Lincoln and Stacey met in the hallways of their high school, 16 year later and they still can’t get eyes off each other. “It was love at first sight,” she describes the first time they met. Let’s go inside their gorgeous love story, which photos and words alone can’t do justice.
The Meeting
We met in high school in the year 2005 through his sister Laura (May her soul Rest In Peace). She introduced me to him and we both got kinda shy immediately, it was love at first sight, and the rest has been history. It’s been 16 years of knowing and loving each other. We tied the knot at All Saints Church Nakasero on 15th September, 2018 and hosted our guests to a grand reception at Pearl of Africa Hotel in Kampala.
The Engagement
It was a brief one and very simple, he came to visit me at my grandma’s house and simply asked if he can officially be my husband. That was his proposal and I officially introduced him at my parents two months later.
(Interesting)
The Planning
We had a whole year to plan. Because Lincoln is a very busy man, I met up with all the service providers. We would then brainstorm together later in the evening. I’d take him through everything I had discussed with the service providers I met at least 3 of each department. We would then compare service quality and hospitality and then decide. We planned for 350 guests and also held a few meetings with very close friends and family who were so helpful to us.
The reception was held at Pearl of Africa hotel. Our first choice was Serena Kigo but it didn’t have enough space in the hall to accommodate the number of guests we had invited. Also, Serena Kampala was fully occupied on that date which was so stressing, so we had to go with plan C which wasn’t a bad idea. The hotel is very close to the church we wanted.
During the planning process, my friends and I crashed a few weddings to see how the band we wanted performs. We also crashed another wedding just to see the decor of the service provider we wanted.
Decor & Theme
Our theme was elegance. We wanted our guests to be extremely smart..(and yes they were). For colours we went with white, because it’s fresh, clean, elegant and heavenly. The decor was done by the amazing team at Pink Coconut Decor. Every table had at least 8 guests. We tried to mix them up so that everyone meets someone new and interesting. Off the record, we know a couple that met that day and are about to walk down the aisle.
(Wululu! We would love to hear this love story one day)
I can’t say much about the decor. I shared a photo of what I had in mind with Angie of Pink Coconut, and she executed it. We had a large white dance floor which I loved so much.
(Many brides fear the whole white theme, we wonder what gave you confidence!)
The wow moments
Everything was wow! I am such a perfectionist. I wanted a wow dress! Woow entourage! Wow decor! Great food! Fabulous music! Drinks and everything else. Though our first entrance to the reception was a real spectacle to all our guests. We arrived with a mega dance my husband and I had practiced for a couple of nights when he came back from work.
The challenges
Those were so many! Everything kept going wrong, nothing seemed to be going right, but in the end everything came into place. I thank God for that.
The fashion
I knew what I wanted. I didn’t want snow white, I opted for ivory. Ever since I was a little girl my dream was to wear a sparkly Cinderella gown on my wedding. My designer and I co-designed my dream gown. All the crystals were hand stitched. My God, it was magnificent but so heavy.
(Believe us, your Cinderella story came true in this gown)
The same thing happened with Lincoln’s suit. He knew what he wanted. His suit was from Tom Ford’s latest collection. He had come across it as he flipped through a fashion magazine. He was sure it’s what he wanted to wear immediately.
My friends and I had to browse through Dubai Mall for two freaking days to find this exact suit. Thank God we did, because he was so excited when he found out.
The Cake
Sarah cakes made it and it was just as dreamy.
(Sarah Cakes receives only stellar reviews. I should taste her cakes one of these days!)
Beauty
Monalisa of Mona Faces did my makeup. I had worked with her before and loved her work. That said, my friends and I still went for a trial and I told her to tone it down on the D day which she did and it was absolutely beautiful. You couldn’t tell that I had slept for just two hours.
(Say what..!)
Hubby and his boys went to Mart Barber’s salon. My girls and I were worked on at the hotel. Everything was done at the hotel, which fortunately for us, was close to church so we had no reason to be late. But, guess what? We were still late! It wasn’t even funny.
(Girls will always be girls)
Entertainment
My plan was not to hire any other entertainers because we had MC Pablo, the funniest man ever, as our Mcee, and Myko Ouma. We wanted people to eat, drink and dance. As a surprise, Ykee Benda, who is a dear friend of ours, offered to perform. It was a real party. He was so smart too. A group of friends (Huzaifa, Shamira & Basher) surprised us with a choreographed dance as well. Every single person at the reception was literally on the dance floor.
The nerves
I prayed every single day with my pastors, our parents, siblings, and friends. I thank God that he did not let me down.
Best moments
I can’t forget the first glimpse of him when he removed my veil in church. I was blown away by how handsome he looked.
The first dance
We danced to Number One by Enrique Iglesias.
(This is taking us down memory lane!)
Walking down the aisle
We walked to the traditional song, Ta-nta-antala.
(It never gets old!)
Favourite details
My gown; the bead work of the crystals, which was extremely expensive to make, was so perfectly placed. Just the way I had envisioned everything. Also, the convoy of posh sports cars, which my husband put together, was really cool. My bridesmaids looked like princesses with small crowns they looked so adorable.
(Now that sports car convoy was a whole mood!)
Future plans
We want to grow old and see our great grand kids together.
Advice to those in the process of planning their wedding
Pray hard! Don’t stop. Put all your trust in God for your perfect day. Fast too if you can. Plan and budget in time to avoid last minute panic. Get a wedding planner you can trust to avoid over tiring yourself especially a few days to your day. Alternatively, get a trusted friend, family member etc… to make sure all service providers are in check a day prior to the wedding. Say a prayer early in the morning of your wedding day.
“THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!”
Credits
Couple: Stacey and Lincoln Bainomugisha
Decor: Pink Coconut Decor
Cake: Sarah Cakes
Photography: Daville Photography
Makeup: Mona Faces
Venue/Food: Pearl of Africa Hotel
DJ: Moustey DJ
Mcee: Pablo
Hair: Grace of Look G Salon & MartBarber
Hubby’s suit: Tom Ford
Bestman’s suit: Jacob of Home Of Gents
Groomsmen’s suits: Tonnie ( Signature Suits)
All gowns: Fatumahasha
To feature, drop Kadali an email to weddings@satisfashionug.com
