Charles & Irene’s Mauve/ Navy Blue Inspired Wedding Bash!

A beautiful celebration of love!

“Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it.” – Song of Solomon, 8:7. Distance can never threaten a love that is meant to flourish.

Charles Kisoka, a Tanzanian lawyer and Irene Karamaga, a Rwandan medical doctor, working and living in Tanzania, met in 2013 at a wedding where they were both related to the couple. They tied the knot at Holy Family Catholic Church Njiro in Arusha on 11th July, 2020, after approximately two years of dating.

The Engagement

We met in 2013 at a wedding of a couple we’re both related to (Irene’s cousin sister and Charles’ brother) . We’ve known each other since then, became friends but nothing really happened between us. However, he would tell people that he had found the one in me but it was until the second half of 2018 that we officially started dating. He proposed at a lunch date in October 2019, it was a surprise!

Traditional wedding:

We had quite a manageable function of about 120 guests. Décor was done by @hugodomingoevents, Rwandan traditional décor, Hair and make-up was done by @sandybeauty
And we didn’t have cake.

(That simple!)

The Wedding

Our wedding took us a year to plan. We had an event planner and also a wedding committee that took charge of the event. We hosted around 350 – 400 guests at Aim Mall in Arusha. Our décor theme colours were mauve and navy blue.

(Explains the flawlessness)

The wow…

We wanted the cake to be a wow factor…and it was.

Challenges…

The biggest challenge was that most of the Irene’s family could not attend the wedding, since Rwanda had strict travel restrictions, so we tried to create a virtual arrangement for them to attend the event without being at the venue. The other challenge was that Irene was sent to work at a hospital in the southern zone of Tanzania two months before the wedding. She oversaw the planning process on phone and online.

The Outfits

My childhood dream was to wear a Cinderella-inspired gown at my wedding. I got my perfect dress from @pearlybrides, Charles’ suit was custom made by @mtanibespoke. I love to dance, and I wanted to do so at my wedding, what better way than to have on a jumpsuit as my second outfit?

(We really really loved the jumpsuit. It’s a sway off the usual evening gowns)

My bouquet was made by my sister @h_n_dsluxurypetals. I told her that I wanted something fresh and vibrant. The bridesmaids were dressed by @meriicreations, I gave them the option of choosing their own designs because I wanted them to be comfortable at my event. The groomsmen were dressed by @tda kaftan. Bridal party makeup was done by @lavida beauty, the best makeup artist in Arusha.

(Such beautiful bride!)

First dance

We had two songs for our first dance, talk about being extra; the first one was Luther Vandross’ ‘Always and forever’ which was Charles’ dedication to me and the second was Ruelle’s ‘I choose you’, my dedication to him.

(Extra indeed!)

Advice to soon-to-be married couples

Take one step at a time no need to panic. This is your day, just the two of you, nothing else should matter. Enjoy every last minute of the day.