Double wedding ignites town

Lovemore Meya Lifestyle Writer
It is often said that twins are inseparable and this is evidenced by their common purpose in everything that they do and it even becomes more special that they are together on wedding day more so when they also marry twin sisters.
Add to that a bridal team exclusively made up of seven sets of twins and you have a fairy tale wedding party not to be missed for anything in the world.  This was the scenario last weekend when the Katonha twin brothers Mayor Tendai and Lawyer Farai (28) tied the knot with the Neshamba twin sisters Nvette Tinenyasha and Yvette Nyasha at the St Peter’s United Methodist Church in Unit J Chitungwiza.  The reception was held at the adjacent Aquatic Complex.

It was a dream come true for the two policemen from the ZRP new Chitungwiza Camp as they walked down the aisle dressed in identical outfits alongside their equally elegantly dressed sweethearts and exchanged their vows before marriage officer Reverend Portia Kanoyangwa accompanied by a vivacious bridal party.

May 31, will always be etched into the minds of many who witnessed the ceremony and equally enveloping reception.

Assorted ribbons hung freely in the humid air, hooters, screeching tyres and screams of joy greeted everyone who cared to watch.

A fleet of vehicles whose brands ranged from the modern top of the range Chrysler, Volkswagens, BMW’s among other vehicles set the tone for the big day.

The wedding befitting royalty could easily have placed the Chitungwiza policemen’s wedding into the record books.

By 8.30am, hordes of people had already filled the gleaming Mukwa pews arranged neatly in roles of threes as they waited for the proceedings to unfold at St Peter’s United Methodist Church.

The brides dressed in boob tube designer gowns with tail frills of satin and bidding lace gloves, white veils, crowns with silver glitters, silver earrings and closed silver high heels gave them an angelic appearance.

The maids of honour had sheath cream satin floor length dresses while the other ladies wore lime green dresses, top orange frills and silver sandals to match the colour theme.

Not to be outdone were the grooms, with the Katonha brothers clad in all black trousers, a waistcoat, bow tie complemented with a white jacket with black trimmings and heavy starched white shirts.

The best men wore grey suits, white shirts and the remaining team marvelled in black suits, black ties and orange shirts.

Something worth noting was that parents from both sides who did their best in dressing for the occasion by adding value to the décor colours.

The décor was awesome with white dominating, followed by orange, lime green and pink defining the characters of the brides and grooms.

The “Classic Lily Cake” had two ducks with feather-like features showing signs of peace and love while the centre piece had a castle resembling the couples building their empire.

Two small spherical cakes represented the gifts they were to receive, with rainbow colours to enhance the dressing and decor.

Rev Kanoyanga took time to wed each couple and the major highlight of the day was when the grooms were asked to kiss their brides.

Each would go and kneel before their in-laws, showing respect by clapping their hands, deftly walked to their brides with the best man taking off their jackets.

This was followed by a romantic kissing that everyone envied.

Their wedding was however not the first unique event as last month in Epworth twin brothers Brighton and Brian Kamunda tied the knot with their lovers though not twins.

They wedded Loveness Sibanda and Yvone Dick at an almost similar wedding.

The Katonha twins went through a rigorous process of bringing together six sets of twins who were the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

As the bridal party left for a photo session at Seke Teachers College it was an eye-catching procession that nearly brought Chitungwiza to a standstill as nearly everyone knew about the double wedding.

At the reception venue, the majestic scenery of the dressing was complemented by top class décor and a special type of flowers, which gave an amazing appearance.

The background to the high table was meticulously lined with a backdrop butterfly design while the table had overlapping scalloping, continuous flower line and roses of orange, yellow and sprays of cream.

This was also in line with the tables and chairs which were covered in white, with centre piece lime green and orange.

The food was well prepared and presented accompanied with soft drinks.

While the crowd was helping themselves to the food, the bridal team treated them to an array of dances including “Murambinda”, “Special Time” borrowed from the Afro Jazz donning pimped dressing.

However, the crowd went crazy took to the dance floor as Guspy Warrior’s hit-song “Seunononga” was played.

In an interview after the ceremony, Lawyer said assembling the sets of twins together as a wedding party was not much a problem since they were all from the same residential area in Chitungwiza.

“Three sets of the twins were from our church and six more were drawn from the location we are residing. It took us three weeks to get them together because after meeting them we would engage their parents for consent and they were even happy to have their children taking part in the double wedding,” he said.

He added: “We are so happy to wed on the same day with our twin wives. This was what we have been dreaming of since our high school days and we even told our classmates that it was always our wish to accomplish this type of wedding.”

The wedding took four months to prepare and the church played a leading role following the death of their parents.

Mr Nesbert Mhembere who was part of the organising committee team said it was a hard time for the twin brothers to wed without both parents.

“Prayers played a pivotal role since all the members devoted their time to making the event a reality. Our church has trained us in organising activities. And for these two brothers, it has been a hard time to wed barely a week after the death of their brother with another discharged from hospital on the funeral wake,” he said.

A UMC member, Mrs Memory Moyo who wedded under a mass wedding said such ceremonies save a lot of time and cash.

“I remember that we were 16 couples wedding at once. It feels good since it covers costs and creates opportunities to those who are not financially stable.

“What matter most is that it is similar to the other weddings for the vows and ceremonies are the same,” she said.

Moyo said that after the ceremony, each couple goes its own way for celebrations at home with family and friends.

A report from International Business Times showed that some 2 500 identically-dressed couples have previously been married in a mass wedding ceremony in South Korea.

They were all members of the controversial Unification Church, commonly known as “Moonies” after their late founder and “Messiah” the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

In a double wedding, the process is the same starting from vows, reception and venue if the people are related.

In a single wedding, the bride shares her makeup with the bridal team, but it is a different case when it involves another bride.

This has proved to be true for twins who are known to be inseparable and because of that they do almost everything together.

At times it is carried over into adulthood where they consult each other on milestone decisions in their lives. Some choose the same professions, to live next to each other or even wedding on the same day.