The groom and his family has it only slightly easier when it comes to wedding preparations. For one thing, they have to pay dowry. And for another, they have to sponsor the religious ceremony and the reception.

The actual wedding is done at a church, mosque, or government office, followed by a photo session. Wedding ceremonies are usually performed after midday, while the late afternoon is dedicated to photos, leaving the evening free for the wedding reception, which is also hosted by the man’s family, and also comes with the champagne, speeches, and wedding cake. And gifts.

Generally, the budget for a marriage is met by … the guests. When an acquaintance is getting married, they will give you a wedding invitation. If your friend is the groom, you will receive a invite to the wedding and reception, while friends of the bride will receive invites to the Kitchen Party and Send-off.

The card requests that you contribute towards the cost of the wedding, and sometimes [but not always] suggests the minimum amount that you are expected to contribute. This figure is decided during vikao – wedding committee meetings where the budget and other matters are decided. As a general rule, if you do not meet the minimum contribution, you may not attend the festivities.

Contributing to the cost, however, does not exempt you from bringing gifts. Read the rest of this entry →

I should clarify that I am not married.

And I should explain a little something about Tanzanian weddings. They’re not like the ones at home.

The typical +255 wedding comes in four parts. There are two ceremonies hosted by the bride’s family, and two ceremonies hosted by the groom’s family.

The first ceremony is the Kitchen Party, hosted by the bride and her people. It is an evening party, and is generally a strictly-girls affair, so in areas like Dar that are predominantly Muslim, the ladies have a chance to let down their hair … and other things.

The only male at this ceremony is the DJ and the cameraman. I can only imagine they enjoy the view, because even I was busy drooling at females whom I had only ever seen in amorphous black, and I’m a girl!

During the Kitchen Party, there is usually an MC-slash-shenga who teaches the bride [and her cohorts] how to take care of a man. The advise is sometimes quite benign, but more often, painfully raunchy.

The playlist consists largely of  taarab, and at several points, the ladies will get on the dance floor and perform renditions of mduara, usually with the help of pillars and chairs.

The trauma! Read the rest of this entry →

You’ve probably received a wedding invitation card at some point. They often come in different shapes, sizes, fonts and colors but the message is basically the same; WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!

The essentials of a Wedding Invitation
A wedding invitation is simply a card that informs your friends, family, workmates e.t.c. that you and your partner are intending to tie the knot, and all the details that pertain to the ceremony. The wedding invitation card should at the minimum contain the following information:

• The Bride’s Name
• The Groom’s name
• Your wedding message & announcement of intention to marry
• The Wedding Date
• The Wedding Venue
• The Wedding Timings

Read the rest of this entry →

Weddings are very magical; they have this way of making one loose touch with reality until your wedding planner or wedding committee hits you square with your wedding budget. The Wedding budget is that paper with three bold columns with titles that read Wedding topic, wedding Budget Estimate and Wedding Budget Actual Cost. This piece of paper is essentially critical as a wedding planning tool it makes sure that you and your partner are constantly in tune with your finances. Of course it would be every bride and grooms “wish ” and “dream” that they stay within the wedding budget, so we have laid out the five commandments that will help you stay on the straight and narrow wedding budget road!

Thou shall have thy wedding budget always!
Your wedding budget is essentially the life support system of your wedding. For most Kenyans brides and grooms it acts as a guide to what you should allocate to each particular wedding service , and helps you approximate how much you should spend on your wedding. It is often referred to by most brides, grooms , wedding service providers and wedding planners. It is financially suicidal not to have a wedding budget. Read the rest of this entry →

Kenyan wedding receptions have largely revolved around the theme of a lunch time reception.

Many times I have been invited for a wedding and the Kenyan in me automatically skipped the exchange of the couple’s vows in church, and made it just in time to catch the reception food queue. I am most likely speaking on behalf of quite a number of you.
Lunchtime receptions are usually scheduled to begin at two o’clock but they often begin at three and yes, there are instances when they start at five and they end between four and six. During this period your wedding guests will be well taken care of both in meals and entertainment. A large proportion of the wedding budget caters for the wedding reception, usually about 70%.

The effects of the global economic crisis are beginning to be felt on the Kenyan wedding industry. Towards the beginning of last year a majority of Kenyan couples would spend close to Kshs 700,000 on their weddings but this figure is quickly plummeting and many engaged couples are now spending between Ksh. 350,000-500,000, on their weddings. The amount spent is decreasing but the wedding guest lists seem to be increasing. Read the rest of this entry →

Bridesmaids Booty
Previously in this article we had looked had looked at the basics of designing choosing your bridesmaids attire, but in this article we will delve into the deeper details of getting your bridesmaids to look divinely delicious.

Women come in all shapes and sizes so you can bet your bridal party will be an interesting mix! it is often advisable for the bride, to choose a color palette from which the bridesmaids will choose their color outfits, and to decide on the length of their outfits. Read the rest of this entry →

Where to start?
The cake is the centre piece of the wedding reception and with all the shapes, sizes, flavors and patterns around this can be indeed a confusing experience for any bride or groom. Choosing the wedding cake is a process that should involve the couple, wedding planner and close family and friends involved in planning your wedding. You could start with the following ideas.

Baker
Visit your local wedding cake shops and meet up with the different bakers and pastry chefs. You want someone who is open to your ideas and capable of delivering what you’re looking for within budget. It’s a great idea to meet several bakers in order to make the best decision; every baker has a unique style and some specialize in a certain area such as sugar crafts. Go through their portfolio, references, websites, picture galleries and any other information that will help you judge their previous work. Then choose your ideal cake baker and book them at least nine months in advance. Read the rest of this entry →

December is around the corner and here in Kenya, the wedding season will be at its peak. So this is for all the brides out there busy preparing for your big day. Right now if you have not done so already, you are busy looking for the perfect dress, perfect invitation, perfect location, perfect flowers and perfect everything. Or so you think.

One of the most overlooked areas during this time is wedding day beauty. Usually the bride-to-be will have envisioned how her hair and nails will look but totally ignores the makeup department or leaves it for the last minute. Yet, you will be photographed on this day more than any other day in your life. In other words, you will be the star attraction. Read the rest of this entry →

Weddings are a family affair! Two families become one because of their children’s union. This is what makes marriage special.  Most parents look forward to seeing their children walk down the aisle. It fills your parents with pride to see their children tie the knot.

As a couple you will appreciate the support that your family gives you, especially in the wedding planning and coordination process. Your family will be there seeing you transition from daughter to wife, from son to husband. Therefore it is essential that you consider their role in your wedding planning and coordination and delegate accordingly.

But what happens when your parents dictate every little move you make and want you to implement every idea they have including having 1000 wedding guests? They keep reminding you that they went down the aisle before you hence the reason you should follow their instructions to the letter, never mind that they did it way before tiebacks, centerpieces and Kayamba Africa ever saw the light of the day. Read the rest of this entry →

What are the three things that all the wedding guests often look forward to at a wedding? The wedding cake, the wedding setup and your wedding gown. Not necessarily in that order. So how do you get the perfect wedding dress, that will leave your groom in awe, and your wedding guests delightfully surprised  as you walk down the aisle? The secret lies in finding the wedding gown that will flatter your body silhouette. It’s all about your body. Find out our secrets that will help you dress your body right.

The Hour glass body
You have been blessed with a big chest, curvaceous hips and a small waist that all blend in seamlessly to bring out the   hourglass effect. You want to show off your lovely figure and simultaneously make your body shape look proportionate. So what do the fashion doctors recommend for you? Read the rest of this entry →