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Showing posts with label Celebrity Weddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebrity Weddings. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Billionaire Bride: Paige Johnson Ties the Knot - by Bridgett

Paige Johnson, daughter of BET founders Bob and Sheila Johnson, said “I Do” last weekend to her beau Dudley Payne III. Paige, a champion equestrian, wed Dudley, an insurance broker, at the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas. Her father walked her down the aisle before 200 guests during the outdoor ceremony.
Highlights of the Caribbean nuptials include R&B crooner Ne-Yo singing for the couple’s first dance. The beautiful bride glowed in a strapless Monique Lhullier gown. The couple had an action-packed four-day wedding weekend including a rehearsal dinner on Thursday, beach party on Friday and farewell brunch on Sunday. I attended a friend’s wedding at this same venue a few years back and it is nothing short of gorgeous.
(Seriously.) Coincidentally, both weddings hired DJ Cassidy to spin tunes. Cassidy is a bona fide crowd pleaser; having DJ’d for diverse crowds from Jay-Z to White House functions.
Paige, who spent much of her formative years training in Loudoun County, VA, and Dudley met seven years ago through a mutual friend. The duo kept the courtship and engagement under the radar. This is a big part of the reason I have admired Paige from afar for years. She sincerely doesn’t seem to be interested in being in the public eye unlike the Hilton and Kardashian sisters of the world. Good for her!

Daddy's little girl: Paige is escorted to the altar by her father.
Proud papa Bob Johnson shared with The Washington Post, “This guy is perfect for Paige. He’s a true gentleman.” Before proposing last year, Dudley took the traditional route of asking for Johnson’s only daughter’s hand in marriage. “They’re both intensively competitive in their chosen fields,” he added.
Triple B wishes the couple a happy and healthy marriage!
by Bridgette Bartlett,
Founder of BlackBrideBliss.com
Celebrity Wedding News: Tia Mowry & Cory Hardrict Vow Renewal

This morning I stumbled across breathtaking vow renewal pictures of acting husband – wife duo Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict. I sorta developed a slight girl crush (am I allowed to admit that?!) on Tia — who my fiance insists on calling Girl Melanie, only fans of The Game will get that, after interviewing her for a PEOPLE magazine story. She truly seems like good people —
a doting wife, mother, sister, ambitious about her career and regularly admits that she’s still trying to figure out how to balance it all. Tia and Cory will officially celebrate five years of wedded bliss on April 20th. (There’s lots of anniversaries to celebrate next week, huh?)
Triple B wishes them many more years of health and happiness.
Tie the Knot Tuesday – Tamela & David

Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict aren’t the only celebrities renewing their vows these days. Tamela and David Mann, of Tyler Perry fame, said “I Do, Again” in Dallas, Texas, on April 20th! When the couple first wed back in 1988, they didn’t have a formal wedding ceremony and their pastor
actually wed the pair in his study. Tamela told US Weekly, “We didn’t have enough money for a wedding.” Apparently the screen star even had to borrow a ring back then.

Fast forward to 2013: The bride spent months working with Binzario Couture to design her dream wedding gown, the guest list included the couple’s high school
friend Kirk Franklin and his wife Tammy, as well as Timbaland and his wife Monique and the wedding cake was provided by TLC stars, The Cake Guys.
Each of the couple’s grandchildren participated in the ceremony. Tamela says, “Our grand babies were dressed as little princes and princesses.” (The couple have three daughters and one son.) She adds that she and David were trying to create a feeling that was “old-world romantic, beautiful, chic and lush.”
It appears as though KP Event Designers in Dallas, TX helped the couple do just that — the Grammy winners were able to incorporate live trees and “all kinds of flowers” in the decor at the Joule Hotel where their affair took place. Tamela reveals, “[The Joule] had space for a dance floor, which if you know David, was something we had to have!”
Triple B wishes the happy couple many more years of health and happiness!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Michael Jordan married girlfriend Yvette Prieto, celebrated in a really big tent
Michael Jordan (left) and Yvette Prieto flash their biggest smiles (Ethan Miller/ Getty).
Any discussion of the NBA postseason eventually turns to Michael Jordan, the greatest player in NBA history and a strong point of comparison for today's stars 15 years after he participated in his last playoff game. That was particularly the case on Saturday, when Chicago Bulls guard Nate Robinson came up one point short of Jordan's franchise record for fourth-quarter scoring in the postseason in a wild Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
However, the day was an important one for Jordan for reasons entirely unrelated to basketball. More than a year after becoming engaged in December 2011, Jordan married fiancee and former model Yvette Prieto, his girlfriend of five years. People.com has details:
After five years of dating, former NBA star Michael Jordan, 50, and his model-fiancée, Yvette Prieto, 35, made it official with a wedding in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday.
About 500 people arriving by tour buses piled into an Episcopal church called Bethesda-by-the Sea, where Donald Trump was married to Melania in 2005.
Jordan invited another 1,500 to join them for the reception at the Bears Club, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course community in Jupiter, Fla., where Jordan recently built a 38,000-square-foot home.
While 2,000 combined guests does not exactly suggest a modest affair, the full size of this monstrous event cannot be communicated by words. After the jump, check out aerial photos of the wedding tent.
Michael Jordan’s Wedding Tent is 40,000 sq ft, 5000 sq ft larger than his 35,000 sq ft home in the elegant and classy Bears Club in Jupiter, Fl. As you can see from the aerial, Jack Nicklaus has graciously allowed Jordan to place the largest tent in wedding history on the driving range of his renowned golf course in order to house the only 2,200 invited guests! [...]
The sound system for the affair arrived in four semi-trailers and the band spent the entire day Friday rehearsing for the BIG EVENT. Golfers had a great time on the course, with a backdrop of music to play to.
So, to recap, Michael Jordan's wedding reception occurred in a temporary tent larger than his own house, complete with bathrooms big enough to host a separate large wedding and a dance floor with its own lighting effects system. What an intimate affair!
This is Jordan's second marriage. In 2006, he split with Juanita, his wife of 17 years, in what Forbes called the costliest divorce ever. He has two sons and one daughter from that marriage.
There are as yet no details on the content of Saturday's ceremony and/or reception, so we can only speculate if His Airness wore special Air Jordans or how many buttons were on his suit jacket. It's safe to guess that several of Jordan's former teammates were in attendance, although chances are he didn't invite Craig Ehlo.
Also, while it may seem odd for the owner of an NBA franchise to schedule his wedding during the playoffs, please remember that Jordan presides over the Charlotte Bobcats, the second-worst team in the league this season at 21-61. I'm pretty sure both MJ and Prieto knew their schedule would be free.
By Eric Freeman | Ball Don't Lie –
Monday, January 7, 2013
WOW- We Are Engaged - What's Next !!!!
12 MONTHS OR MORE BEFORE THE WEDDING
Announce your intention to marry to BOTH sets of parents. Arrange to have them meet if they haven't already.
Determine type (formal, semi-formal, informal), style and theme of the wedding.
Make a list of what is important to you for your wedding; this will help you determine your budget.
Sit down with your fiance and ALL parents and discuss the wedding budget, and who will pay for what.
Get or make a wedding organizer (a 3 ring binder with pockets works great). Use it to store all your information, contracts, ideas, photos, etc.
Speak with your clergy/officiant and review synagogue/church requirements.
Come up with 2 or 3 possible wedding dates and start looking for ceremony and reception venues. If a venue you like is available on one of your chosen dates, book it immediately; many venues will often be booked up to 2 years in advance, so have several choices in mind beforehand in case they are already booked.
9 TO 11 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Start looking for and interviewing all the remaining vendors:
Photographer
Videographer
Caterer (if needed)
Officiant (if needed)
Florist
Together with your parents, begin compiling your preliminary guest list. You can always narrow down this list to fit within your size requirements and budget limitations at a late date.
Start getting ideas by looking through bridal magazines, going to Bridal Fairs and doing research on the internet.
Finalize your wedding colors, theme and style.
Select your attendants (bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, flower girl and ring bear) and ask them to honor you by being in your wedding. Make sure they are aware of what their "duties" are.Choose and purchase your wedding rings.
Begin looking at honeymoon options. Discuss where you both would like to go, and if needed visit a travel agent.
Start looking for a wedding gown, veil, accessories and your attendants attire.
6 TO 8 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
If you haven't already finalize and purchase your wedding gown, veil, and accessories.
If you are having a prenuptial agreement, take care of that now.
Finalize attire for attendants.
Start pre-marriage counceling (if required)
Start looking at invitations.
Sign up for your gift registry
Send save-the-date cards/newsletter
4 TO 5 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Work with your florist and finalize your arrangements.
Place wedding announcement in local newspaper
Order wedding stationary (invitations, envelopes, programs, etc.)
Start shopping for bridal party tuxedos
Book limo/transportation
Start planning the wedding decorations
Arrange accommadations for out of town guests (book blocks of hotel rooms)
Select wedding cake (and Groom's cake if you are having one)
Start making arrangement for rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
Book calligrapher
Decide on wedding favors
If you decided not to use a Wedding Coordinator, consider asking a close friend not in the wedding party to be your Wedding Coordinator/Personal Assistant.
3 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Order your wedding cake and groom's cake
Meet with your officiant to discuss details of the ceremony
Finalize the guest list
Reconfirm the rehearsal dinner plans
Buy the cake knife, guest book, toasting glasses and garter
Choose gifts for your attendants, parents, helpers.
Have the male members of the wedding party, including fathers, fitted for tuxedos.
Reconfirm honeymoon arrangements.
Start writing your wedding vows, if you are doing them yourself.
Start addressing the invitations (or drop them off with calligrapher)
2 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Send out invitations
Schedule a hair and make up consultation to do a trial run.
Start making/buying wedding favors
Obtain wedding license
Schedule your first wedding dress fitting.
Write thank you notes for any gifts that may start arriving.
If you are having one, begin putting together your ceremony program.
Meet with vendors (caterer, florists, etc.) to finalize arrangements.
If you are changing your name, complete the proper documents
Finalize music selections for the ceremony and reception and turn them in to the DJ/Band/etc.
Have formal wedding portrait taken.
Meet with your officiant to finalize ceremony details.
Reserve room for wedding night.
1 MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING
Start working on the reception seating chart.
Have final wedding gown fitting.
Arrange for a reception babysitter, if needed. Finish (and print) the wedding program.
Finalize wedding vows
Confirm all final payment amounts with your vendors as well as date, time, etc.
Pick up marriage license.
2 WEEKS BEFORE THE WEDDING
Finalize reception seating chart.
Confirm delivery time and locations with florist.
Contact any guests who did not respond to the invitation.
1 WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING
Pick up wedding gown, attendants' gowns and all accessories.
Give final guest count to reception venue/caterer.
Reconfirm everything with vendors one last time.
Make sure men get their final fitting for their tuxedos.
1 DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
Attend rehearsal.
Attend rehearsal dinner. Give attendants their gifts.
Have a manicure and/or a pedicure.
Put together the tip envelopes (for the vendors) and give them to the designated "tip person" (generally the best man).
Confirm wedding day transportation.
Reconfirm hair and make up appointments.
If you have access to the ceremony and/or reception venues, bring everything over there that you may need (decorations, guest book, etc). Layout everything you need for the next day in a safe place (marriage license, dress, shoes, etc.).
Speak with everyone in the wedding party and make sure everyone knows where to be at what time.
Try to go to bed early and get some sleep.
YOUR WEDDING DAY
Share a private moment with your fiance.
Have your hair and makeup done.
Give the best man the groom's ring.
Begin dressing two hours before ceremony is scheduled to begin.
Spend a quiet moment looking at yourself in the mirror before you walk down the aisle.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Celebrity Weddings & Engagements
Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin: Married!
by Hilton
Hater
·
The actress (Think Like a Man,
Californication) married preacher and Columbia Pictures VP DeVon
Franklin Saturday evening at Triunfo Creek Winery in Malibu, CA, as first
reported by People.
"DeVon makes me better, makes
my life fuller and completes my quality of life," Good
told the publication. "He's truly on my team and I am truly on his.
God revealed my heart to him like nobody else."
Approximately 400 guests attended
the ceremony, which featured the star a custom R-Mine gown with a purple train.
The couple started dating during the
shooting of Jumping the Broom and we wish them the best of luck!
[Photo: WENN.com]
Ashley Madekwe and Iddo Goldberg: Married!
by Free
Britney
·
Revenge star Ashley
Madekwe and actor Iddo Goldberg married Sunday in the countryside of England,
according to reports. They couple of five years tied to knot in front of famous
pals including Mischa Barton, Christa Allen, David Schwimmer and David
Walliams.
The pair met as costars in the Showtime series Secret Diary of a Call
Girl.
"Me and David Schwimmer just
made a best man's speech at a wedding. We were in competition to be our friend
Iddo Goldberg's favourite David," Walliams said.
Barton was impressed with the
David's speech at the wedding as well.
She tweeted, "What an
incredibly funny + amazing speech by David Walliams & David Schwimmer
@smashleybell + @iddo Goldberg's wedding"
Madekwe's Revenge co-star
Allen wrote "They have the most incredible love ... what a treasure to
witness. A huge congratulations to @smashleybell and @IddoG!"
Indeed!
[Photo: WENN.com]
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves: Married!
by Free BritneyMatthew and Camila will just keep livin' together ... with the same last name.
After six years together and two children, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have tied the knot, exchanging vows in his home state of Texas.
The couple wed Saturday in a private ceremony, with Alves taking the groom's last name to officially become Camila McConaughey, his rep says.
Engaged on Christmas, they married before close friends and family, including their two kids, Levi, who turns 4 next month, and daughter Vida, 2.
McConaughey, 42, and Alves, 29, a
Brazilian model and designer who the actor has told friends "the love of
my life," kept quiet about the wedding.
Even some guests didn't know about
it until the last minute, despite the reports hit the web that the two would be
getting
married this weekend.
After the ceremony, the guests
didn't have to worry about going far, as the Magic Mike
star got married and held the reception at his house.
The coolest part? Guests camped out
in dozens of luxury tents erected on Matthew's property, each with its own
patio and air-conditioning unit.
It's Texas in June after all.
Congratulations to the happy couple, and family!
[Photo: WENN.com]
Evelyn Lozada and Chad Ochocinco: Negged From Numerous Wedding Venues
by Free Britney
Basketball Wives' Evelyn Lozada and fiance Chad Ochocinco are finding it hard to nail down a wedding venue as Miami hotels are turning them down left and right.
Several establishments have rejected the couple's request to tie the knot at their facilities because they don't want glasses and fists flying ... you know the drill.
The reality TV couple is currently filming their Basketball Wives spin-off Ocho and Eve, with the big season finale set to feature Chad and Lozada's wedding.
Provided anyplace will allow them to film it, of course.
Miami's St. Regis, The Ritz, and
Breakers have all turned the couple down so far, as hotel managers fear the
fighting or risk of having their hotels seen on VH1.
Undeterred, the celebrity wedding is
set to film next month as long as Ocho and Eve can actually
find a place with which to say 'til reality TV death do us part.
[Photo: WENN.com]
Jenelle Evans-Gary Head Engagement: Back On!
by Free Britney
Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans and fiance Gary Head were involved in a bitter
argument that ended
their engagement just days ago, but it's back on now!E! News has confirmed that after patching things up, Jenelle and Gary are indeed back together, still engaged, and even close to setting a wedding date.
Ah, young, partially insane love. Says a source:
"The engagement is back on. It wasn't ever really off. Gary admitted he was wrong and felt really bad for kicking in her door. He went over and fixed it this weekend."
Who said chivalry is dead?!
So now that they're back on again, what about a wedding date?
"Gary and Jenelle are aiming for a December wedding," says the close
Head source.
"Gary has some relatives in
Afghanistan and the couple wants to wait until they get back so that everybody
can be at the wedding."
Making it all the more official
again, on Saturday, Gary tweeted a photo to prove to his loyal followers that
the two are indeed back together tweeting:
"Am I with @PBandJenelley_1?
Idk. You tell me!"
Well played, Gary
Head. Well played. We'll tell you that you are in fact back with
@PBandJenelley_1 ... and we'll be stunned if you still are by December.
Ashley Biden and Howard Krein: Married!
by Free BritneyAshley Biden, the daughter of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, got married on Saturday to Philadelphia surgeon Howard Krein before more than 200 friends and family.
The couple wed at the steepled St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church, in Greenville, Delaware. It's the same church where she was baptized.
The ceremony combined the bride's Catholic traditions and the groom's Jewish ones.
Afterward, the reception took place
at the Biden family's lakeside home in Wilmington, Del., for a reception and
dinner served family-style in the backyard.
The Vice President and his wife,
Jill Biden, re-sodded the property and planted special fast-growing vines up
the latticework around the party tent.
Joe Biden escorted
the bride, who wore Vera Wang, down the aisle and had prepared to be
emotional about giving away the youngest of his three children.
"I kept telling Ash, we've got
to open up the church and practice walking up and down the aisle so I can
handle it," the V.P. said last week.
He reminisced about the last time he
saw Ashley Biden in a veil - at her First Communion. "I think to myself,
aw, God, my little girl! This can't have passed so quick."
Krein, 45,
surprised his bride Biden, 30, on Saturday with their honeymoon destination, a
family source said. They will make their home in Philadelphia.
Ashley is a Delaware state social
worker who works with troubled children. She met Howard in 2010, after meeting
through Beau Biden, her older brother.
Howard
Krein proposed last October, at sunset on a cliff in Big Sur, Calif. – but
not before getting "Pop's" permission first, said the elder Biden.
"
This is the right guy," the
V.P. said. "And he's getting a helluva woman."
And a helluva father-in-law.
Congrats to the whole family!
Labels:
Celebrity Weddings,
Hollywood Weddings,
Weddings
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Celebrity News Weddings/Engagements
Dick Van Dyke, 86, marries 40-year-old makeup artist Arlene Silver, says 'I found the perfect one!'
The veteran actor said their decision to wed was 'kinda on the spur of the moment'
By Cristina Everett / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Dick Van Dyke is a newlywed!
The “Mary Poppins” star, 86, tied the knot with makeup artist Arlene Silver, 40, on Feb. 29, according to RumorFix.com.
The veteran actor said their decision to wed was 'kinda on the spur of the moment'
By Cristina Everett / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Dick Van Dyke is a newlywed!
The “Mary Poppins” star, 86, tied the knot with makeup artist Arlene Silver, 40, on Feb. 29, according to RumorFix.com.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Celebrity weddings
Marriage is said to be a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose. After all there is something about a wedding gown that is prettier than any other gown in the world. Kenyan celebrities and personalities are jumping the broom as the touch of love makes lovers, poets, writes STEVENS MUENDO
There were three major celebrity weddings planned across East Africa over the last weekend. Former president Moi graced Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s son wedding in Nairobi. Uganda’s royal family led another in Kampala. The third one slated for Arusha was the wedding that never was.
It has been another season of celebrity weddings. In fact, Nairobi witnessed more than five celebrity weddings in a span of four weeks. There are seven more (those known to Pulse) on the cards, before the end of the year.
Besides the glamour and accompanying joy, for some, what was an eagerly awaited start to a new life seems to have turned into a puzzle with tears and cursing replacing the jubilation. As Pulse broke it last week, the secret female celebrity wedding hatched behind closed doors failed to take off. The botched secret wedding is now plastered on Internet blogs for the whole world to see.
Whoever coined the adage "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," must have been a genius! (Actually, it was Shakespeare).
The much-hyped Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and Barbara Itungo wedding, which took place in Kampala has everyone talking, just as does the Raila Junior and Yvonne Kibukosya’s holy union, which took place in Nairobi last weekend.
A story is told of how, during the Buganda queen’s wedding, a Lexus bought for the wedding and estimated at about 100,000 dollars (Sh9,273,060) could not be used because her dress was too low for her highness to climb the heavy machine.
Apparently, the organising committee had to order for another car for her, a sedan.
And in a move to keep the royal tradition, celebrated Ugandan artiste Bobi Wine, who hails from the royal Buganda Kingdom had warned that his would be the wedding of the year and set aside about Sh30 million for the lavish affair.
The bride, Barbara Itungo, a daughter of a reputable gospel minister, donned silver stilettos and a beautiful long flowing gown designed to expose the tattoo of the Bad Man from Kamwokya slums, the street credibility tag for Ghetto President.
The multiple-award winning star was clad in a well-tailored white tuxedo, a magnificent black-stripped tie and a blending white long sleeved shirt.
It was a bountiful ‘invites only’ glamourous affair attended by members of the royal Kabaka’s court, government leaders, politicians, dignitaries and celebrated artistes among others.
The royal accord not withstanding, Bobi Wine’s usual controversy reared its ugly head during the wedding mass. The singer took the microphone and shamelessly took a swipe at his singing counterpart Jose Chameleone, who was in the gathering together with his wife. The uncalled for attack was centred on Chameleone’s recent temporal conversion to Islam. Even though he did not answer back, a disillusioned Chameleone did not even join his wife Daniella Otim when the mass lined up for Eucharist. The drama went on. After the presiding archbishop asked Bobi Wine to make a wish, he went on to ask God to bless him with twins on top of the couple’s three kids.
That was not all. There was a long motorcade convoying outside the church, as the newly weds proceeded to the wedding reception. There was one horse carriage, two Hummers, two Benzes, two limousines, two Escalades among other state-of-the art whips. A queue of outriders and boda boda cyclists led the procession. Halfway, the horse pulling the couple’s magnificent carriage stubbornly came to a stop and would not make another step; and since no one was willing to whip the stalled ‘mule’, the couple was forced to jump into one of the whips, all the way to the five star Serena Hotel.
Back in Nairobi, the love affair between the Prime Minister’s son Raila Junior and Yvonne Kibukosya, the daughter of a famous musical family was underway. It had only been three weeks since Machel Waikenda, one of the directors of leading showbiz outfit had tied the knot with Rose Njoroge, his love of many years during a colourful ceremony attended by former First Lady Mama Ngina and members associated to the first family.
And in what seemed to be a show of who owns Kenya, the country’s political power weights who include former President Moi were on the Prime Minister’s side as his second-born son said "I do" to Yvonne.
Wedding bells chimed, crowds cheered and even the sun put in an auspicious appearance on a rather dull Nairobi August day, as the bride walked down the aisle to take her bridegroom’s arm.
Wearing a broad smile, a gold and an ivory gown with lace applique, Yvonne Kibukosya – now Yvonne Raila, amid the pomp and pageantry the Prime Minister’s family prides itself on — took to the tune of the soft playing piano, every step calculated to stir up the emotions of the moment. Before a battery of journalists who jostled to take account of the momentous hour, Yvonne played her part to perfection. She looked every inch the princess in the fairytale the ceremony had been assembled to be.
The total cost was estimated at Sh10 million. According to our source, the initial family ceremonies, one of which was hosted at the Odinga’s Bondo home and another one in Nairobi, at a hefty sum of Sh30million.
Yvonne is the daughter of Gido Kibukosya, a rekown producer.
Still in Nairobi, award-winning secular singer turned gospel star Dennis Kaggia aka DNA of the Banjuka fame was also at it with his lover Ruth Wangu Munyue now Ruth Waweru.
"The two wanted a simple wedding and that is why they kept a low profile, never making it a big issue before the press," Tina Kaggia, the young sister to DNA told Pulse.
Days are gone when Kenyan celebrities made their wedding day a big deal, the way Nameless and Wahu did a day short of six years today. Besides avoiding a big guest list due to the harsh economic times, many musicians have witnessed celebrity marriages collapse barely a year after making the vows, to public disgrace. With this trepidation, and fear of the unknown, most celebrities have decided to go it the quiet way.
Only family, close friends and church members were aware of Mo Sound CEO and Groove Awards founder Kevin Mulei’s wedding, which took place at Safari Park Hotel in June.
He married a former Miss Kenya 2003 title holder, Janet Kibugu . A week later, it was turn for his friend DJ Soxxy (Jackson Kamau) who tied the knot with Anne Waichigo.
Machel’s wedding, which was held in Karen eight months after the proposal, was equally not much publicised. there is Lenah Ochieng’ of the Zaidi ya Mziki gospel group (recall hit single Fundi wa Mbao) who married his high school lover Laura Wahito.
There were three major celebrity weddings planned across East Africa over the last weekend. Former president Moi graced Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s son wedding in Nairobi. Uganda’s royal family led another in Kampala. The third one slated for Arusha was the wedding that never was.
It has been another season of celebrity weddings. In fact, Nairobi witnessed more than five celebrity weddings in a span of four weeks. There are seven more (those known to Pulse) on the cards, before the end of the year.
Besides the glamour and accompanying joy, for some, what was an eagerly awaited start to a new life seems to have turned into a puzzle with tears and cursing replacing the jubilation. As Pulse broke it last week, the secret female celebrity wedding hatched behind closed doors failed to take off. The botched secret wedding is now plastered on Internet blogs for the whole world to see.
Whoever coined the adage "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," must have been a genius! (Actually, it was Shakespeare).
The much-hyped Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and Barbara Itungo wedding, which took place in Kampala has everyone talking, just as does the Raila Junior and Yvonne Kibukosya’s holy union, which took place in Nairobi last weekend.
A story is told of how, during the Buganda queen’s wedding, a Lexus bought for the wedding and estimated at about 100,000 dollars (Sh9,273,060) could not be used because her dress was too low for her highness to climb the heavy machine.
Apparently, the organising committee had to order for another car for her, a sedan.
And in a move to keep the royal tradition, celebrated Ugandan artiste Bobi Wine, who hails from the royal Buganda Kingdom had warned that his would be the wedding of the year and set aside about Sh30 million for the lavish affair.
The bride, Barbara Itungo, a daughter of a reputable gospel minister, donned silver stilettos and a beautiful long flowing gown designed to expose the tattoo of the Bad Man from Kamwokya slums, the street credibility tag for Ghetto President.
The multiple-award winning star was clad in a well-tailored white tuxedo, a magnificent black-stripped tie and a blending white long sleeved shirt.
It was a bountiful ‘invites only’ glamourous affair attended by members of the royal Kabaka’s court, government leaders, politicians, dignitaries and celebrated artistes among others.
The royal accord not withstanding, Bobi Wine’s usual controversy reared its ugly head during the wedding mass. The singer took the microphone and shamelessly took a swipe at his singing counterpart Jose Chameleone, who was in the gathering together with his wife. The uncalled for attack was centred on Chameleone’s recent temporal conversion to Islam. Even though he did not answer back, a disillusioned Chameleone did not even join his wife Daniella Otim when the mass lined up for Eucharist. The drama went on. After the presiding archbishop asked Bobi Wine to make a wish, he went on to ask God to bless him with twins on top of the couple’s three kids.
That was not all. There was a long motorcade convoying outside the church, as the newly weds proceeded to the wedding reception. There was one horse carriage, two Hummers, two Benzes, two limousines, two Escalades among other state-of-the art whips. A queue of outriders and boda boda cyclists led the procession. Halfway, the horse pulling the couple’s magnificent carriage stubbornly came to a stop and would not make another step; and since no one was willing to whip the stalled ‘mule’, the couple was forced to jump into one of the whips, all the way to the five star Serena Hotel.
Back in Nairobi, the love affair between the Prime Minister’s son Raila Junior and Yvonne Kibukosya, the daughter of a famous musical family was underway. It had only been three weeks since Machel Waikenda, one of the directors of leading showbiz outfit had tied the knot with Rose Njoroge, his love of many years during a colourful ceremony attended by former First Lady Mama Ngina and members associated to the first family.
And in what seemed to be a show of who owns Kenya, the country’s political power weights who include former President Moi were on the Prime Minister’s side as his second-born son said "I do" to Yvonne.
Wedding bells chimed, crowds cheered and even the sun put in an auspicious appearance on a rather dull Nairobi August day, as the bride walked down the aisle to take her bridegroom’s arm.
Wearing a broad smile, a gold and an ivory gown with lace applique, Yvonne Kibukosya – now Yvonne Raila, amid the pomp and pageantry the Prime Minister’s family prides itself on — took to the tune of the soft playing piano, every step calculated to stir up the emotions of the moment. Before a battery of journalists who jostled to take account of the momentous hour, Yvonne played her part to perfection. She looked every inch the princess in the fairytale the ceremony had been assembled to be.
The total cost was estimated at Sh10 million. According to our source, the initial family ceremonies, one of which was hosted at the Odinga’s Bondo home and another one in Nairobi, at a hefty sum of Sh30million.
Yvonne is the daughter of Gido Kibukosya, a rekown producer.
Still in Nairobi, award-winning secular singer turned gospel star Dennis Kaggia aka DNA of the Banjuka fame was also at it with his lover Ruth Wangu Munyue now Ruth Waweru.
"The two wanted a simple wedding and that is why they kept a low profile, never making it a big issue before the press," Tina Kaggia, the young sister to DNA told Pulse.
Days are gone when Kenyan celebrities made their wedding day a big deal, the way Nameless and Wahu did a day short of six years today. Besides avoiding a big guest list due to the harsh economic times, many musicians have witnessed celebrity marriages collapse barely a year after making the vows, to public disgrace. With this trepidation, and fear of the unknown, most celebrities have decided to go it the quiet way.
Only family, close friends and church members were aware of Mo Sound CEO and Groove Awards founder Kevin Mulei’s wedding, which took place at Safari Park Hotel in June.
He married a former Miss Kenya 2003 title holder, Janet Kibugu . A week later, it was turn for his friend DJ Soxxy (Jackson Kamau) who tied the knot with Anne Waichigo.
Machel’s wedding, which was held in Karen eight months after the proposal, was equally not much publicised. there is Lenah Ochieng’ of the Zaidi ya Mziki gospel group (recall hit single Fundi wa Mbao) who married his high school lover Laura Wahito.
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