We had the great privilege to attend the wedding of one of our coworkers at The Pines in Mukono district this past weekend. Isaac and Josephine got married and a beautiful (colorful and exuberant) ceremony and reception. There was great weather and we had a great day celebrating their union and future as husband and wife.
We left early Saturday morning and knew it was going to be a long travel day due to it raining buckets overnight and for knowing we'd have to travel through the Mukono District. The trip took about 3.5 hrs to go 21 miles...but we arrive right on time as the groom was walking down the aisle...even though it was almost 1.5 hours past the time the ceremony was scheduled to start. It is is very normal for events to start hours later than advertised here. Great for my perpetually late self.
The ceremony was around three hours long and included the vow exchange, a sermon from the preachers, two offerings, music, and the signing/filling out of all the official wedding documents at the altar. The message from the preachers was unlike any other wedding message I have ever heard and was simultaneously translated into both English and Luganda. It was wild and definitely left us with some good stories.
We walked around the venue grounds for a bit before heading down to the reception area. In talking to our Ugandan friends, this wedding was really unique because it was outside. Most people don't have outdoor weddings or receptions and for many in attendance this was the first they had ever been to. I found this very surprising considering how much "life" happens outside here in Uganda.
It was about three hours between the ceremony and reception. The bride and groom had changed and made their grand entrance into the reception. The meal was a variety of traditional Ugandan foods - matoke, rice, beans, chicken, beef, peas, greens, etc. The bride and groom greeted their distinguished guests and then left again to change for speeches.
About an hour later the bride and groom reemerged and made their way up to the front for speeches. During speeches, different groups represented at the wedding come up and present a gift to the couple and give a speech to the couple and audience. The different groups that often give speeches can include (but is certainly not limited to) the bride and groom's immediate families, extended families, work places, university/friend groups, churches, parent's friends, family friends, etc...After all the speeches are given then both the bride and groom make speeches to the guests also.
The cake was cut before dinner but was brought around during speeches. The large cake had been cut into bite sized pieces and each table got a tray of these bite sized pieces to share. The bride and groom also presented separate small cakes to specific groups after speeches so we accepted the EMI cake to be served at work on Monday to those who couldn't make it to the wedding.
We ended up leaving around 9:30pm. We were sad to miss out on the music and dancing but knew we had another 3.5-hour trip to get home and driving too late into the night is dangerous here.
All in all, it was a great day, beautiful wedding, and fun way to experience the culture here and close out the last weekend of our internship. I'm so thankful for the Kakumba's generosity and friendship as they celebrate and kick off a lifetime together!
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