‘He proposed twice’

By Marcella Akinyi.

BRIDE: NATASHA MBUGGUSS MWARARI

GROOM: HENRY MWARARI KARUE

VENUE: TORANJ RESTAURANT

DATE: FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2019

PD WIKENDI: Who said ‘Hello’ first?

NATASHA: (laughs) funny story. Are you ready? We were acquaintances at first as we were in the same college and shared some classes. We bumped into each other as I was walking out of the classroom when he was walking in. He looked at me and commented, “Nice eyes”. Though I didn’t vocalise it, in my mind, I said ‘I like you too’. I started bullying him. I’d send him sweet notes and sign off with my phone number and he didn’t know it was me until much later, and he also began doing the same to me.

PD-W: How was your first date like?

NATASHA: Hard question… He took me to Steers opposite Jevanjee. I always told him I’m not into those dates of dressing up and fancy dinners, and that was the perfect place for me. Few days later, he invited me to his place for study group with some friends and while in the sitting room, I heard a knock on the door. When I opened, a guy stood there with a bouquet of flowers and asked, “Are you Natasha,” then handed them to me. Though I was touched by the gesture, I was so mad as I don’t like flowers. As punishment, I made him carry the bouquet all the way home.

PD-W: Being that you seem to not be the emotional type, how did he propose?

NATASHA: He proposed twice. The first time, we were arguing in town between Archives and Ambassadeur where there were phone booths. Just as I was walking away, he goes, “Marry me then. Let’s go to the AG’s right now and get married.” The second time, a few years later, he came to my office and put a box on my desk, then he just sat there reading the newspaper. I looked at him asking, “What’s this?” to which he said, “Just open and see.” I was in shock to find it was a proposal ring, and I requested him to put it on me.

PD-W: How did your parents take it?

NATASHA: Both our families knew us so well, so they were super excited. At first, we were planning to go to the AG and not tell anyone, but when we settled on a date and saw how excited people were about us getting married, we opted to go the white wedding way.

PD-W: Would you say it was the wedding you wanted or did your parents influence most of your decisions?

NATASHA: From the beginning, we didn’t want anything big. If it were up to my husband, it would’ve cost less. But after seeing the happiness on my grandma’s face and knowing I’m my late grandfather’s first granddaughter, my plan was to at least have a dinner where we could celebrate and she could enjoy, and at least say we made her proud. We had planned for 50 guests at first but ended up at 300. Some family and friends are still mad for not being invited.

PD-W: Was it an invite-only?

NATASHA: Yes. We had wanted it to be because we couldn’t afford a big one, so even doing the guest list was a nightmare because it was hard choosing who to invite and who not to. But we saw many people who came regardless, and our hearts were full. We did 150 invites and had 300+ guests.

PD-W: Since the numbers exceeded, did you have to pay for the extra plates?

NATASHA: No. The venue hosting us was kind enough to accommodate that and, thanks be to God, the food was more than expected.

PD-W: What was memorable about the big day?

NATASHA: The tears. Some of my aunts were crying and I had to look away not to cry. The intimacy of the ceremony and the people who showed up, as well as the dancing.

PD-W: What part of the sermon do you remember?

NATASHA: That marriage is a sacrifice. You cannot be selfish. Every decision you make, you have to consider your partner and put them first. No more ‘me, myself and I’, it’s ‘we’.

PD-W: Any challenges?

NATASHA: Our jeweller imported the wedding bands from the UK and they arrived the day before too big. We couldn’t even resize because of the stone. Luckily, the supplier sorted us last minute. We’re waiting for the jeweller to send new rings.

PD-W: Advice to couples planning their nuptials?

NATASHA: Love the imperfections perfectly. Do your own thing and don’t listen to others. It’s always between the two of you, not between you and family and friends. It always comes down to the two of you. Also, always protect your partner from naysayers.