Thomas and Cecilia Closed a Hotel for Three Nights Just to Make Their Day Special!

Arua town was brought to a standstill!

Thomas Christopher Story, a tax accountant based in London, and Faith Cecelia Story a chef at Cecelialovesfood.com, painted Arua town in colour last December with a wedding that still has people talking till today. The couple had tied the knot in 2011 in London, and this was their way of meeting Cecelia’s family’s request for a traditional wedding. As expected, the couple wanted an event that was far from basic, and they did everything possible to make it happen!

The proposal

We have known each other for 17 years now. We met at our local gym in London. Two months after I gave birth to my second child in 2008, he took me for a one night get away at Coworth Park hotel in Berkshire. I thought the whole thing was so romantic. Poor guy was so nervous. It took him time convincing me to leave without my children. But he was so thoughtful from the word go. He brought his parents and we had a nanny too. That’s when he proposed.

(aww that was indeed very romantic)

The event

My sister Maria Sonia Tolley put together this whole event for me, she basically coordinated everything. I was just the bank and the idea behind what she did. We started planning in the fall of 2018. By January 2019, we had all the required service providers and their costs. Maria knows so many people in Uganda and she’s really connected. I was blessed to have her on my side and between us, we made magic. We didn’t get a planner mostly because all our friends are already married. But definitely Maria was awesome. Should I call her my planner? She did such a tremendous job. Not only was she working as a doctor saving lives, she burst herself planning everything.

We had an estimate of 200 to 250 guests hosted in Arua. In Lugbara culture, a traditional wedding is held in two days; negotiations of bride price which take place from 6 pm till agreements are made, then celebrations the next day.

So, I decided to spice up mine a bit by having the festivities on day one at the Village, and day two at White Castle Hotel. Our village is just opposite the hotel which meant, we did a two day introduction event just for the fun of it. We could have done it all in just one day!

The Decor

We chose white and blue. White for my family and blue for my husband’s family and our friends from abroad. White Blends with everything and has a clean, classy look to it. Also, I wanted a glamorous, elegant, chic and over the top look.

Challenges

We are early planners. So, naturally we started planning by fall of 2018. It was hard to get quotes from decorators early. Most would say wait till 6 months to the event, some would say upcountry is tricky. So it really turned out to be hectic on that part because this is an event you want to plan early. I knew this and was definitely prepared to spend a lot as I knew it would be tricky to get people going all the way to Arua.

The wardrobe

We wanted a blend of two traditions. My African tradition and his European tradition. Hence the Nigerian made and other African outfits. But also, for more creativity since my husband is British, we went European style with the evening part of the ceremony. Hence my pink and white dress. This particular outfit was custom made by a young designer in London. My red dress, Thomas’ outfits and our boys’ were made by a Nigerian designer, and my girls’ dresses were made by my Matron.

I flew in my makeup artist and hairstylist from Nigeria. Jennifer Olu Mary did my makeup while Paulostylz N Paulostylz (Stylz) did my hair. I had worked with both of them on many occasions. Given that, I am a sensitive person to work with, I needed people I am comfortable with. These two got my back always. I can fly them over any day and know what to expect. Some things are just priceless. Paul makes all my wigs and most of the hair I’ve been wearing for the past 5 years.

(Well, you really went all out. No Jokes)

The Cake

We had three bakers. Bake for me made the main centre cake, Jodiane bakery made the side cakes and Cilla’s oven made the giveaway cakes. We had a variety of flavours. There was the traditional fruit cake. We needed a firm base given the long distance the cakes would travel. Other flavours were Lemon, Red Velvet (Jayden’s Favourite), Vanilla, Orange, Strawberry, Grape, Coconut and to be a little daring we added granadilla.

(oh wow!)

If you had to re-do this event all over again, what would you change about it?

The decor was good. However, there was a challenge with planning particularly for the Gazebo. They didn’t take into consideration the weight and terrain, and also didn’t have a time consuming contingency plan. This greatly delayed the function. A lot of paid for items weren’t delivered and to be honest, I definitely would change them.

The entertainment

We took on a Northern Ugandan approach. We had two sets of entertainers. We had a Lugbara dance group and an Acholi dance group. It was amazing. We definitely wanted the entertainment to have a wow factor and these traditional dancers didn’t disappoint, they did a great job.

Nerves?

I wasn’t nervous at all. I had too much to do even on the day. Can you believe I didn’t even eat my wedding food? (

One moment that will last with you forever

Having all the people that mattered in our lives present.

Why did you choose to have your white wedding before the traditional wedding?

My husband and I defied the natural order, not by design though. We actually did our church wedding in 2011 which was attended by 100 guests. Being that my mum is out of Uganda, I thought I would actually like to do my traditional ceremony once she came back but it didn’t happen and the so thing called “age” was racing against us. It was either then or never and we really wanted our family in Uganda to experience this moment too just like our family in England did. Sadly, my mum missed both events!

(Oh sad!)

Advice to future grooms/brides

Take your time, do it right but don’t go beyond your limit. Spend what you have. Remember, you have a lifetime with this person. Don’t start it with debts. Don’t expect others to pay for you either. If they help, it should be a bonus but do everything yourself and make others enjoy your happy hand.

Special thanks to

My outfit designers. They worked tirelessly to bring my vision to life. Kenshots Photography. These guys did wonders. The entertainers did a great. White Castle Hotel. We closed this hotel for three nights to just make this day special and I feel they worked tirelessly to make it happen.

(yo!)

The cake companies delivered on time. The Fireworks was well organized. Kazinga tours provided cars for all our guests from abroad and provided us with cars. We loved the convoy. Chobe Safari lodge gave us a wonderful deal with our guests from abroad to see the beauty of Uganda.

(If this wasn’t the wedding of your dreams and four more other dreams we don’t know what will ever be. Congs again)