With the pandemic looming, Tabeth Nyathi and Mupamburi Nyasha Chipfupa decided to proceed with their wedding, with caution of course. Their wedding day turned out perfectly.
The couple both being engineers met at the administration offices of NUST in Bulawayo, her first week on campus.
“I was in part one then and he was in his final year. I didn’t notice him at first, but to him, from that very moment, he knew I was the one. It was love at first sight for him,” Tabeth recalls.
The couple got married on the 26th of December 2020. Since they love curating beautiful experiences for their family and friends, they both wanted their wedding to feel like an extension of that but in an elevated place, accompanied by gorgeous music by Future Love Sounds. The stunning wedding celebration as planned by both the bride and the groom took place in BhenasVilla Events Center and was captured by Lincoln Madengu.
“The planning was one bumpy road; I don’t remember getting much sleep last year. However, there is nothing we couldn’t handle as we were prepared” said the bride. Lilly Anne Bridal made her the real dress of her dreams. Together, Tabeth and LilyAnne Bridal spent weeks going back and forth, going from other alternatives to the final masterpiece: a stunning ball gown. Her reception sleeveless peach mermaid dress was rather a last-minute choice as they were running behind time. Her wedding dress advice, “please do not buy a dress on your very first trip to a dress shop. Sit down and be honest about how exactly you envision yourself on the day.”
The bridesmaids’ nude-pink mermaid dresses were done by Balcony Factory (Thobe) while Nyasha and his groomsmen were dressed by Stylish gentlemen. Also, bride hair and makeup compliments go to Memo’s Hair and Makeup. The engineers in them wanted their story of growth and patience to shine throughout the event. Thus later, both the groom and bridal teams changed to jeans and Ts plus reflectors and helmets as a representation of the love they share not only for each other but their careers too.
The reception and décor were perfectly made in nude pink to complement the formal/traditional wedding theme. The venue is an outdoor-indoor space “the indoor-outdoor feel of BhenasVilla is far from stuffy and traditional”, Tabeth commented on the venue. Once they were able to visit in person, they booked on the very same could get” she added. The couple ultimately wedded outside, surrounded by greenery from nature, in front of an arch that was wrapped in green and white daisies. Inside the reception space, tables were dressed by Heights Events with summer daisies, gold candles in gold candle holders, lavender linen napkins with the addition of white and gold chairs for the guests.
The cake, brought to life by Bake My Cake also made a huge statement. Rulteq Events did justice to the menu, during the cocktail hour, chicken sandwiches, popcorn, and the juice was served. For lunch and refreshments; salads, entrees (marinated grilled chicken, beef stir fry, creamed butternut, mac day, “it seemed as ‘us’ as we and cheese, rice, roast potatoes, soft drinks), and dessert were served. “Above all, am thankful for my service providers as they made everything easy for me, their professionalism was just awesome”, she gives remarks. For the sake of being unique and romantic, the couple intensified the dancing stage with vanilla-scented smoke.
When asked about how she felt about the whole day playing as planned her response was “it wasn’t an easy journey honestly, I had to grow up within a short space of time, gathering the courage to tell people how I want my day to be like and having to fight against all odds to make sure it came out as I had envisioned. The whole day in general was the best moment of my life, I mean I finally got a lifetime friend I intend to keep for eternity. Although I couldn’t help feeling emotional over not having my parents witness this special day with me. However, having my uncle from the UK to support me with the whole pandemic looming over was just too special and I couldn’t feel any less.”
Her favorite moment of the day was when she was waiting for her husband to say ‘I do’, “that moment reminded me of the first day he told me ‘I love you’, and I laughed, gladly the laugh turned into a lifetime smile” she added. Nyasha’s favorite moment of the day was when they exchanged their wedding vows and the priest declared them as husband and wife. “Something magical seemed to have happened at that moment. The joy of being married to the love of my life before God and our guests was unbearable.” To add on how he felt, he even went on to refer to groom Ek Preme Katha from the movie ‘Toilet’, “his mad dance moves of happiness were a summary of how the day overwhelmed me”, he added.
As for advice to future couples, the couple says, “Don’t compare yourselves to others. Comparison is a game you can’t win because you don’t know what’s going on behind the shiny facades people present to the world.”
