Celebrating restoration

Take us through you love journey

Benard: Our love journey dates back to 2018. It started as a normal friendship.

We had both had a painful past in our previous relationships, and it was like therapy through the healing process.

At no point did we see ourselves settling together, but with time, the chemistry grew, and it was last year when we realised we shared a lot in common.

Who made the first move?

I did. She was tough on me, but as a go-getter, I kept on pursuing her.

How did you know that she was the one?

I had to go to Katoloni for three days to pray and fast, and had peace about her. I had realised with time that she had what I needed to complement me.

Her personality as well as her line of profession came in handy. I love her and her daughter.

How did the proposal go?

This remains a highlight to me. She had planned a surprise birthday for our princess, Cess Blessing, and because she is so hard to surprise, I told her I had planned lunch for them after the birthday, which was at a spa, for Cess and her friends.

On the other side of the hotel, I had secretly planned the engagement with her sister, close friends, my production team and the hotel management, and when she came with the kids for lunch, she saw the décor and thought it was for the birthday, only to find me waiting with the engagement ring. She was emotional, and said ‘Yes’.

What are some of the things that made you say ‘Yes’ to his proposal?

Ann: I said ‘Yes’ because he loves me unconditionally. Nowadays, it’s so hard to find someone who can love you plus a child who is not theirs. Lastly, he is a prayerful and God-fearing man.

If you could change one thing about your partner what would it be?

I would say his working structure. Having worked in a corporate organisation, my structure is totally different from how Benard works, but I understand it’s because he is in the entertainment industry, and it’s totally different from working in a corporate environment.

We are still looking at how to work it out, but so far so good, since we are both wiling to adjust.

Bernard: So far, I can’t highlight on anything major. Initially, I thought she was too tough on how I handled things, till I realised her suggestions always worked for me.

How was the wedding planning like?

Ann: The fact that he is in the events and entertainment field made our planning easy. We planned the wedding in a month.

All along, we were waiting for the Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted so we could accommodate our many friends, but we realised we might wait for too long, so we decided to go ahead.

Everything went well as planned, because our amazing service providers owned the event. The weather too was perfect.

 How did you make your wedding unique and unforgettable and what do you remember the most about your big day?

First and foremost, the sermon and the way our officiating pastor, Reverend Dr Margaret Muchai of Deliverance Church, conducted the service remains a highlight to anyone who was at the ceremony.

Then, the entertainment; we had MCs, several DJs, hype men and guest artistes.

To us, we were celebrating God’s restoration, and we couldn’t gamble on the celebrations part.

Basically, we tried our level best to make it memorable, including live streaming for our diaspora team that had really stood with us during the planning process.

Your advice to couples about to wed?

A wedding is a one-day event, do it the way God enables you. What matters is how you work out your life after the wedding.

To us, prayers, unity and having God as our pillar is what we are working on daily.

Marriage is not a competition between the spouses, but a platform where you complement each other.