March 22, 2011 – African culture is beautiful in many ways and more and more brides are incorporating an African theme to their weddings. For those who have both a traditional and church ceremony, the ladies can for an African theme during the traditional ceremony and a different theme for the church ceremony.
African themed weddings have a variety of designs and options for their wedding. Beads often become a focal feature. These are a signature of the Rift Valley people; however, you can use beads and adapt them to your theme. For African themed ceremonies, kitenge and lesso dresses and outfits are the expected dress code. A bride to be can pick out the fabric and have her bridesmaids tailor make designs that suit their figures. An alternative is to choose colors with the same shades made for her and her bridesmaids to fit the theme.
The bridegroom and his best men can wear either full African shirts or outfits or plain shirts with in-lays of African fabric on the cuffs, neck and on the button area.
It is possible to accessorize the men with beaded walking sticks or beaded cufflinks with a beaded chain in muted colors. For the ladies there is a wide variety of accessories that are available from beaded and feather hair accessories to beaded shoes and bracelets. You can get a uniform hair accessory and add the beads and feathers for a fabulous touch. Alternatively, you could choose metal armbands, we rarely have opportunities to wear armbands but an African themed wedding is the perfect occasion to wear one. If you wear an armband, keep the hand free from bracelets to avoid cluttering the look. You can wear a few bracelets or bangles on the other hand but keep it simple.
If you are carrying flowers, you can have the bridesmaid’s bunch custom made with beaded fabric in the theme colors of the wedding to tie the bunch adding a touch of creativity. When it comes to the shoes, you could have uniquely beaded sandals in the theme colors or if not beaded anklets for all the bridesmaids.
Copper, Silver and Brass designs for the jewelry are also an option for the African themed wedding but getting custom-made designs may be difficult and require them to be submitted to the artist a long period before the wedding. Another alternative may be to buy them and add your own touches to the pieces. Have fun creating a unique look for your special day J