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I was smelly but she still said yes
After three years in marriage, the couple agree that marriage is not easy and couples must work hard to see that it succeeds. Photo / Courtesy
What you need to know:
- Kisakye was drenched in sweat. However, was he sweating as a result of being exposed to the hot sun, or the climb up the beautiful hills of Bundibugyo for about two hours had taken its toll?
On January 7, 2018, Philip Kisakye Ssemaganda, head of Graphics at Kingdom Media, asked his girlfriend of four years Lydia Nassuna Babirye, finance officer at NCBA Bank, the ultimate question.
Kisakye was drenched in sweat. However, was he sweating as a result of being exposed to the hot sun, or the climb up the beautiful hills of Bundibugyo for about two hours had taken its toll?
The real reason, only known to Frank Aineomugisha his best friend, was that Kisakye was nervous.
“Because we were climbing, I was breathless. My mouth was so dry that the sips of water I was taking almost every two seconds seemed hot and it felt as though my heart was almost jumping out of my chest,” Kisakye recalls.
He had to make sure he finds the perfect spot while at the peak to get on one knee and propose to the love of his life.
“I kept telling my best friend that I was scared but I am glad that he was stronger than me. He became such an amazing pillar. I am so glad I did not keep him in the dark. Maybe I would have changed my mind at the last minute,” says Kisakye.
They finally found a spot with a nice view of Fort Portal Town and everyone, especially ‘his Queen’ as Kisakye calls her, was so excited and gazing in amazement. He knew this was the perfect place and moment. It was now or never.
“I grabbed the ring as they were still distracted and reached out for Babirye’s hand. By the time she turned to see what was going on, I was ready to pop the question. To be honest, I was all sweaty. It was as real as it can ever get,” Kisakye remembers.
“Oh my God, I screamed. I do not even know how he had planned all this. I was still trying to catch my breath after two hours of climbing. I was sweaty with no make-up, perfume and no fancy dress. It was extremely nerve racking,” Babirye recalls.
All their friends were screaming and pulling out their phones to capture the moment. “I told her what she means to me and why I would be lost without her and then asked the million dollar question; ‘will you marry me?’ courageously,” says Kisakye.
The one
“Everything was happening so fast. I was excited, scared, surprised and tired from hiking. I kind of felt like we were still too young to be married. But I said ‘yes,’ a very sure yes because I had known this amazing man for two years and I knew he was the one for me,” Babirye says.
Planning
“I really wanted something unique for this special day of our lives. One day landed on a clip on YouTube where a man had taken his girlfriend on a hike and proposed. This was romantic and not as common and I wanted to do the same,” says Kisakye.
He shared his plan with Aineomugisha around October 2016 and started saving up for a trip to Fort Portal that Aineomugisha would host with some friends.
“On December 29, 2016, I bought my queen a ring which I locked up somewhere in my house. Since I was still staying alone, I knew it would be safe,” says Kisakye.
“While inviting me for the trip, he said some friends had organised it. I never suspected a proposal until I saw him get down on one knee,” says Babirye.
When did you know she was the one?
Kisakye and Babirye had been together officially for three months although they had been in constant touch for two years as friends, when one day he went to visit her at a hostel in Nakawa, Kampala. After chatting on the balcony for a while, she invited him for prayers.
“After the prayers, I felt like I had thegreen light to get closer. I tried to lean in for a kiss and she pushed me away,” Kisakye recalls.
He got deeply offended that she would reject him. “In her soft voice she immediately followed her action with an explanation that even though she felt the same, she still had values and was still seeking God’s hand. Somehow in that moment, I knew she was the one,” Kisakye says.
Meeting
The love birds both attended Kibiri Primary School in Ggangu, Kibiri. “Although we did not know each other then, we met again at a reunion in 2011. Here, we exchanged phone numbers and started communicating,” says Babirye.
Wedding
Babirye introduced Kisakye to her parents on August 4, 2018 in Buddo, Wakiso District. On August 10, 2018 the two were joined in holy matrimony at Christian Focus Centre in Kisenyi, Kampala, and had a colourful reception at Arirang Chinese Hotel and Restaurant.
The couple has been blessed with a baby boy, Kingsley Theodore Kisakye and are running a decoration company together as a side income generating project.
