Aleczander and Vestina Got Hitched 8 Years After Meeting on Facebook!

Tushabe Aleczander and Kalisa Vestina, are photographers behind Nibzstudio, a photography brand based in Rwanda. After 8 years of dating, Vestina introduced Aleczander to her parents on 21st February, 2020 at their home in Kigali.

How they met

Ohhh my, ohhh my 😍. We actually started talking in 2010 on Facebook and finally met early 2012 through Facebook. She was a fan of my work as a photographer and we became close friends and later decided to take our relationship to the next level and we have been together since then. Since 2012 we have been together both as a couple and as business partners, we have gone through ups and downs together but above all we have thrived through all that and have become better as individuals and as a couple.

The engagement

Vestina: He went on his knee and popped the question on 21st February last year, which was actually Easter and my birthday. I hardly celebrate my birthday and that time I had reason to. He knows I don’t like surprises and we had talked about how we would pick a good ring together and get engaged. This particular surprise wasn’t part of the plan and on my birthday I could have never thought about it. I actually just gave him my hand but never said yes. 😋 We had an engagement party with a few of our friends on the 22nd of February. We just had fun and enjoyed together. Then on 23rd while we were alone I said yes ( I said yes on this day so that we get many more days to celebrate as a couple in a year 😂 .But thinking about it I should have waited for 24th so we keep our dates right)

(Like you just wanted him on his toes Yah, right. And celebrate your birthday and engagement on separate days.)

Aleczander: The reason I did that was because I wanted it to be a surprise, since we do everything together with her siblings. I never wanted to organize anything with them involved, and that was the day they were all available since it’s hard to get all of them at the same time together.

(Clearly she wanted something more intimate. Just the two of you!)

The venue

The event was held at Vestina’s family home, as it is done traditionally in Rwanda. I believe that in most of the African cultures the traditional wedding is done at the bride’s home.

The planning…

We actually planned this wedding just me and her, we never had any wedding planner on board. But of course when it came to organizing it, a few friends stepped in to help. We began last year in July, we set dates and started booking vendors. We had a total of 300 guests at the event.

There a number of traditional wedding norms you left out

Yeah. Normally, a ‘Gusaba’ is incomplete without a performance from traditional Kinyarwanda dancers. We didn’t have them. The outfits we chose had a bit of a twist from the usual imishanana worn by a bride. Vestina wore a crown and her outfit featured pants not a skirt as it is done. My outfit too was also different from the usual. We had costume changes and cut cake, all these are unusual. Our guests loved everything which was the most important thing.

(At least you were being yourselves and comfortable)

The decor…

Our theme was black and silver, a huge contrast from the colours of our outfits which were green, cream and navy blue. We chose colours that would make us stand out. For the setting, we went with the box set up where we had the immediate relatives on opposite sides facing each other to enable smooth communication and the rest of the guests facing the high table.We also went with round tables and artificial flowers, because my wife is allergic to natural flowers.

(Oh! Lord bless her soul)

Lighting, we went with warm lights to also give a great ambience in the evening hours and also give the video a great feel. It didn’t actually cost as much as it was supposed to, first because some other items used in the decor were made by my wife who also does interior design and art crafts. Also, the decorator is a friend so she gave us extremely low prices.

(Your wife is a whole package)

Which part of your event did you want to WOW the guests?

Her outfits especially because no one expected us to change. And also her top which was made out of broken mirrors.

(Broken mirrors! That was very daring of her)

What was the cultural significance this style choice?

Hahaha, actually it didn’t have any cultural significance, it was just creativity.

Challenges you faced planning

Since it was a working day, some of the bridesmaids failed to get permission to be able to attend the wedding, and the person in charge of the tent brought a wrong size and pitched it. So, the whole process of putting it down and pitching another was a long process but we thank God for our decorator she was there for us, through everything and helped us.

The outfits

The style and idea of our outfits was developed by us (me and her) but later put to perfection by Moshions Rwanda. However there were other designers that contributed; the broken mirror top and crown were made by Mavo Kampala, the fabric of Vestina’s green dress was provided by Gish designs and made by Moshions Rwanda. Our changing outfits were custom made by Kais divo collection. We wanted to look unique.

(And indeed you stood out. They did amazing an amazing job)

Most of these service providers are from Uganda

The reason is simple. They have been our personal favorites and most of them we have personal relationships with them. They are also very good at what they do.

The cake

The cake was made by a friend of ours called Lucy. It came with different flavors; Blueberry, bubblegum, black forest, passion and lemon.

The beauty

I went for something simple and classy . I wanted to feel comfortable and clean. I didn’t want my face to get lost under heavy makeup. I didn’t do much for the hair. I went to my barber and got my usual haircut minus the line I usually put in. I remained simple and kept it natural.

The entertainment

We preferred to have a live band as opposed to the traditional dance troupes as seen in most Rwandan cultural weddings. And this was because most of the times traditional dance troupes take a lot of time yet we wanted a brief event.

Any nerves?

Aleczander: I slept all through the morning hours to keep myself calm and all was going through my mind was that whatever has to happen will happen. I had done my best and the rest I left to God to be in control. I got just a little bit nervous on few occasions during the ceremony, one when we were getting to the venue, when I was called upon to be introduced to my in-laws and also when my bride was walking down the aisle.

The attention you drew considering you are celebrities in Kigali

Ohh my, everyone was mesmerized by how small and creative our wedding was and how we kept it private. Our outfits were the talk of the city after the event.

Credit
Decor: Artistique Decor by GoGo
Sound and lighting: Positive production by Judo
Photography: Makula pictures and Dynamic wedding photography
Video coverage: Mex
Outfits: Kai’s Divo Collection, Moshionz, Gish designs, Mavo kampala and Emerita
Makeup artists: Trendy Shadow, Milly makeup and Light veil makeup.
DJ: Deejay Kim
MC : James Ntagungira
Band : Aime Uwimana
Cake: Lucy

To feature your wedding, drop Kadali an email to weddings@satisfashionug.com