By Ivy Chibanda
I’m sure most ladies will agree that when it comes to their wedding, they do not want anyone to outshine them, they want the spotlight and no one should by any chance wear white. Yes, it’s my day and I’m allowed to be a little bit selfish, right? Well, this wasn’t the case with Panashe, a selfless bride who wanted every woman at the wedding wearing white. It came out perfect.
Panashe Kimberley Peters met the love of her life, Keen Mushapaidze sometime in 2020. After ten months of dating, Keen fooled Panashe into believing they were planning an event to celebrate their birthdays, Panashe’s birthday being on the 9th of March and Keen’s being on the 10th. The couple invited all their friends and close family to Kariba. It was a couples’ affair.
On the 12th of March, upon arriving at their destination, in the evening, Keen started giving a speech. Initially, it seemed as if he was thanking the people that had come for accepting their invitation to Kariba. After the speech, Keen jumped into the swimming pool that was nearby. He came out of the pool and went straight to Panashe and hugged her. Panashe had no idea of what was happening so she hugged him back so as not to embarrass him. After the hug, Keen was down on one knee and asked Panashe to marry him and of course, she said yes! Up to this day, Panashe is still in shock. No one had even given her a hint.
Keen paid lobola on the 10th of July 2021 at a well-organized lobola ceremony. Thereafter, the wedding planning began.
Their wedding was slated for the 4th of December 2021 at Pabani Lodge. Panashe and Keen being a simple couple who love fun, wanted a theme that resembled their characters. White was the main colour, being a symbol of pure love. “Love is what brought us together and what flows abundantly between us,” says Panashe.
The second colour was gold as gold symbolizes hope for a good life with fun, friends, success, and happiness. The idea was to have white and gold as the wedding colours but then it would have been difficult for the gents to wear all white so the gents were to wear black and white, so the wedding colours became white, gold and black. The couple being simple didn’t want lavish décor. All they wanted was their décor to be in white, with a touch of gold.
The wedding was nothing short of perfection. As the bride walked down the aisle to Jah Prayzah singing their favorite song, Nyeredzi, the groom couldn’t resist the tears, looking at his beautiful bride. Panashe was dressed in an elegant white dress and comfortable sneakers. She indeed was a unique bride, who prioritized comfort over everything. The shoes helped the bride make the most of her day as she danced and celebrated comfortably.
It was a fun-filled day, graced with close family, friends, and socialites. The Zimpraise team provided graceful music during the ceremony and the 3rd generation band did the most at the reception. The bride went on stage and danced with the band. The couple enjoyed their day, and for the bride, “Most of the things were just a blur, I was enjoying myself and I was emotional. Being the centre of attention, there was so much to see at the same time.”
Being a fun-filled wedding, the bride reiterates that the most unique thing about their wedding was the fun. Having had attended a few weddings, herself, Panashe says what she may deem unique may not be unique to others but she feels the level of entertainment and fun at their wedding stood out. The guests enjoyed themselves.
The other unique aspect of their wedding was having all females wear white. The ladies were reluctant at first, but on the wedding day, it all came out beautiful. It was an extraordinary experience.
“I felt like I was sharing my moment with all the ladies and I wanted them to feel special, and that is exactly how it felt on the day,” said Panashe.
The vows were the most memorable moment for the couple. They were so heartfelt, sweet, and fulfilling and at that moment, the couple deeply felt the connection. Looking back at the day, everything, including the glitches were perfect and given a chance, they wouldn’t change a thing.
From their love story, Panashe says she has learned that love is not easy to find, but it exists. If you believe in it, it will avail itself to you.
As for advice to future brides, Panashe advises you to enjoy your wedding day no matter what happens. Problems will come but you have to ignore them, assign everything to the best girl or wedding planner, and just focus on enjoying yourself. Also, don’t leave anything to be planned on the last day, have everything done as soon as you can.
You can view their wedding video on panashe peters – YouTube.
