Seeing Me With Another Man Made Him Realise How Much He Loved Me! – Sandra & Arthur

“The very center of your heart is where life begins – the most beautiful place on earth,” Arthur Kyambadde a pharmacist at Mulago Hospital still whispers these words to Sandra Naluyima, a laboratory scientist at Makerere University dept. of pharmacology. The couple had their Kukyala on 8th August, 2020.

Meeting

We met during our first year at campus (college of health sciences MUK). We met at a tutorial of one of the semester course units during our first year in 2014, then became friends the type of friends that are free with one another. He actually kept telling me how some of his friends were interested in me, but none of those advances amounted to something.

Then how did it evolve?

The most natural thing happened between us. From pushing each other to date other people to the place where love bloomed between us. However, when I think back, these feelings were already there but not explored because we were comfortable as friends and not trying to complicate the relationship.

In 2016 when he had to attend a pharmacist dinner, he invited me as his plus one but unfortunately I had been already asked by an OB at the same event. Although, Arthur and I were friends I felt it right to go with my OB. Now, because I chose someone else over him, he came with someone else and unfortunately or fortunately for us, we all sat on the same table. The dinner was a mess! Him and his plus one and I with mine. That was the night I felt like time had come to a stop because it’s then that I saw a man in him, a young handsome man who wasn’t just a friend.

Sadly because I had turned him down and not on talking terms, my, oh my, he wasted no time in showing me he was enjoying the company of the other girl he had come with. Eventually I also decided to enjoy the company of my date. After the dinner, I really felt like a loser but chose pride over an apology. I was too proud to explain why I chose my OB over him, yet he had invited me first. But also he had showed me that he was having a lot of fun with his plus one so I told myself he must be like other guys that’ll waste no time in finding a replacement. I even lost faith in believing that we ever had feelings for each other. The night was terrible but only because we weren’t talking because I realised that I really like him.

As I drowned in my sadness, he showed up on my door the next morning. He came with a spring of sweet words. It’s then that he opened up to me “after seeing you with another guy, I realised that you are meant to be my woman!”

The proposal

Arthur does things in his own zone. He is never pressured and actually our courtship was so nice that I was comfortable with what we had. He however kept talking about formalizing the relationship and I would tell him we didn’t have to be like every other couple we should do things in our own time.

On Feb 13th 2020, which was my birthday, he sent cake to my work place and two tickets to Rema’s concert. Now, my man isn’t the type that over hypes. So I asked him why this time round he chose to go all out for my birthday. His response was, “Sandra, I want you to know that I want to marry you, have kids with you and build the most stable family with you.” “Are you asking me to marry you?” I asked. He said “no kibeibe, I am proposing to come and kukyala. To let your parents and family know that I exist. Not to hear about me from the corridors or look at me as just a friend at parties. I want them to know, I am your man.”

To this day, those words felt so right, so well packaged, so natural and so perfect so I told him “kibaibe wange, anytime, anywhere come home and let me introduce you. He actually told me to expect a proposal for every function!

The Kukyala

We hosted 17 in-laws from Arthur’s family while we were over 50 people at home. I have lots of cousins and with all the covid challenges, they all needed a party.

No wonder it looked like a kwanjula!

Haha, because we dated for long, people around us started to think we weren’t serious, so Arthur said, lets show them how mature we are. We went all out!

I was dressed by Jackie bridal collections and Pearl Psalms Gomesi. Truth is, I didn’t know a lot about Gomesis. All I knew was that I love pink. However, a friend of mine who had just had her kwanjula came along and guided me. I chose the peach and she chose the other. Sham Tyra did my changing dress.

Essie events did the décor with a Peach and gold theme. Essie is one person whose work I trust, I just told her, “I am a pink person” and she said “Sandra, don’t worry, I will do the rest.”

Ashilyz hair and makeup did my hair and makeup.

Cake

Our cake was baked by Bake for me. We wanted to show our people that just because we dated for long didn’t mean we didn’t know what we were doing. So we added cake. Red velvet, coconut, vanilla and lemon.

Nerves?

I wanted everything to be perfect. I was too anxious. I wanted Arthur to look at me and see the most gorgeous woman in the world. I was so anxious that I didn’t eat until they told me the guests had arrived yet he kept calling saying “Kibeibe, just know am coming and I’m coming big.” He didn’t disappoint!

Best Moment

When I was told to go to the sitting room with my Senga and matron, and there he was, my melanin handsome. I couldn’t help smiling. He sat in front of my elders with me opposite him. Then also when I changed into the Sham tyra dress, the way he looked at me. Those looks were beyond measureable. He was smitten.

Entertainment

We had music. Due the Covid-19 restrictions on entertainment, we had sought permission from police. We also had two policemen at the event.

Challenges

A lot! Financially we had planned in time. We always said we wanted no contributions so we planned and saved in time so we could finance everything on our own. The event was meant to hold in June but due to COVID-19 we moved it to August. Sadly my dad who resides in the UK couldn’t be around for the event. However my lovely mother was around. She cried, she was speechless and over-joyed.

Plans for the Kwanjula and wedding

We await my dad’s return but with the way things are, we believe doing both events next year is the best option. I know the Kwanjula will be big. I’m born to a man who is well sought after, and being his first child and him being absent for the kukyala, he will want something big. 

Photos: Drimax photography

weddings@satisfashionug.com