Back in January I had the honour & pleasure of travelling to Uganda, East Africa, to perform a ceremony for my dear friend, Leyla & her now husband, Pete.
They started their two week-long “festival of love” by gathering all their guests into their army truck and taking them on an adventure of a lifetime, starting with a trip to the top of the Falls in Murchison Falls National Park. It is here I saw my first glimpse of the rushing, powerful Nile River, my first hippo and many other wild & wonderful creatures!
For the next two weeks, we travelled around in the truck, camping, trekking, celebrating. I think I can now say I am tough after camping in a tent in the middle of lion-infested jungle!
The most special day of the trip was of course their (first) wedding day. As we boarded a cruising boat at 6am, we watched the sun rise over the Nile River as we prepared for the exchanging of vows once we reached the base of the Falls. Along the way we saw so much wildlife and, a big “first” moment for me – an Elephant grazing along the bank of the river! Rare I am told, to spot one there. A lucky omen for Leyla on her special day, I thought.
The ceremony was intimate, beautiful, surreal. As Leyla & Pete exchanged vows all we could hear was the roar of the incredible waterfall behind us, their beautiful friend Alex softly playing guitar and the odd giggle or tear of happiness.
Leyla & Pete wrote special promises to one another, and took it in turns of reading them to each other from cards. They also incorporated a Handfasting (Tying of the Knot) ritual in their service. The ribbon came from a friend who could not be there, was made of two colours representing the bride & groom, and was a really nice touch. I highly recommend this ritual to anyone who is looking for something a bit different.
After the groom kissed his bride, champagne was sipped and off we went to start our big safari. Eating cheese & biscuits & drinking red wine on top of an army truck while watching a lion wake up to start is dusk hunting was up there with the most amazing moments of my life. Pretty cool way to spend your wedding night too huh?!
Thank you Leyla & Pete for allowing me to share this awesome adventure with you both. I’m glad I got to be the one that said you may “kiss your bride” before you made it official at the Ugandan wedding registry. Truly an honour.
“Jessica, we would like to thank you for making our wedding such an incredibly happy, love filled day. From the first time we emailed until the day we tied the knot we felt listened to. No idea was too much. Thank you for making so much effort, it was perfect largely because of you! The ceremony was beautiful!! Your input, suggestions and wording were also truly valued and exquisite. Thank you Jessica for caring so much.”
-Leyla & Pete Meredith
January 2013
January 2013
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