While many families are weary of the huge amount of funds involved in the whole wedding affairs planning and ceremonies, there is a rare case of a planned ceremony that was exactly antagonistic and it indeed worked too.
Just recently, I was watching news on the local television channel-which I rarely do- when I saw something particularly interesting. A man was confidently explaining how he and his beloved wife settled on a barely one dollar wedding plan and brought it into reality. This was of course the cheapest ceremony I ever heard of. He said that the money was sufficient for the wedding rings they required and went on to invite the pastor over to announce them husband and wife. Of course this was bravery shown by the couple. The bridal couple also looked for simple and cheap red outfits supposedly indicating the high magnitude of love they had for one another. Just then I checked on my phone, straight to the social media, and the news of the wedding was trending with numerous and diverse reactions from people.
There was a comment that drew my attention and read, “This is Njaanuary.” In Kenya, there is a perception that January is a month of financial troubles simply because people tend to overspend in December festivities and normally there is little or no rain. Njaanuary comes from a Swahili word njaa which literally means hunger, this is associated with lack of rain and hence shortage of food supply. It also amused me when the man openly and happily said that after the wedding he and his newly wedded wife were going to enjoy ugali and sukumawiki, a popular Kenyan meal which welcomes you to most of Kenyan households. I silently pondered over the issue and saw that this wedding was based on true love and not the wedding concerns such as a multi-million wedding party with hundreds of guests in some posh hotel or grounds marked with expensive reception and colourful wedding gowns.
Of course this whole scenario was way too interesting but some people took that on a serious note. I followed the story for like two days and on the third day, I was surprised to watch the couple holding a huge honeymoon banner with an offer to an abroad honeymoon. Oh simple wedding and a great honeymoon which is the complete opposite of what happens on the other expensive “weddings” around.
I can’t help imagining how lovely it will be for the couple, and I know I’m not alone here. Budgeting is everything.