SIMBA CHIKORE and Bona Mugabe’s wedding held on Saturday March 1 at the First Family’s Blue Roof private residence in Borrowdale, Harare, had all the ingredients that normally accompany a union of such magnitude.
Everything about the wedding oozed with a rare and silky touch of class and brilliance.
The planning, the staging, the dressing and the choreography went hand-in-hand with the razzmatazz that had the guests spellbound on this august day.
That many a people speculated and are still speculating on the goings of this stunning wedding can only put another mark of success on the planners, the love birds and the event itself.
The much publicised and highly anticipated wedding was aptly dubbed ‘The Wedding of The Year’.
Bona, the first and only daughter of the country’s leader, President Robert Mugabe and his wife the First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe would naturally have a wedding that draws many from across the board.
It was no surprise that many Zimbabweans wanted to join and witness such an occasion, but the event which was private could only be graced by invited guests.
To be invited to grace the occasion was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many around the nation could only dream of.
However, the live broadcast of the ceremony on national television enabled the rest of Zimbabwe to watch the proceedings.
This was no ordinary wedding.
It had everything; glamour, glory and glitz.
Fortunately for the esteemed guests the organisation was top notch such that it left no room for any gate crashers.
Invited guests were issued with classy invitation cards armed with bar codes that were also activated through mobile phones for access into the residence.
Scheduled to start at 2pm on Saturday and end the following day at 6 am, the wedding was attended by more than 5 000 guests from Zimbabwe and abroad.
Invited guests not under the VVIP and VIPs category were to park their vehicles at Heritage Primary School and Borrowdale Country Club before proceeding to the venue.
It was also at Heritage Primary School and Country Club where the guests would go under security check and verification of the guest list.
Before proceeding, guests went through waiting rooms as they waited for their turn into the shuttle buses to carry them to the venue.
The use of shuttle buses meant that individuals vehicles were not allowed at the residence and it phased out the issue of different ‘societal classes’.
Chief executive officers and directors of prominent and well established companies could get into the same shuttle bus with any other invited guest.
The wedding ceremony which started at 2pm was conducted by the Roman Catholic Church .
Among other dignitaries, and local Ministers, the wedding was also graced and celebrated by African leaders including South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, Zambia’s Michael Sata and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.
Former African Heads of State were also among the guests, namely Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae of Botswana.
The decoration of both the wedding ceremony and reception was breathtaking.
With chandeliers of high class and portraits of different animals hanging from the ceiling, the view was royal and magnificent.
Both the President and First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe confirmed that it was through the help of different corporates and individuals that made that day a success.
The two large white tents housed the 5 000 plus guests comfortably.
The tents were pitched in a way that all the guests despite different categories were able to fit in one big room.
The VVIPs and VIPs sat comfortably on white couches while the rest of the people filled the tables with gold and silver Chiavari chairs.
Fifty-two inch television screens were mounted in different places for all the guests to see what was happening on the stage and dancing floor.
Guests, both male and female adhered to the dress code which was strictly ‘black tie’.
Women were dressed in designer dresses and gowns that showed how Zimbabweans are in tandem with international fashion trends.
Although the catering team did not do well, music and entertainment kept the guests warm as they danced to local and international music provided by artistes that graced the wedding.
With the excellent planning, Simba and Bona enjoyed their day that left them as Mr and Mrs Chikore.