Chronicle Editor
Wedding of . . . Stanford Kudzayi Chiwanga, the last-born of Austin Chiwanga and Beverly Chiwanga of Nyazura and Prudence Katlego Moyo, the first-born of the late Joshua Sipholi and Rosemary Sipholi of Beitbridge.
Tied the knot on . . . April 19, 2021.
We chose . . . The Barn Event Centre in Hillside, Bulawayo for our wedding ceremony and reception because we wanted a garden ceremony on the lush green lawn. The beautiful pond with ducks and impala completed the desired scenery. The venue also had an indoor reception which was ideal for the winter wonderland theme that we wanted.
How did you meet?
We met when Nedlac Automation, a South African company, which had invested in Bulawayo, invited the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Raj Modi to be the guest of honour at the official opening of the company. Stanford was Deputy Minister Modi’s media liaison manager so we had to communicate with Modi through him.
At first, it was nothing, but business, but as time went on, the business relations mutated into something else. On my birthday on September 24 in 2019, he proposed in front of my mum, sister, friends and business partners.
How did he propose . . . we were at home and my mum who works in South Africa, was around. He organised a birthday party for me, invited my friends over and took me shopping. I thought that was all and was so happy and content as I felt loved. I had no idea that a surprise was in store.
He knelt in front of everyone and proposed and I burst into tears. My mum did not know what was happening. She actually thought something bad had happened. My friends were happy for me and they laughed at me because I don’t usually cry easily. My best friend calls me ice queen because of that, but that proposal reduced me to tears. On December 22, 2019, he sent a delegation to my rural home to pay lobola. In February 2020 they returned to finish off the lobola requirements. We were then given the go-ahead to plan our wedding.
Leading up to the wedding . . . we wanted to wed in August 2020, but Covid-19 happened. We then postponed to December with the hope that the situation would have improved. December came and the situation was not ideal for what we wanted so we moved the wedding to April 19, 2021.
Did you face any challenges preparing for the wedding?
The biggest obstacle was Covid-19. It messed up our plans. We had no choice, but to postpone when the Government locked down the country. The lockdown affected our businesses and we had to close shop like everyone else. Finances were hard to come by, but by the grace of God, we pulled through.
Choosing the guest list was a mean task. We had to limit the number of guests due to Covid-19 restrictions. We could not go beyond 50 because the owners of the venue also insisted that the laws of the land should be observed. We left out a lot of close friends and relatives and up to now, we are apologising to some of them. We had to do a raffle draw just to choose whom to invite. To those we did not invite, we’re sorry.
Wedding colours . . . we chose forest green, rose gold and white.
My wedding gown . . . was tailor-made in China, thanks to Glamorous Brides.
The bridal team . . . was a 12-member one with Uneiloe Moyo as the best lady and Vusumuzi Dube as the best man.
We also had a team of dressed up escorts, which was made up of four girls.
The cake . . . was an eight-tier fruit cake which was designed to look like it was melting. It was made by Cake Diva Jay. She had never done such a cake and was excited by the challenge. I am glad she pulled it off. I can safely say she is the best in Bulawayo.
My favourite part of the wedding . . . dancing with my mother-in-law and father-in-law as my husband danced with my mum. I can’t say I have a second favourite part. The ride in the G-Wagon was a thrilling experience. I can’t thank Mrs Saliwe Nare enough.
I feel all my service providers went out of their way to pull off my winter wonderland theme. That said, we would like to thank Nosizo Choga of 4quard Deco for laying a great foundation that made it easy for other service providers. The most touching speech . . . were the vows we exchanged. They were very sweet.
What was on the menu? The catering was provided by The Plate Catering, (Dayne Pigot) and for snacks we had beef skewers with chutney mayo dip, meatballs with 1 000 island sauce, cucumber sandwiches and cocktail sausages. For the main course, there was a variety including flame-grilled chicken, coronation chicken stew, beef stew, barbeque t-bone, full lamb on a spit, full impala on a spit, roasted potato wedges, yellow rice with vegetables, broccoli and cheese mixed roast vegetables, fresh English garden salad with beetroot and carrot and cabbage coleslaw with raisins. For dessert, there was trifle custard and whipped cream as well as chocolate cake. There were four bars from which guests were served flavoured water, fruity mocktails and soft drinks.
Guest list . . . 50.
Photography by . . . Inspirations and FMG Photography.
Deco by . . . 4quard Deco, Nosizo Choga.
Bride’s make-up and hair by . . . Makeupyapatie, (Patience Silumbu-Mnkandla)
Bridal team make-up by . . . Nickys_makeover, (Nicole Chiwota).
Bridesmaids’ dresses by Krispy by ChrissyTermite (Christerbel Mujuru)
Wedding planner: Lisa Tshuma
MC: Pastor Joseph Masaiti (ceremony), Hilton Mavise (reception).
Entertainment was provided by . . . Band Fusion and the bridal team.
Budget: We’d rather not say. Honeymoon: We wanted to go to Bora Bora, an island in French Polynesia, but due to Covid-19 we will choose a local tourist destination.
If you want your wedding to be featured on our Wedding of the Week column, please feel free to get in touch with the Showbiz Desk on 09-888871-9, 0774 007 233 or send an email to [email protected].
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