For the Turibawes, it was love at first hug

Braison and Teddy met in June 2017 at a fellowship of the Makerere University Seventh Day Adventist Association.

Being a student at Makerere, Teddy was already a member, Braison however, a student elsewhere only showed up for fellowship.

For a long time, they did not talk despite being in the same fellowship. Not even a simple greeting.

One day, there was a youth summit and as fate would have it, they took photos using Braison’s phone.

“Even before the summit ended, she immediately started asking for the photos,” he recalls.

She pestered him and yet when he sent them, she did not text or call thereafter.

“The next Sabbath when I went for the service, I asked her why she never communicated,” he recalls.

It turns out thugs had broken into Teddy’s hostel and had taken off with many of her belongings, including her smart phone.

“I was only able to replace the line and buy a small phone. When I showed him the phone I had, he promised to contribute for me to buy a new smartphone,” she recalls.

When she bought the phone, they would chat but not as often because they were not even close friends. One Sabbath Teddy fell sick and did not attend church so he paid her a visit on Sunday.

“I got the chance to know her and she hugged me for the first time. This was the spark of our relationship. I do not know why, but the hug was special, ” he says.

According to Teddy, it was an innocent hug that meant no harm.

 “I only meant to say,  ‘thank you for the visit.’ He was always a reserved person and I had never gotten the chance to get close to him before. But also, I hugged most people in my circles. I did not know that he took it seriously,” she says.

Getting even closer

By March 2018, the two had started dating and one evening, Braison asked Teddy out so he made mention of his intention of a long-term relationship that would later turn into marriage. There was a man who was trying to have an affair with Teddy and she told him about it.

Braison immediately besmirched him as not serious because they had never met.

They then started attending parties, concerts together but their main challenge was their difference in personality because Braison loved PDA and insisted on holding hands but Teddy was not comfortable with it.

“There was a time we broke up because of this. I did not want to put it out in the public that we were dating. What if we broke up? I was very uncomfortable and he failed to understand. With time, we realised that this was a very minor issue that could be solved so we compromised and were able to settle our differences,” she says.

Teddy also remarks that although love wins everything, she is happy to have found a caring, respectful, and God-fearing husband who reasons maturely.

The couple was slated to wed in 2020 but was caught up by the Covid-19 pandemic and Teddy’s father was out of the country. They then had their kukyaala on January 3, 2021 and planned their wedding a year after.

Teddy was the one coordinating the whole entourage because her maid of honour and the bridesmaid were all staying out of town. This was very tiresome for her and on the eve of the wedding, there was a change of plan that saw them lose a lot of time.

Teddy says, “I coordinated their dressing and mine. We had planned that we would stay at my aunt’s home but it would be far for the makeup person so we slept in a hotel room and had photography before going to church. This annoyed my husband so much. By the time we did photography, he was very angry. The session was delayed because it rained and I had to run back to the bridal car barefooted since we were getting late for the church service.”

If there was anything Braison would change about his wedding day, it would be sticking to the programme but with time, things got better especially after taking the vows.

“I delegated most of my responsibilities in order to save time. I kept calling her to update me about her side and I was not happy when she chose to sleep at a different place and do photography first,” he says.

Their best moment on their wedding day was the dance moment and they have lived happily thereafter but since then, they have learnt that marriage is a beautiful thing if you marry your friend.

“I am glad that we dated for a long time because I have learnt the true meaning of reconciliation when things go wrong. Marriage gives a high level of understanding and learning to prioritise your partner so that you grow and age together.”

The costs

Braison had been a chairman on two of his friends’ weddings so he was familiar with service providers and how to get good deals. Most of them were referrals from people and this is how he ensured quality services and a discounted fee.

The couple bought food from their village, transported it and only hired caterers who cooked and served it. This was a great way of cutting costs according to them.

The most expensive item was the venue whose cost also included the tents, chairs and decoration. These were Shs15m, overall cost of food was Shs10m. Their cake was baked by Momo Delish cakes at a discounted fee of Shs2.5m. The makeup and hair were made by Siima Hulda and Jaqstyles mobile salon.

Quick notes

Bride: Teddy Mbabazi

Groom: Brison Turibamwe

Date: May 8, 2022

Venue: SDA Central Church, Bbunga

Presiding officer: Pr Kisakye Ssali Emmanuel

Reception: Akamwesi Gardens

Theme colour: Emerald green

Guests: 600

Budget: Shs50m