Unending cycle of wedding meetings

If you live on this side of the world, you will agree with me that there is always a time when you must put aside a few funds to contribute to a wedding ceremony of one or two or even three friends and relatives. Many say that the genesis of these gatherings is not well known but some elders say that initially such meetings were mainly organised to allocate duties to different relatives such that on the‘d-day’, the ceremony goes on smoothly. Today, as many of you will agree the whole arrangement has taken a different toll. Rwandans specifically have turned wedding meetings into fundraising sessions. The infuriate story begins when the bride or groom to-be start sending continuous phone messages suggesting that you attend their wedding meetings. “This is when I dig deep in my pockets to raise at least Rwf20,000 that I will hand over at that meeting as contribution,” Stella Tesire says. What is extremely surprising is that the bride or groom to-be may decide to bring out his or her budget which may clearly show that little or a few items have been paid for. Well then, does this imply that when this couple planned to tie the knot no savings had been made towards this cause? Julian Gasana, a wedding gown-designer in the heart of Kigali city believes that it is always good for a couple to raise at least 80 percent of their total wedding expenditure. “It is embarrassing to rely on other people’s pockets to fulfill one’s wedding dream!” she adds. Many other people simply hate the continuous boring cycle of having to through the same budget weekly. Patrice Ndayizeye, a motor taxi driver advises that people should call meetings for the intended purpose of allocating duties so that in case anyone is willing to contribute financially to one’s wedding, then they do so at their own will not because they must. Recently, I invited a good friend for my cousin’s wedding meeting and she was quick to respond that she is so “broke”, implying that she had no money to contribute the ceremony anyway. Joining the marriage institution may be interesting but couples should learn to make it their own “project” not necessary a part of everyone else’s expenditure budget. It is good to let friends and family come in as they wish and not because they must. When it is not obligatory for everyone to contribute, a good number of people will have their expenditure budgets go down, thus increasing savings which also breaks the viscous cycle of poverty. keishaed@yahoo.com

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Unending cycle of wedding meetings