. We had initially planned for about 500 people but we got over 1000 guests.
Joseph: Susan and I almost missed food by the way. Can you imagine?

What do you think worked best for you, having organised the wedding upcountry?
Joseph: Susan and I were within the reach of most people who knew us and these included mostly family members, relatives and friends.

If you were given another opportunity to redo the wedding, what would you do differently?
Joseph: If that opportunity ever came, I would ensure that the food prepared is enough for everyone.
Susan: I would get very few bridesmaids to be part of my entourage because a smaller number is easier to work with. It was not easy for me to coordinate with the eight maids because they were living in different locations.

Do you have any advice for a couple planning to get married?
Joseph: Organise a wedding that you can afford.
Susan: Be certain that the person you are planning to exchange vows with, is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Details
Church Service Venue: Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG)Church in Kumi town
Reception: North East Villas Country Resort.
Wedding budget: Shs10 million. The money was mainly from the couple’s savings and contributions from relatives and friends.
The bride’s gown: It was a gift to Susan from members of the church.
The changing dress: It was tailor-made at Shs25,000.
Rings: Each cost Shs15,000. They were purchased from Mbale Town.
Cake: It was baked by one of the church members.
Groom’s entourage: Joseph was escorted by eight groomsmen who were mainly his friends. He also had four page boys.