Love brewed in the cyber cafe

Mercy Lihanda, Dennis Wasilwa during their wedding day

Bride: Mercy Lihanda

Groom: Dennis Wasilwa

Venue: Kari Grounds

No of guests: 350

Budget: Sh700,000

Date of wedding: October 13, 2012 

Describe the first time that you met.

Mercy: We met in 2007 at a cyber café. He came where I was seated, said ‘hi’ and started using the computer next to mine. We exchanged contacts and from then on, a friendship developed and now here we are.

What struck you about her to the point that you made the move?

Dennis: Mercy is a caring, loving and understanding lady. She also has a big heart and that is what attracted me to her.

When did you decide, “it’s time: Let me propose”?

Dennis: We had dated for five years and I really didn’t want to date for longer than that. She had all that I had ever dreamt of and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I am glad she didn’t turn down my proposal.

When and how did he propose?

Mercy: He took me out for dinner at Ole Sereni on Mombasa Road, where we had a good time. 

After the dinner, he went down on one knee, took out a beautiful ring and proposed. 

Unfortunately, the ring didn’t fit so he had to take it back for some adjustments. But it was a magical moment for me.

How did she react?

Dennis: It took her by surprise! She wasn’t expecting it. She loved the ring though it was a size smaller.

How long did the planning process take? 

Mercy: The whole wedding planning took eight months.

 The traditional ceremony took place in August last year.

What challenges did you encounter during the planning?

Mercy: A month to our wedding, he was asked to go out of the country for a job assignment and that would have meant we pushed our wedding to a later date. 

Thank God he didn’t go but it was a challenging time for both of us.

What was the most memorable part of the wedding ceremony?

Mercy: For me, it was when my parents walked me down the aisle.

Dennis: When we were exchanging our wedding vows.

Why did you choose that colour theme?

Mercy: I have always loved pink since I was a little girl, and he loves black so we decided to blend the two colours together and they came out well.

Tell us the highs and lows of the process that culminated into the wedding ceremony.

Dennis: On the wedding day, it rained so heavily and for long. We were worried it would ruin our day but everything turned out well.

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