To have and to hold. Norah Lydia Nabwami and Peter Omiat met in 2014 but it did not occur to them that years later they would be wife and husband, writes Esther Byoona.
Norah Lydia Nabwami and Peter Omiat met at Makerere in 2014 at a fellowship. They used to prepare concerts. In that year, Peter was in charge of dance and had to teach people and that is where he met Norah. She was supposed to teach people as well but she did not know. Their friendship blossomed.
After some months of each knowing the other, Peter and Norah went for a church service at Watoto Church Downtown and he asked her out in church. He asked her to pray about it, which she did for six months. On February 22, 2015 Norah accepted to be Peter’s girlfriend.
The proposal
The two had started talking about marriage in 2020 because they had been dating for six years. Peter says when he asked her out in 2014, he was not asking her to just see where their relationship would go but the end goal was marriage.
In 2020, they decided to get married. They started the planning process.
The proposal was a surprise to Norah at the home of Peter’s brother where they were celebrating one of the children’s birthday. He proposed on April 10, 2021in front of his family members and Norah said yes.
The charm
Peter loved Norah’s humility and when they were friends, she was a great friend. For Norah, Peter was humorous, humble, free-spirited and friendship.
She had prayed for a great friendship which God answered. She says they had similar interests and Peter was always present when she needed him.
The preparations
“First of all, it was a miracle from God that we were able to finish everything. This ranges from getting the venue to our financial resources for the do,” Peter says.
The real preparations for the Omiats involved calling close friends and relatives and letting them know about the wedding and asking them to feel free to contribute to the wedding.
They prayed and sought God for a good wedding and a good marriage.
During their prayers, they asked God for a specific date for their wedding and God revealed the date.
However, due to the Covid-lockdown their parents and friends asked them to postpone the wed ding but they were doing it in obedience to God. Everything worked well.
Norah says what helped them was planning early.
He says they had a good organising team. Norah’s matron and her husband asked them to get five couples inclusive of themselves to do a monthly contribution of Shs100, 000 for each couple.
Each month, they would get Shs500, 000 and it would multiply. This was done for 10 months.
Peter says, during the Covid-19 lockdown they made calls to close friends and relatives to tell them about the wedding.
They had to seek permission to travel by car and it was hard to get the essentials for the day.
“It was a blessing in disguise because with the reduced number of people coming for the wedding, the cost venue was affordable at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa in Kigo.”
Norah’s matron suggested the reception venue and called one of the employees for an appointment, and they got a good deal.
“We are grateful to God that we had a wedding there, we did not have to do much decoration. The church service was at the fountain and the reception was in one of the halls at Kigo,” says Peter.
The service providers for the wedding were mostly friends and at the time guest numbers were limited. Since most of the service providers were friends they could give the service at the wedding and attend the wedding.
Their friends had provided the services at the introduction and they were happy with what they had done. They baked their wedding cake.
“The decorator was a former schoolmate and she was open to negotiations. I went to her place, told her my expectations and she fitted everything in our budget. She also called and prayed with me as well as sent me daily devotions. She was excited about marriage and about young people getting married,” Norah recalls.
The wedding
Peter mentions that they did not sleep on the wedding eve because they were praying. He enjoyed the wedding from the service at the fountain to the reception. The sermon was about wedding vows. The reception was intimate with mostly close family members and friends which meant a lot to the couple.
Norah enjoyed the whole day but what stood out for her was the peaceful service.
“Usually I go for weddings and there is a lot of pressure, rush, if you arrive late, you wait for the reception. I was late but the pastors came to pray with us,” she notes.
“The reception was intimate with our close family members and friends. Because I knew everybody at the ceremony, I was able to give a speech that included each one of them, which was lovely,” says Peter.
“We were limited to 20 guests but God helped us and we revised to 40.”
For Norah, she wished the day was longer.
“It is as if the day had started then we were at the reception then it was goodbye, but I enjoyed it.”
For Peter the wedding was better than he expected.
During the wedding Norah felt that the dream of their wedding day had come to pass after dating six years.
Honeymoon
They went for a honeymoon in Kalangala for five days and it was a gift from their organising committee.
During their honeymoon they learnt that they could eat, relax and life can slow down and you rest and enjoy each other’s company without any worries.
Advice
Peter advises those intending to get married to get to know each other, they should be friends not just have flings but friendship because it sustains you when things are tough.
Norah adds that friendship helps you know each other’s abilities and you respect each other and know what one can do and what they cannot do.
She says a couple should plan, prepare, pray and live within their means.
“Plan for the after wedding, like you do for the decoration. Plan also for where you are going to stay, what you will need in a home so that you do not get married in a fancy function but go home to misery,” she explains.
“Of course we all begin somewhere if you have enough resources to make a 1,000-seater tent re-strategise and see how you can make a seat for your home, a workable kitchen, a good place to stay. Pay your rent so that you do not go home to debt,” she advises.
