Ugandan fashion designer Anita Beryl weds Richard Ekoot in Italy

Ugandan fashion designer Anita Beryl has wed financial consultant Richard Ekoot in Italy, taking their marriage celebrations from traditional ceremonies at home to a destination wedding abroad.

Images shared online show the Beryl Qouture creative director smiling beside Ekoot against a mountainous backdrop. Beryl wore a white bridal gown and a long veil, while Ekoot chose a dark suit with a white shirt and tie.

“It was a lovely event I must say!!” wrote X user Cecile, whose post included a photograph from the celebration.

The Italian wedding follows the couple’s Ankole marriage rites earlier this year. In January, Beryl introduced Ekoot to her parents, Rev Emmanuel Ahabwe and Jean Ahabwe, at their family home in Masheeruka, Sheema District.

The ceremony, known as kugamba obugyenyi, brought together relatives, elders and close friends. Representatives of the two families held bride-price negotiations, after which the family announced that Ekoot had paid the bride price

Beryl brought her design skills to the occasion, creating outfits for herself and her entourage. The pieces drew on Ankole cultural objects, including endiro, a woven basket, and ekyanzi, a milk vessel.

Ekoot, a son of the late John Temel from Kumi District, also surprised her with a pink Range Rover. The gift moved Beryl to tears and became one of the ceremony’s most discussed moments. 

After the engagement, Beryl shared a message quoting Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in his time.” She described the milestone as an answered prayer.

For a designer known for dressing brides, the Italy celebration placed Beryl at the centre of her own wedding story. Her fashion house has built its reputation on bridal gowns and evening wear, serving clients in Uganda and beyond.

The couple’s exact Italian venue and wedding date were not established in the available reports.