Bukenya left the altar and returned to tie the knot

INTIMATE | 

Tom Bukenya and Sofie Mbabazi were ready to get married that not even the pandemic would put off their plans.

Bukenya, an ex-seminarian and Mbabazi, his fiancée of six years, tied the knot at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lubaga.

And since the pandemic, functions, of which weddings are apart, have been reduced to small gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 virus.

The couple adhered to the standard operating procedures, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and a few guests at the wedding.

Some of the guests included their parents and a few relatives. Other relatives and friends joined the couple to celebrate their nuptials via Zoom.

The groom said when the lockdown was announced, they thought of postponing their wedding to June, hoping that it would be lifted then.

Bukenya said their original wedding date was April 17th, which was moved to June 10th.

However, when the lockdown was extended, they decided to go ahead with a scientific wedding. They reasoned that a wedding was between two after all.

The couple was wedded by Fr Joseph Balikuddembe Ssemmanda, who was assisted by chancellor of Kampala Archdiocese, Fr Dr Pius Male Ssentubwe.

Bukenya arrived at church with only four relatives, all of whom were wearing masks, and washed their hands. They were then asked to maintain social distance.

After church, the couple treated its guests to a reception for a festive meal. They also shared photos of their wedding on Facebook and WhatsApp.

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Bukenya said they had planned for a grand wedding of 1000 guests, but the pandemic foiled their plans.

"I have always wanted a big wedding, whether this is because it's what I have always seen growing up or simply because I love big things, I don't know," he said.

He adds: "In mid-2018, my wife and I decided we were long overdue for our Kweranga (visit to the parents) as we had been dating for six years. We consulted my in-laws and they advised that December would be a perfect time. We had our Kweranga on December 16, 2018."

On that occasion, Bukenya was asked when the kuhingira (introduction ceremony) would be and he said the following year, 2019.

"Many thought it was a long time, but I wanted something big and as such, enough time to prepare. 2019 came soon enough and as the D-day approached, I learnt that I had underestimated what it takes to organize a large function; so many moving parts, service providers that would not deliver, people that wouldn't honour their pledges and a budget that was seemingly impossible to realize.

"Things almost all fell apart at the last moment. My dreams of having a large function were slowly evaporating like the morning dew and soon it dawned on me that I needed to rethink everything.

"I aligned my expectations with reality and created a small group made up of experienced people that would guide me. It was from this small advisory meeting that I learnt the right way to organize a function; focus on the important aspects! All non-essentials like inviting musicians were fancy stuff.

"Armed with this knowledge, I proceeded with a small kuhingira that turned out much better than I could have asked for. We, the groom's entourage, were only 50 and everything went well, very well in fact."

Bukenya said he, therefore, planned to wed his wife in 2020, and this time he had a pretty clear picture of what he wanted: a small wedding.

"Here I was with a small manageable wedding that was marvellous. My only regret is that we couldn't be with those other few, but special people we initially invited. We shall definitely organize something small for those 40 people that couldn't be with us when the Covid-19 dust settles," he said.

He thus advises: "If you are planning to have a function, my advice is this: make it small and only consider what you can manage."