She is excited about her big day. Like almost every little girl, she hopes to walk down the aisle in a princess frock to meet her prince charming at the alter to say their final ‘I do.’ Singer and guitarist Bulelwa "Zahara" Mkutukana says life has been nothing but blissful since her partner Mpho Xaba went down on both knees to propose. "I have been so happy, I won’t even lie. He makes me happy. Nothing has changed since the proposal, he has been so consistent," she tells ZiMoja.

THE PROPOSAL

For their proposal, Mpho rallied family and friends to help put together the surprise proposal to the Loliwe singer. Nervous, shaking but sure he is doing the right thing after only six months of dating. "I know, I am doing the right thing. I love her. But I am nervous, what If she says No?" he said on the day of the proposal. Her assistant Lisa staged the entire thing and helped him to pick the ring. "It’s a beautifully customized proposal ring. I know money is not important, but he paid R10 000 for the ring. We got flowers and covered the ring in a big balloon written ‘Will You marry Me.’ I had to pretend that she was attending a podcast to get her out of the house, we had her makeup done and everything was ready," Lisa added.

THE BIG DAY

They are in no rush to get the wedding celebrations done. They want to take their time to plan accordingly. "I want something intimate but beautiful," Zahara says. "My family is very important to me, so I want it to be a day where we celebrate the union of families." She has started thinking of their outfits and venues. "But I am African, we don’t overshare before the big day," she says. "All I know, is this will be my dream wedding. I plan to only do this once," she says. "I love flowers, so lots of flowers, lots of good food, and great music."

Mpho, an engineer customized her ring and made sure it was a true representation of her personality. "It is modest, yet glamorous and just a representation of her kindness and love." After the stage interview, Zahara was called to her house for a plumbing emergency. "Lisa told me I needed to hurry home for an emergency. When I arrived in the lounge, I saw these big balloons written ‘Marry me.’ I said yes. I love him, he is supportive, kind, and generous." Family and friends ululated as he went down on one knee helping her to put on the ring. "I am so happy. But mad I got tricked into a fake interview. Mpho is so supportive and caring," Zahara says. The two have been together for six months and met through a mutual friend. "I came to her house for a family gathering and fell in love immediately. I was a little bit intimidated because I knew who she was. I won’t act as If I don’t know who she was, but I knew for me to approach her, I needed to be sure about my intentions."