By Vanessa Mwedzi
On the 1st of December 2019, Nqobizitha Nyakunu tried so hard to take Namatai Tachiwona for dinner, but she wouldn’t budge. He resorted to cooking and so after supper, he brought a slice of cake written ‘Will You Marry Me’. With so much happiness, she said yes and their journey to their wedding began.
After lobola had been paid on the 29th of August 2020, the wedding planning began and according to Namatai, it was “Hectic, stressful, frustrating and tiring, I was surely excited weeks before but the pressure that came with the preparations of the wedding was just unforeseen.” This was because there were a lot of movements between Harare and Gweru, and the couple was stressed as they wanted things to be delivered in time and planning everything to be exactly what they envisioned. The frustrating thing was that the finances they had banked on came late with a few shortfalls.
Namatai had had a tailor-made gown, which she had a fitting a week and a half before the wedding and it had gone back for alterations. The gown came back a day before the wedding and it was a disaster! Luckily, she had booked another gown as a contingency plan and so they ended up driving to get it last minute.
Namatai, as someone who wanted everything including the food to be on point, also chose to be part of the catering team of her wedding. She slaved through the night up to the wee hours of the morning.
Despite everything, the wedding came out beautifully and the hard work was all worth it. The wedding was held at Tachiwona Residence in Daylesford, Gweru, and their theme colours were Royal blue and Champagne. Namatai had read in the book ‘Why in the World’ that blue represents marrying your true love so she definitely had to pick it.
The most memorable moment of the day for the bride was walking down the aisle and thinking that this was finally happening with her childhood sweetheart. Also, when they exchanged vows, for the first time, her fiancé was having a serious moment in his life.
For the groom, the most memorable moment was the sight of Namatai walking down the aisle with her father, walking towards him. He also remembers how people commented on how he looked contrary to what he believed to be very simple as he didn’t wear a tie. The kiss was also memorable.
As for advice to the new couples, Namatai and Nqobizitha emphasized communication as key in every marriage. “Honesty and trust should be maintained. Always have fun and maximize the time you have together. Squabbles are going to happen but do not go to bed angry. Above all, a family that prays together stays together.”
