By Ian Ortega
Not many ever get a chance to attend a million dollar wedding, a wedding organized by the richest man in East Africa for his daughter, well, Saturday saw some great Ugandans get that chance. The wedding of Meera Ruparelia to Ravi Kotecha finally came to a climax on 15th February at Speke Resort Munyonyo. Meera aged 28 years old, is the eldest daughter of Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, who is ranked the richest man in East Africa by Forbes. Here are the 10 things you missed.
1. The Cocktail
Talk of drink till you say it’s enough. It’s the only wedding reception in Uganda to ever have all tribes of drinks, however expensive they may be. People sipped from wines to champagne to the normal beers and indeed it was a full house.
2. The Fireworks
Goodness, believe us or not, nothing seems more magnificent than fireworks on the lakeside. The most spectacular was one of the hearts that illuminated over the lake waters to signify a moment of love and unison.
3. The Mingles
Talk of the top of the top in Uganda, this reception had it all. From the famous entrepreneurs like Patrick Bitature, Geoffrey Kirumira, designers like Sylvia Owori, politicians like the first family, Mike Mukula to the top beauties all around Uganda. Basically, this was a chance to network, to meet every powerful individual one had longed to meet and to finally get a feel of what it means to be a friend to a billionaire.
4. The Quotes
Oh my goodness. Did you see this coming? Talk of the famous ones like that from Dr. Sudhir; “A man’s wealth is not shown by the size of his bank account but by the number of friends he makes and keeps.” Or talk of the advice Ravi was given; “Meera is never wrong, and when she’s annoyed, go to the gym and wait till she calls you back.” And it was so moving when Geoffrey Kirumira, the chairman of Kwagalana, gave that speech on behalf of their billionaires’ club, he was so fluent in English.
5. The Hypnotic Couple
When they came into the tent, it all seemed like a fairytale of sorts, they were shining through and you could sense the great bonds that exist between them. Even though everyone made it a point to say Meera can’t cook, she defended herself saying, “She had never seen her mum cook yet she’s managed to stay together with dad for all those years.”
6. The Decorations
Forget the usual Kampala wedding decorations, this was a tent of gold, Indian flowers and high class tables for the guests.
7. The Food
I almost forgot this, but the guests never lamented, from Chicken Tikka to the desserts to the roasted lambs, we had it all, we tasted it all and we ate to stomach fulls. This was a day for many to realize that you can have all the nice food in the world and fail to finish it.
8. The Billionaire Photo Poses
When yours truly reached out in the night and took a great photo pose with the billionaire, it’s like he’d set the example for everyone to follow. Not long after, everyone was yearning for a pose with Dr. Sudhir, you don’t know what it means to take a photo with the richest man in East Africa, no amount of joy compares to this.
9. The Fashionistas
Indeed, Ugandans are the kings of fashion. The Indian saris, the suits, and those who were dressed like plane captains, everyone was definitely dressed to kill.
10. The dances, the performances
The kika dancers put up an amazing display of acrobatics before Maurice Kirya did two performances, one of ‘Woman’ and the other of ‘Ugandan Girl.’ And finally, the great moment when the bride and the groom opened up the dance floor for all to behold, these two are super royals and we indeed toast to the great marriage of Meera and Ravi. Meera now joins the Kotecha family and will from now on, live in Nairobi.
“[katogoaward
