Month: December 2020

Categories
Our Faith Our Relationship

Our Encounter with COVID-19

It’s good to be back. Last week we decided to take a break – well deserved, we think, especially after all that has happened this year. We also had so much going on.

Thank you for those who reached out to check if everything was ok. This week we have decided to take short detour as we will explain why shortly.

If this is your first visit on our blog, for a bit of the background and the journey so far, we would suggest that you read first blog post, The Meeting, Ndine musikana wangu (I got myself a girl), Dating & Courtship , Meeting the Families , Cultural Hurdles, FAQ & Wedding Preparations, The Wedding Day Part 1 , The Wedding Day Part 2 , The Rest of the Wedding Day Honeymoon & Early Days 1 and Honeymoon & Early Days 2. For introduction of our family and categories of topics to be covered please visit the About Us page.

If you live in the UK, I think we can safely say that our family is not the only one affected by the announcement made by the Prime Minister on Saturday 19 December, effectively cancelling Christmas for many families.

Tim and Nomsa were planning to come home for Christmas and we were getting excited in the build-up to spending some time together. This was until the hopes of the long awaited get-together were dashed by the announcement, which came as a result of the increasing infections in London and the South East. Since Tim and Nomsa live in these areas affected, they cannot come home for Christmas. It was devastating news.

Whilst this was not the news we expected, Wim and I, and our children, fully understand. Wim and I know that COVID-19 is real as we both were infected during the first wave and thankfully recovered.

Our hearts go out to those people who have lost loved ones due to this dreaded disease. For them this Christmas is going to be a difficult one. Our hearts also go to those who have not fully recovered and are still suffering from what is now called the long covid.

Our encounter with COVID-19 started on Friday 22 May 2020. Wim developed a persistent cough which continued overnight. I immediately self-isolated and moved into Tim’s bedroom (thankfully he was not home during that time) and Wim was confined to our bedroom.

We had discussed and planned of how we would self-isolate should either of us get symptoms. We put our plan into action – it was not easy. Wim booked a COVID-19 test and got a slot for early Saturday morning. We continued with our self-isolation plan. Wim was not to go downstairs at all.

The test results came via a text message on Monday morning and it was positive. By this time the cough had stopped, and things were quiet. We were hoping and praying that she would develop only mild symptoms of the disease. We had family and church here in the UK and back in Zimbabwe praying for full and complete recovery. I had to take annual leave to take care of my beloved wife.

Then things turned for the worst. Wim started feeling pain all over her body; she developed a fever and the temperature was difficult to control with paracetamol and cool damp towels etc.

Family and friends kindly provided some information on natural remedies – garlic, ginger, honey, onion, steaming etc – and we carefully followed this.

The pain continued as we counted down the days.

On Wednesday, I started losing my taste and having a fever. This was scary. How were we to cope, if both of us were to be ill at the same time? On Friday 29 May I booked and went for a COVID-19 test. I was still feeling well enough to cook and take care of Wim.

Mid-afternoon same day, Wim’s condition deteriorated. She started feeling breathless and the pain was increasing. We called NHS111 and after a telephone assessment, they sent in an ambulance. Now things were getting serious.

As the ambulance arrived, I called Tim and Nomsa on a conference call so that they could follow what was happening as well. After an assessment the paramedics decided to take her to hospital. I couldn’t even give her a hug as she walked out of the house. There will be no hospital visits. I tried to encourage her – I don’t feel I did enough though. I was not settled.

As the ambulance drove off and turned left into the main road, I had the worst feeling – a feeling I had never felt before. It felt as if two pieces of very heavy metal had been hung on my shoulders.

Is that it? I wondered. Could this be the last time I see my dear wife – my wife of almost 30 years? Is this how it is ending?

I entered the house and closed the door behind me – I just sat on the stairs and broke down. Tim and Nomsa were still on the conference call. I cried. My children were comforting me. “It’s ok Dad. Everything will be ok – mum will be ok.”

I sent out prayer S.O.S messages to my family, Wim’s family, our church family and friends. I then called my sisters and we cried together. They all tried to encourage and console me, but they ended up crying as well. The experience was heart wrenching.

The paramedics had advised me to allow some 2 hours before calling the hospital to allow enough time for her to be assessed. There I was alone at home, with a pending COVID-19 test result myself.

THE Timeline

17:02hrs – Ambulance takes Wim to the hospital

18:20hrs – Received a text from Wim – she was in the Day Care centre but had not yet been seen by the doctor

18:25hrs – I responded with my text message “Wow! I was waiting to phone the hospital in the next 30mins or so. Thank you for the update. My dear we love you and EVERYONE is praying for you. We have a God who answers prayers. You are a prayer warrior. You will pull through this. I love you and will be continously praying for you until you walk back through the door you left. I will inform children. I love you.”

19:26hrs – Wim’s brief text message – Seen by Dr. I will try to call later. Pain killers given

20:42hrs – Wim called. This is the best call of my life. All tests had been done and they were found to be okay. Dr could not understand why the COVID-19 had hit her so hard as she was healthy with no underlying health conditions. “If you were not healthy and fit, we would be talking of something else. There is no reason why we should keep you here. Is there anyone who can come to pick you up” Dr concluded.

20:47hrs – I sent out a message to everyone I had sent earlier messages saying “There is a God Heaven!” advising them that Wim is coming back home.

21:00hrs – I was outside the hospital waiting for Wim. I was the happiest man in the world!

God has been good to us.

When we got home, we continued with our self-isolation.

Early the following morning a text came through – I was COVID-19 positive. I remembered Wim’s suffering during the past week and thought that if my symptoms were going to be that bad, then we needed help quickly. I sent out another S.O.S message to my church family.

We were amazed by how they responded – they quickly arranged amongst themselves to ensure that we had hot home cooked meals everyday – we had Indian curries, Malawian nsima, Zimbabwean sadza, lasagna etc. What a cuisine that was delivered daily to our doorsteps. The only downside was that I had lost my taste and appetite. Wim was not eating good as well. (We have jokingly suggested to those who prepared the meals, that we will kindly ask them to prepare the same meals when things settle, restrictions eased, and our appetite is back to normal)

Groceries, medication, thermometers, SATs machine, face masks were all kindly donated by friends and church family. Our neighbour helped buy some groceries for us.

Thankfully my infection was mild and not as bad as Wim’s. We thank God both Wim and I fully recovered – I was back to work after a week. Wim needed 4 weeks to fully recuperate before she was back on the frontline as a nurse, helping patients suffering from the same disease.

As we share our story, we are daily reminded that not all stories have ended as good as ours. Our hearts indeed go out to those that have lost loved ones.

We hope and pray that our story reminds us all, amongst other things, of the following:-

  • COVID-19 is real – it has affected and continues to affect many people and families. The sacrifices we have been asked to endure with the latest restrictions are miniscule compared to the loss other families have suffered. Please say a prayer for individuals and families affected.
  • Importance of family, friends and community – when faced with COVID-19, the family feuds and squabbles fade into significance. We were blessed to receive the support from our friends and church family. Please spend time to work on enriching those relationships.
  • Practical matters – for example you need different thermometers ready for each member of a household; have a plan ready on how your household will manage self isolation.
  • Maintain a healthful lifestyle – eat well, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, get as much sunlight and/or take Vitamin D supplements, take everything in moderation (avoid harmful stuff), breathe well (check out breathing exercises on YouTube), take adequate rest, social and spiritual connection. This will boost your immune system before it faces any attacked from COVID-19 or other diseases.

Wim and I reaffirmed that life was a gift from God and we are very grateful to God. We needed the make the best of every opportunity that God gave us. Interestingly, our close encounter with COVID-19 was the impetus to start this MoreLoveatHome blog – we realised that no time was guaranteed.

This will be a Christmas like none we have all experienced before. We encourage you to reach out to others – especially those who have been adversely affected by this pandemic. We encourage you to share what you have with others – so many people have lost their livelihoods. Be a blessing to someone this Christmas.

A great shout goes out to the doctors, nurses, other hospital staff and all key workers who are daily putting themselves in harm’s way so that they would minister to our medical, health and even physical needs. Thank you all for your love and care.

Please allow Wim and myself to share with you the Hope that we find as we face such trying and difficult times. We do look forward to a New Heaven and New Earth, as promised in the Word of God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 21:4-5

Weeping may endure for a night; But joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Even this shall pass.

You are all in our prayers at this difficult time. Should you want to get in touch and pray with us, please send us a message.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be safe and take care.

Next blog will be in the New Year.

Categories
Family Finances Our Relationship

Honeymoon & Early Days 2

Thank you very much for all your messages, flowers, gifts and love you shared with us as we celebrated our Pearl Anniversary. With the current COVID-19 restrictions we spent some quality time and enjoyed a takeaway at home.

It was also time for us to reflect on how gracious God has been to us for the past 30 years.

Thank you once again for joining us on this journey.

If this is your first visit on our blog, for a bit of the background and the journey so far, we would suggest that you read first blog post, The Meeting, Ndine musikana wangu (I got myself a girl), Dating & Courtship , Meeting the Families , Cultural Hurdles, FAQ & Wedding Preparations, The Wedding Day Part 1 , The Wedding Day Part 2 , The Rest of the Wedding Day and Honeymoon & Early Days 1. For introduction of our family and categories of topics to be covered please visit the About Us page.

We finished last week’s blog when we were at Victoria Falls airport…

As we responded to the message on the airport’s intercom, we were met at the information desk by a gentleman who introduced himself. He was a friend of our wedding MC and friend who worked as a hotel manager at one of the hotels in Victoria Falls.

Apparently, our MC had called him and informed him of our planned honeymoon. He offered us a lift to our accommodation and as we drove past his hotel, he invited us to come for a meal on any one of the days during our stay. He also gave us a detailed list of the “must sees” during our one week stay.

We settled in our chalet. The Zambezi River was flowing quietly just some 200 metres away. We walked down towards the river. There was a team of warthogs feeding nearby.

Whilst it was self-catering accommodation, there were staff who came to do the washing up and cleaning of the chalet every day. The place was kept to a high level of cleanliness and we showed our appreciation to the gentleman who was looking after our chalet.

The whole week was loaded with activities – we went on a Safari into the Victoria Falls National Park; unfortunately we did not see a lot of wild animals on the safari. We were at least expecting the big five but saw none, just small game.

We didn’t have long to wait as later that day we got on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, and there we saw the elephants and hippos.

We hired some bicycles as our accommodation was not near to the town centre; we attended church on Saturday where we met the hotel manager who happened to attend the same church.

The highlight of course, was the visit to the magnificent Victoria Falls – known to the locals as Mosi-oa-Tunya (The smoke that thunders). The “smoke” is the mist and spray from the world’s largest waterfall and the “thunder” is from the noise of this fall – over 1.6km long sheet of water falling down more than 100 metres.

As David Livingstone wrote in his diary, of the falls when he saw this natural wonder for the first time, “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”.

It was Wim’s first time at the Victoria Falls but it was my second – some years earlier I had come with a group of youths for a Pathfinder Camporee.

Every time you visit the Victoria Falls it feels different and you feel so enchanted. Since our honeymoon we have been back there twice with our children, with most recent occasion being when we returned to visit Zimbabwe from the UK. Different times of the year provide different scenes.

We spent a romantic time together during our stay in our chalet by the Zambezi River, during our honeymoon; eating out some times and also preparing our own homecooked meals.

We took the hotel manager’s offer for a meal on our last day in Victoria Falls. Incidentally we would take the shuttle to the airport from his hotel. What a meal it was – a buffet and the hospitality we received was second to none.

When we landed back in Harare, Babamukuru (Tete’s husband from earlier blogs) came to pick us up from the airport. We were so exhausted from the one week of activity and great fun.

The next day something happened that would teach us another lesson that we have carried to this day. Wim woke up early to do some laundry – it had been almost two weeks since the laundry had been done. There were a lot of clothes – all the best clothes she had; the ones she had worn in the runup to the wedding, the ones she wore in Chinhoyi after our wedding and at the honeymoon.

She put them outside on the washing line to dry. Mid-afternoon when she went to bring the clothes in, they were all gone – all except mine. Just vanished – all hers were gone.

Checking with the neighbours confirmed that none of them had taken her clothes in error. The conclusion was that a thief had come and stolen all of Wim’s clothes from the washing line. She had to start rebuilding her wardrobe.

Lesson 6 – Do not be attached to material things.

Throughout our marriage, we have lost things that were dear to us. In Zimbabwe we had two burglaries; on both occasions we were fast asleep inside the house. At one time the thieves entered our bedroom and took my wallet from my bedside table and stole the money. As a family we felt so much afraid and vulnerable for a number of days if not weeks after the incident. We thanked God for His protection.

The most painful of the burglaries was when the thieves stole amongst other things our wedding VHS video. We managed to get a copy of the video from family members – though the quality was not the same as the original.

In the UK we had one burglary, where we suspected that the thieves stole the second copy of the wedding video – we have looked high and low since the burglary, and cannot find it.

Now we don’t have a copy of our wedding video. The family members who used to have copies now no longer have them after 30 years.

Another incident that tested our attachment to material things occured on 4 September 2013, here in the UK . I had just got back to work after my lunch break, when I got the phone call “Dad our house is on fire!!”. “Nomsa, what happened?” “Come, Daddy, come…”.

By the time I got home, there were three fire engines on our street and there was smoke billowing out of the top of our house roof and other neighbour roofs.

We live in a terraced property and fire started in a neighbour’s roof loft and then spread to our house and other houses. I remember looking at Tim, he didn’t even get time to get his shoes as he left the house running away from the fire – he had only his shorts and socks.

As we looked on, there were our belongings and important documents going up in smoke. It was so painful to look on – it was hurting but none of us shed a tear. Thank God, the firemen managed to contain the fire in the loft and ceiling, which was extensively damaged. None of our belongings were burnt – all the important documents (passports, certificates and other documents were spared). We felt God’s protection of our property.

We had to seek alternative accommodation for 6 months as repairs were being done to our fire damaged house. Thankfully our house insurance covered both these costs. We will talk more about insurances when we cover family finances.

Back to our early days. We had to learn to adjust to our new life. When I was at uni, Wim and I used to see each other almost every day, but just for a couple of hours. Now we were seeing each other all the time, 24/7– in each other’s face all the time.

Actually we liked it and enjoyed spending every minute with each other. There was also need for simple adjustments to be done – even agreeing which side of the bed one would sleep on. After a couple of tries, we settled and thirty years later, we stick to that same side of the bed!

At every opportunity in our early days, I used to accompany Wim to work every morning and also walk her home from work – we just continued with our custom. Even these days, when Wim is working on a weekend or bank holiday, I offer to give her a lift to work and pick her up after her shift, rather than for her to drive.

Whilst it may cost double the normal cost of travel, we feel this is a worthy investment into our marriage as we spend the time talking and laughing; and she gets to work with less stress from driving.

Sometimes when Wim is off work she says, “I am going shopping – can I wait for you to finish work and we can go together?” We have continued to do things together.

As we started our new life, we thanked God that our financial situation had exceeded our expectations due to family and friends’ generous wedding gifts which gave us a great start.

We knew we had to live frugally though as I still had my final year at uni to do. Wim was the main bread winner in our new and young home. We started budgeting – putting into practice all the things we had learned during courtship.

We bought our first basic pieces of furniture – bed, sofas, electric cooking stove and a fridge/freezer. It felt so good to look at all these items and know that they were ours. We had more than enough kitchen utensils from Wim’s kitchen party and also from the wedding presents.

Lesson 7: All our things belong to both of us.

One important thing we put in place early on was that everything belonged to both of us. It was now our flat, our money, our uni maintenance grant, our everything. This has continued up to date.

We do have joint bank accounts and individual bank accounts as well – each of us has access to each other’s individual bank accounts. We know each other’s passwords for everything – email accounts, bank accounts, investment accounts, mobile phone pin numbers etc. Because of this arrangement, it requires that we consult each other before financial decisions are made.

Our personal arrangement requires discipline and trust. For example, it will not work if either of us is engaged in impluse buying or is reckless with money. We have made our own mistakes on buying unnecessary stuff and will share that with you later; but we made these purchases together.

We know that our arrangement may not suit all couples; therefore we suggest that you discuss this preferably, during your courtship – on how to handle your money. During courtship keep your eyes open to notice and frankly discuss each other’s attitude towards money.

If you are already married, we encourage you discuss this and come with an arrangement that works for you. Read about it and come up with a plan for your marriage. Be aware that finances are an area that causes so much conflict and disputes in families.

We welcome your comments and feedback on the lessons we have shared here with you. Please share this blog with family and friends.

In next week’s blog we will start to cover a topic so dear to our hearts – our children! Title of the blog post is “I’m pregnant!”. We bet you do not want to miss this as we share our experiences of how we got to this point and our thought process. We can’t wait!

Categories
Family Finances Our Relationship

Honeymoon & Early Days 1

Welcome back and thank you for joining us on this journey.

If this is your first visit on our blog, for a bit of the background and the journey so far, we would suggest that you read first blog post, The Meeting, Ndine musikana wangu (I got myself a girl), Dating & Courtship , Meeting the Families , Cultural Hurdles, FAQ & Wedding Preparations, The Wedding Day Part 1 , The Wedding Day Part 2 and The Rest of the Wedding Day For introduction of our family and categories of topics to be covered please visit the About Us page.

In last week’s blog, The Rest of the Wedding Day, we invited people to share their tips on reducing the cost of a wedding. We are happy that we have received some amazing suggestions and we would earnestly recommend that for anyone planning a wedding, you should consult with those who have recently wedded.

We have found them to be very much willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience. We will summarise the tips received from these couples, our own experience and some research that we have carried out ourselves.

According to a survey of 2,800 couples carried out by Hitched, the average cost of a wedding in 2019 was £31,974. What?!

You may not be able to relate to this figure. The word “average” may skew things a bit and also note that it includes the cost of the honeymoon. We have read of couples who have spent less than £5,000 on their wedding.

The sobering thought is, would you rather borrow and spend a lot on a glamorous wedding and start your new home with a burden of debt OR would you rather have a modest wedding and in the process save enough money for a deposit for your new house.

Now to our top 10 tips. Don’t forget that this is YOUR wedding and we are just providing some tips. It was just intriguing that some tips we used 30 years ago in Zimbabwe are still being used in the 21st century.

Don’t forget that as a couple, wedding preparations are stressful – the earlier you start planning, the better; that way you will not have pressure for time and not make rash decisions which are costly.

Tip 1 – Plan

Agree what you want your wedding to be like. When growing up, you may have had some dreams about your wedding day. Now this is real life – what can you realistically afford within your financial limitations? Agree what are the top three aspects/things that you want to be included and everything else will be negotiable/flexible depending on the costs.

Tip 2 – Wedding Budget

Plan and agree a detailed wedding budget and stick to it. Agree how you are going to fund it. Review and update the budget regularly and make any necessary tweaks as things evolve. The wedding cost is usually split between the couple and their families. We believe that the side of the families who are blessed more can do a little bit heavier lifting. For the couple, the wedding is usually the first main “project” that you will work together on.

Tip 3 – Haggle & Negotiate

Haggle, haggle, haggle; Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate – for everything. Do not accept the first quote on anything. Shop around for everything. Compare quotes. Look out for sales – there are some bargains to be had.

Tip 4 – Wedding Guest List

Agree the number of guests early as it will determine the size of the venue for your wedding. Also agree on whether your wedding will cater for children or not; advise everyone of your stance and stick to it. Invite the near and dear and manage the plus-ones wisely.

The guest list is an area where compromises may be required. You may invite other additional guests for the evening reception, if you are planning one. For ours we didn’t have a guest list as all were invited – this was typical in Zimbabwe at the time.

Tip 5 – Meal

Buffet meal is usually cheaper than sit down wedding breakfast. Providing your own catering may even drastically reduce the overall cost of the wedding meal. Don’t forget to ask dietary requirements in your invitation.

Tip 6 – Do It Yourself (DIY)

DIY as much as you can. Involve family and friends and use their skills where necessary. Accept creative friends’ and family’s offers to help with stuff. Below are some of the areas where offers can be made and accepted; the list is not exhaustive.

Hair and make up – this may be a way skilled friends or family would like to bless you. We suggest that you have a couple of trials with those offering before the day to confirm what you really like on your big day.

MC, DJ – look around your circle for anyone gifted and experienced to be an MC. For entertainment, prepare your own playlist and play it over the venue’s PA system. You may have one cousin/nephew/niece or friend, man the system. At our wedding the MC was our friend, who did not charge for his services. We didn’t need any music playlist as our families and guests sang traditional wedding songs and danced.

Flowers and Décor – From bouquet, centrepieces, lapel pieces, table placements – there could be offers out there. Please check with your local council – some have a floral department, and this is usually cheaper than flower shops. Some couples question the value of party favours – people tend to forget about those as soon as the wedding finishes.

Transport – nicely decorate a friend’s or relatives’s nice car instead of hiring a car. Remember, at our wedding Wim came in an undecorated Mercedes Benz, due to the delays and mix up on the morning – and it worked. She got to church in style!

Photography and Videography – there could be some enthusiastic amateur in your circle of friends or family who could do a good job. To ensure that you have a guaranteed set of goo photos, you may hire a professional photographer for part of the day. Another tip was to ask your guests to upload the photos they take on a website and offer a competition where someone can win “The Best Photo” award!

Check with a local college or Uni or church; they may have a creative audio-visual team who will be willing to take on your wedding as a project. At our wedding, Wim’s best girl’s boyfriend (and now husband) was our official photographer. He freely offered his services and we gadly accepted. We engaged a videographer who attended same church as Wim, and gave a huge discount.

Tip 7 – Dressing

Wedding dress – decide whether you want to buy or hire. It is likely that you will only wear this dress once. You may also buy an end of line dress – it will be brand new but heavily discounted.

Dressing for the bridesmaids/grooms men – avoid exclusive wedding shops and look in the high street shops and even online. Better still, get everyone to buy their own clothes.

Tip 8 – Wedding Cake

Wedding cake – buy supermarket cakes and have someone redecorate/ice them for you. For our wedding the professional cake maker we engaged (who had also prepared our engagement party cake) advised us that to keep the cost down, we purchase the key ingredients; she was just very kind. Other couples suggest using the wedding cake as the dessert and thus reduce the meal cost.

Tip 9 – Technology

Embrace technology – for managing your invitations, RSVP, uploading photos etc. In our days we used to design and purchase invitation cards; then write them; then post them or hand deliver them. We remember the awkward feeling when you are hand delivering to a group of people at church and then you realised that you had missed someone. Don’t forget, our wedding was an open one – we didn’t have a wedding guest list.

Tip 10 – Day of Wedding

Having a wedding on a weekday will massively reduce the costs of almost everything from venue to photography. You may also investigate winter weddings – this will be a challenge with the photos and the rain in the UK. In Zimbabwe, the winter are dry and cold. This is something to consider.

Extras

Another area which has become so important since the pandemic, has been Wedding Insurance. We encourage you to investigate and shop around. Read the small print and ensure that you understand what is covered.

Most of the couples who shared their experiences agree with us that this is just one day – don’t break the bank to cater for this one day. Don’t be bent on showing off – plan to enjoy your special day. Prepare for the real life after the wedding.

Once again thank you very much to all who contributed to these tips.

…

Where were we? Honeymoon and Early Days

We took the airport shuttle to the Harare International Airport. By road, Harare to Victoria Falls takes up to 8 hours but it was a mere 45mins by air.

As we had made plans for our marriage, we discussed where we would go for our honeymoon. At the time, it was not common for newly wedded couples to go on a honeymoon. Just as with our engagement party, we didn’t want to miss out on anything that we would look back on and regret later.

We researched for accommodation at this world famous holiday destination. We found some national parks chalets which were situated along the Zambezi River as it made its way to the majestic Victoria Falls. This accommodation fit well with our modest budget.

For both of us, it was our first time to be on an aeroplane. It was full, mainly with tourists. We didn’t have a long time to enjoy the hospitality onboard the plane, as we were shortly landing at Victoria Falls airport.

We were both excited as we alighted from the plane. Our research had shown that there was a shuttle from the airport to the town centre, from where we would get a taxi to our chalet.

As we entered into the small airport arrivals hall, we heard the following message on the intercom “Mr & Mrs Jabulani Mpofu, can you please make your way to the information desk”. The message was repeated. What? Any problem?

Can we please park it here for today and pick it up from here next week. To be continued…

Since tomorrow is our 30th wedding anniversary (Pearl Anniversary), we thought we would take it easy as you digest the tips on how to cut the cost of a wedding. We solicit your prayers for our marriage on this milestone.

Please share with your friends and family especially those young ones in a relationship or looking to get into one.