The wedding was between two members of the local church so their wedding service was part of the typical Sunday church service. When we arrived at the church, I knew this would be no ordinary Sunday though! The church was decorated with balloons, palm leaves and fresh flowers, and toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. As an American, when I saw toilet paper draped around the church building, all I could think of was mischief night gone terribly wrong. But as the service progressed, I was able to culturally shift gears and see it as a festive decoration instead.
It was a great service full of good sermons (at least what I could understand of them), singing and dancing by a wedding choir (which included a sound system and electric guitars!), and singing hymns from the Lubwisi songbook. The bride was beautiful but stoic; I’m guessing her serious face was a cultural expectation? I am still learning so much everyday about Ugandan culture! It was a wonderful ceremony—wonderful but long.
It ended after about 3 ½ hours and Anna and I decided to venture out to the reception despite feeling tired and pretty hungry. We walked with a friend to the groom’s home which served as the reception site. It was great to see an area of Nyahuka I had never seen before. As we approached the reception site, the whole neighborhood greeted us. We sat under a tarp with the rest of the guests, while literally hundreds of children from the neighborhood squeezed in to see the action. The bride and groom arrived and were seated. They cut the cake, which resembled our American wedding tradition but there was definitely no smashing it in each other’s faces. The wedding choir performed several more songs and then some very famous performers arrived. From my understanding, the lead singer of the Send Me Band is from Bundibugyo and while I didn’t know him, he seemed pretty famous to those around me! He and three back-up singers came and performed while the women in the crowd were practically swooning and the kids pushed in to get as close as possible.
By this time, it was nearly 6 pm and Anna and I were famished. We decided to come home to get something to eat but I’m sure the party went on for hours after we left. All in all, my first Ugandan wedding was great fun. I loved getting a peek into the culture and being able to share in such a happy and special day. Many things were different while many others were similar. There seems to be one universal thing though; a grandma sitting next to me at the reception leaned over to me, pointed at a performer, and said “You know, he’s single.” Ha! Some things never change no matter where you are in the world :)
The bride and her 3 flower girl attendants. They didn't leave her side all day!
This lady was asleep for the whole ceremony. She'd wake up when everyone clapped and then go back to snoozing. It made me smile :)
Me and Anna at the service.
The bride and groom both had attendants (maid of honor/best man?) that dabbed their faces all day. They were very astute helpers!
Some of the neighborhood gathering at the reception. This was before everyone got there and only a small part of the crowd!
A wider view of the reception site. The red couches were for the bride, groom, and wedding party. We had front row seats!
The bride and groom arriving at the reception.
Bride and groom feeding each other cake :)
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