For some people, a wedding is a day carefully planned for years, a white dress, a packed church, photographs with loved ones and above all a celebration to remember.
However, for five married Malawian couples, that dream remained out of reach, missing the chance to walk down the aisle surrounded by family and friends because they could not afford the ceremony.
But on Saturday, that missing chapter was finally written at Daeyang Chapel in Lilongwe.
Dressed in wedding gowns and suits, the five couples walked down the aisle and celebrated their marriages in a mass wedding ceremony.
Their celebration was made possible by a Korean family that chose to turn the joy of their son’s upcoming wedding into an opportunity to create happiness for others in Malawi.
The upcoming marriage of Andrew Yoo Chung-un and Amy Ryu Hee-jung will take place on October 3 in Korea.
The mother of the groom to be, Joo-on Song, who is also We Share Foundation chairperson, has for years shared her time, resources and support with Malawian communities.
Unlike a simple donation, the organisers made the couples feel like the centre of attention, providing wedding dresses, tuxedos, bouquets, makeup and other essentials.
The brides received wedding dresses donated by My Daughter’s Wedding Boutique in Korea while the grooms were also dressed for the occasion.
The five couples also received female goats to provide practical support as they build their family lives.
Earlier, the family also gave goats to 135 low-income households from surrounding areas to mark Andrew’s engagement.
The event’s coordinator Clara Cho Yungduk said the celebration was guided by a philosophy of sharing happiness with others, adding that instead of keeping the family’s happiness within their own home, the family chose to extend it to people in Malawi.
That spirit of sharing also extended beyond the wedding ceremony through the donation of two ambulances to Daeyang Luke Hospital.
Andrew, the groom to be, contributed about $13 000.
His mother, Song, contributed additional funds, bringing the total to about $67 000 (about K116 million).
Another significant gift attached to the celebrations were two ambulances donated to Daeyang Luke Hospital to carter to the hospitals transportation needs.
Cho Yungduk said the family wanted to make a lasting contribution.
