A navy officer's colorful wedding brought the coastal city of Mombasa to a standstill.
In a video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the wedding procession displayed all pomp and glamour including police outriders and top-of-range vehicles.
The wedding reportedly took place on April 27, 2019 at the Holy Ghost Cathedral on Nkrumah Road in Mombasa.
Fellow military men are seen escorting the newly wed couple as their convoy snakes through the streets of Mombasa.
Though rare, military weddings which heavily borrow on the armed forces traditions and procedures have been witnessed in the past such as in December 2018, where a couple identified as Faith and Levi tied the knot with the groom donning KDF ceremonial uniform.
Sources indicate that the first ritual in a military wedding is a mission called "Brides snatching" where the soldiers dramatically storm the bride's bedroom before whisking her to a waiting vehicle.
After the church procession is over and the bridal party are proceeding to the reception, the second ritual, an arch sabers, is conducted.
During this stage, soldiers of equal ranks with the groom form an honorary arch where the newly wed couple matches through.
The arch may be formed using sabers/sabre (military swords), canes, or G3 rifles depending on whether the officer marrying is a 2nd Lieutenant to 4-star General, Sergeant up to the rank of Warrant Officer Class or a servicemen with the rank of Private up to corporal.
Just as the couples are about to match through the "parade", the officers stop them using their sabers until they do or say something that has been requested by one of the saber bearer such as kissing the bride.
The third interesting ritual is carried out during the cake-cutting ceremony. Instead of the MC leading the cake cutting, four officers take over and the cake is cut by the couple using a saber.
The rituals are meant to symbolize the couple are now a military family and civilians... supported, loved, cherished and protected by the military.
If the new military wife happens to walk into the officer’s mess or a room where there are officers, they stand up at attention and congratulate her for attaining her new status of a military wife.