The big Wedding Finalists 2015: OUR BIG WEDDING EXPERIENCE
By Christopher and Maureen Mutabazi: Hi Jackie, hope you're well. I would like to take this
opportunity to share our big wedding experience. It was around June 2015, when I and my wife heard big wedding
adverts running on 91.3 capital FM. Being our favorite station we were always
listening in so we didn't miss any information regarding how to apply etc.
Having introduced (customary marriage) in April the same year,
we thought this was the best opportunity to get holy matrimony through the big
wedding. This seemed a like dream which was never going to become true.
We wrote our story and I submitted it myself direct to capital
radio offices to ensure that it got there.
The anxiety to be selected began immediately after submission.
We prayed night and day to be among the top 20 finalists. My wife was about 8
months pregnant and to some extent we were worried that, we would not be
selected, but we kept strong and praying. We kept our ears on radio every morning waiting for our story to
be read. It was one morning, when Jackie Lumbasi unveiled letter number 10 and
guess what, it was CHRISTOPHER & MAUREEN. This found me at work and
immediately I called Maureen who was also listening.
Our story gained a lot of support on Facebook through lots of
likes and comments.
We started mobilising family, friends, work mates and strangers to vote for us so we could make it to the final. There was a lot of pressure and tension. Voting started on a Friday after letter number 20 was read, we voted till Sunday mid day.
We started mobilising family, friends, work mates and strangers to vote for us so we could make it to the final. There was a lot of pressure and tension. Voting started on a Friday after letter number 20 was read, we voted till Sunday mid day.
After voting we prayed that we make it to the top 5. We kept our
hands crossed till Monday morning when I received a phone call from Jackie
Lumbasi informing me how we were the 1st qualifying couple and also inviting us
at Capital radio studio.
We were so excited and overwhelmed. At that point we
were preparing to go for work. However, we decided to honour Jackie's
invitation because we knew how big and important this was. We called friends
and family to tune in capital FM so that they could hear us live on radio. We
arrived at capital as early as possible and we were directed straight to the
studio. We were so happy to meet the entire Big breakfast crew and sharing a
studio with them that morning. We had good time with them answering different questions
concerning our love story etc. We were awarded with cartons Pepsi soda as one
of the sponsors of the Big wedding. We called upon people on air to vote for us
then left.
Immediately we started mobilising people beginning with those
who voted us in the semi finals, we got representatives from different areas including,
fort portal, Masindi, Jinja, Kampala, Malaysia, UK, US, Turkey, Dubai and so
many places. Our photo was
posted on the Big breakfast page on Facebook and immediately so many people commented and liked the story, which gave us more courage.
posted on the Big breakfast page on Facebook and immediately so many people commented and liked the story, which gave us more courage.
Final voting for the winner started on a Friday when couple
number 5 left studio. We went wild from that moment to ensure that we mobilized
as many votes as possible. We bought airtime worth 500,000 to ensure that we
had as many votes as possible. We spent sleepless nights voting, mobilising and
monitoring votes on Facebook and SMS. It was a tuff moment that we went through
given the fact that Maureen was heavily pregnant. But we didn't give up, in
fact she was more courageous and aggressive. We voted till Sunday afternoon and kept
in prayer throughout the night.
We had a sleepless Sunday night knowing that the following
morning they would announce the winner.
By 6am Monday morning, we were already
on radio waiting for results till around 8.30am. Eventually Marcus announced
that results would be released the following day because they were still
compiling votes. Pressure and anxiety doubled on our side as we couldn't wait
for the final results. People who had voted for us kept calling to find out
whether we had won. But we told them to be patient. We kept in prayer
throughout the night.
The long awaited day that changed our lives came. It was a
chilly Tuesday morning at about 8.30am. I was in office with my work mates
anxiously waiting for that one phone call to come to me. My wife was in a taxi
on her way to work. I saw my phone ringing. The number looked unfamiliar, I
picked and guess what, it was Marcus, I couldn't believe it. Before he said
anything, people around me started screaming. He then told me how we had won
the BIG WEDDING. I screamed on top of my voice than ever before. This was the
best and greatest news I have ever received in my life. Immediately I contacted
my wife to give her the news only to realise she had been contacted before me.
She was so joyful and speechless. We spent that whole day celebrating and
thanking the Lord for the miracle.
The preparation for the big wedding started which was supposed
to take place on the 31st of July, 2015. We met the Big breakfast crew to plan
with them. In the meantime, my wife was expecting any time. It was a big worry
for us and the organisers but this didn't stop us from proceeding with
preparations. We even met a doctor to try an induction for my wife but it
wasn't the Best decision. We kept praying at least she gives birth 4 days
before the wedding So that she could have some strength for the big day.
We started church counseling sessions at Christ the King, met
some big wedding sponsors like Harrison collections to select the best garments
for both the bride and her maids as well as the groom and groom's men. It was
fun every day as preparations went on. We couldn't wait for so many things in
the package such as the Kasiki at wink, the big wedding day, the trip to South
Africa among others. Both our families were filled with joy and excitement,
they couldn't wait for the big wedding. This seemed like a joke to most people
both family and friends who got the news that we had won a fully paid for
wedding. Everything was paid for including wedding rings, church fee, choir
etc.
Amidst all the excitement, we still had one challenge of
Maureen's pregnancy. She was expecting any time, and we were worried she could
give birth on the wedding day. We made a request for change of date for the
wedding day. Surprisingly, it was extended to 12th August, 2015. We thanked God
and kept praying she could give birth as early as possible. It was a season of
fun, excitement and tension. We were rewarded with a very wonderful and
memorable Kasiki sponsored by WINK BAR for both the bride and groom at separate
days. It was fun, we invited family and friends. People drunk and ate to
capacity. We had chance to interact with some the best radio presenters in town
such as Alex, Gaetano, Jackie Lumbasi, Olanya among others.
We counted days for the big wedding as we waited for the baby to
come as well. It was a difficult time but thank God 3 days to the big wedding,
my wife gave birth on the 9th of August to a bouncing baby girl at Nsambya
hospital. This was double blessing; a sponsored wedding and a beautiful baby.
Good enough it was a normal birth, so my wife gained energy so quickly. We
named our daughter Capital because of the priceless gift of the big wedding
from capital radio. We left hospital the following day to proceed with the
preparations. We gave out 500 invitation cards to family and friends.
Everything was set by 11th August. We had a wonderful dinner at Le petit
village Kabalagala, in the same place my wife and her maids spent the night
there. I had a sleepless night knowing that the following day was our big
wedding, it was an unbelievable. I couldn't wait for morning to come.
Finally, the big day came. It was on the 12th of August 2015. I
woke up as early as 6am called my wife just to find out how she and our
daughter had slept. I had a sendoff meal with my parents at home then left
to link up with my boys for saloon. From saloon we headed to Harris collections
to dress up. That took us an hour while Globetek was busy taking every moment.
The suits and shoes were classic and elegant. We took various snap shots as we
waited to be picked for church. The bride and her group were doing the
same in a different room. After sometime, 3 black range rovers arrived to take
us to church. This became more exciting because they all decorated, "THE
BIG WEDDING".
This left the streets of Kampala in shock wondering what was taking place on a cool Wednesday morning. We headed to church, in a convoy and arrived at Christ the king church at about 11am. People had started arriving for the mass. In about 15 minutes the bride and her team arrived in black limousine well decorated. The mass began at exactly 12pm. It was led by Rev Fr. Kisembo who happens to be my uncle. I saw my bride walk in church with her entourage smartly dressed. I couldn't believe it, but it was true. Mass went well. We said vows and sealed it finally. Church was almost full to capacity surprisingly being a Wednesday. The choir did so well through out the mass. After mass, we had snap shots inside and outside church. We then left in a limousine to Serena hotel for studio photos at Globetek. We had as many as possible. Meantime we had our 3 day old baby who would breast feed in sessions as the function went on.
We left Serena at about 5pm and left for Seven Trees Kololo to
join our guests for dinner. On arriving, we first took photos at seven trees
beautiful gardens and had refreshments as well. The whole place was branded outside
with banners etc. We couldn't wait to see what was inside. Eventually we were
ushered inside the reception tent with entertainment from Irene Ntale. The
decoration inside was so beautiful thanks to events warehouse and other
sponsors. My wife couldn't help shedding tears of joy as we headed to the high
table. The whole place was full of guests from different places. This was so
amusing.
The MC of the day was Oulanya Columbus who set the congregation into
laughters every minute. We had a very beautiful evening coupled with fun,
drinks from Pepsi and club, food from Seascallop restaurant, wine from Karuka
wines, and a 5 tier cake from La patisserie among other sponsors. We had
entertainment from BebeCool and Pastor Wilson Bugembe who made the function
more colourful. We received so many gifts including an air ticket to
Johannesburg South Africa from Rwanda Air. We had various speeches from people.
The function was concluded with a dance from us. After we headed to Le petit
village where we spent our first night as husband and wife. We had a very
beautiful night, our room was well decorated, and there was a small bed for our
baby. We had a wonderful breakfast and good facilitation till we left in the
afternoon. Meantime we postponed our honeymoon till September since our
daughter was too young.
We started our marriage life thanks to capital. My wife moved in
with me officially some thing I had been waiting for a very long time. The big
wedding was published in almost every newspaper, on TV etc. We got so many
friends since then. We started working on our visas for the trip to South
Africa with help from Rwanda air and capital radio who provided supporting
documents. After a few days, we submitted our documents at the South African
embassy and we got our visas after 2 days including our daughter's. We started
organising for the journey.
We were handed our tickets officially plus gift
hampers by Rwanda air a day before we left for South Africa. We left for South
Africa on the 10th of September, 2015 at about 5pm with Rwanda aircraft.
We first landed in Kigali and after 1hr we boarded another aircraft to
Johannesburg. It was a wonderful experience, we travelled in business class and
had a wonderful treat from Rwanda air. We arrived in Johannesburg at about
11pm. We landed at Oliver Tambo airport. We were received by a gentleman called
George with his team.
We headed to capital empire hotel Sun City about 15 km
from the airport. We were received by a team of professional people who took us
to our room gave us all the assistance that we needed. The room was so
beautiful with world class facilities. We had a wonderful dinner and slept
since we were very tired. The following day was well spent, first with a
wonderful breakfast with lots of dishes, we had a tour around Sun City among
other places.
The following morning we went garden court's hotel also in Sun City.
This was the best with various swimming pools, Jim, spacious rooms with world
class facilities etc. We toured Nelson Mandela memorial ground, with a very
beautiful Mandela monument. Generally we had a lot of fun and good experience,
I can't explain it all. But guess what, all this was fully paid for. We didn't
spend any shilling. We returned to Uganda on the 15th of September. After a few
days of our return, we received our wedding package from Globetek, 2 big photo
albums, 4 portraits, 2 video DVDs among others at no cost. Globetek did a
wonderful job captured every single moment, the photos are so beautifully
hanged in our house.
There a lot I can say about the big wedding. For sure, I can
write a novel. The aftermath of the big event came with so many blessings,
first if all I finally married the woman of my life officially, we became
famous, we got so many friends but the best of all is that 2 months after, I
was promoted at work and my salary doubled. We are living a happier life than
ever before, we plan together, and we have managed to put up good investments
together. Our daughter will make 2 years on 9th August 2017 and we will
celebrate our 2nd anniversary on the 12th of August. Life is getting
better and better. We are expecting another child before end of this year.
In conclusion, I would like to once again thank Capital FM radio
and all the sponsors of the big wedding for giving us an opportunity to start a
new life through a fully paid for wedding that so many people dream to have. We
also thank God for his favour because about 500 couples applied but we emerged
winners. The big wedding will always be part of our lives.
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