March purple page

In the March purple page, I write about the possibility of making your wedding bouquet as a way of cutting down on costs. Of course this would only work for the creative, do-it-yourself bride, who would be willing to investigate and experiment with flowers, ribbon and bouquets handles. More information and ideas on bouquet making ideas can be found on: http://www.save-on-crafts.com

The project would have to be taken on with a friend or a sibling so that they can make the bouquets on the wedding day. It would not only be about saving money but also about learning a new art and about developing personal creativity; something that we don't have much time for because of our busy schedules.  

Making a Victorian wedding posy from eighty roses would cost as little as 17.000= Ugshs (USD 8.5), the roses would cost 10.000= the gysophyllia about 2.000=  from Harver Florists on Sure House. The  bouquet handle would cost 5.000= from Decor Plus on Uganda House. In making your wedding posy, you would save at least 13.000= Ugshs on each bouquet for the bridesmaids since many decorators charge about 30.000= for each posy.

Networking

The last few days have been rather busy as I have had some contact with business owners who came across purple weddings after the distribution of the purple page. I have since met a decorator, a chocolate artist and an owner of a beach. All of them asking if I could help them market their businesses and recommend them to the brides I am working with. 

I have also had more contact from potential clients who have been impressed by the website and the blog. So the last few days have been spent in alot of networking efforts as you never where each contact will lead you. This has been emphasized over and over in business workshops - networking, networking and more networking is very important for a successful business.

The purple page

Publishing the purple page has been my occupation for the last week. The purple page is our monthly newsletter. It has a feature article, vendor reviews and advertisements. It has been very busy, as I had to write the articles and find the right people to the production.

The feature article for February 2010 is about having a one-stop wedding ceremony and reception at home. This could be a residential location that would preferably be offered by a family member, relative or friend. This concept is not yet common in Uganda, but can be very beautiful and cheaper. The newsletter also has six vendor reviews focusing on wedding stationers.

Distributing the copies at key super-markets in Ntinda Kampala, was a success, and I have already had a meeting with a business owner that has been very eye opening.

A link to the newsletter will be placed on the blog in due course.

Op maat gemaakte trouwjurk

Na een trouwjurk gemaakt in Kampala is niet erg gebruikelijk, omdat de meeste bruiden een zal huren van de talrijke bruids boetieks die nu heel gewoon. Het nadeel van een gehuurde jurk is dat veel andere bruiden zullen hebben het al gedragen en het niet hebben dat nieuwe gevoel dat sommige mensen willen. Een aantal meisjes kunnen niet tegen de gedachte van een oude trouwjurk en dus zal opteren voor een nieuwe.

Met het oog op een nieuwe bruidsjurk dragen, de bruid Kampala heeft twee opties, is een aan een nieuwe jurk te kopen, die besteld kunnen worden door het aantal bruids winkels en twee, naar een trouwjurk gemaakt van nul hebben. Het is over het algemeen goedkoper om een nieuwe jurk orde dan een te maken, maar er zijn enkele kleermakers die kunnen mooie bruidsjurken te maken aan de goedkoopste prijs van ongeveer 250 dollar. Het merendeel van de kleermakers hebben een startprijs van ongeveer 500 dollar, de prijs is afhankelijk van het type en de mode-ontwerp van de trouwjurk, de kosten van de benodigde stof, de locatie van de kleermaker en zo verder.

Hoewel duurder, zijn trouwjurk stoffen voorradig door een aantal weefsel winkels in Kampala. Its all about de bruid en wat ze wil ......

Making a Wedding Dress

Having a wedding dress made in Kampala is not very common, as most brides will hire one from the numerous bridal boutiques that are now very common. The downside of a hired gown is that many other brides will have worn it already  and it does not have that brand new feel that some people like. A number of girls cannot stand the thought of an old wedding dress and so will opt for a new one.

In order to wear a new wedding dress, the Kampala bride has two options, one is to buy a new gown, that can be ordered by the some bridal shops and two, to have a wedding dress made from scratch. It is generally cheaper to order a new gown than to make one, however there are some tailors who can make beautiful wedding gowns at the cheapest price of about 250 US dollars. Most of the tailors have a starting price of about 500 US dollars, the price depends on the type and fashion design of the wedding dress, the costs of the fabric required, the location of the tailor and so on. 

Though expensive, wedding dress fabrics are stocked by a number of fabric shops in Kampala. Its all about the bride and what she wants......

Below are pictures of bridal lace and bridal satin that is available in some of the Kampala fabric shops.

The Kampala Heat

The last few days have been terribly hot in Kampala, rendering every activity so tiresome.

It is common to see people wiping sweat at every turn.

The bottled water and juices companies must be making a fortune. It is such a contrast from the December weather that was tending to cold and rainy. So usual!

Bridesmaids Dresses Fabric

It is common for the bridesmaids and maid of honour (matron) to be tailored because this way you get the exact dress designs you want. First you have to decide on the colour theme for the wedding, this helps you decide on the colours or colour of the bridesmaids dresses. Next step is to decide on the tailor to make the dresses, and then last is finding the fabric. The tailor (seamstress) should be able to give advice on fabric prices, design, dress accessories and other special fabric concerns. 

Today starts off with me on a search for fabric for pink and lime green bridesmaids for a wedding in April. I already have a list of shops to visit so it should not take too much time. The first stop will be Shina Collection on William Street.

It is also common practice in Uganda for the bridesmaids for pay for their dresses, shoes and jewellery. 

Finally Registered

After another climb up the twelve flights of stairs in Amamu House, I came to the official's window once again to pick up the registration certificate for, purple WEDDINGS and it was actually ready. I must say that the systems have really improved. There was a time when everything took a very long time. 

So a big well done to all the people at the Office of the Registrar of Companies!

Oegandese Huwelijk Douane en Ceremonies

Oeganda huwelijk plechtigheden zijn doorgaans voorzien van het traditionele huwelijk en het burgerlijk huwelijk of religieuze ceremonies.

Het traditionele huwelijk
In de cultuur van Oeganda, een man willen trouwen zal een bezoek aan het meisje betalen, aos ouders proberen haar hand in het huwelijk. Hij wordt vergezeld door zijn vader, ooms, broers en zussen en vrienden. De bruidegom zal moeten uitvoeren geschenken voor het meisje, aos ouders. De geschenken in kwestie variëren afhankelijk van geslacht en etnische groep. In sommige gevallen, het meisje, zal aos ouders vragen om een lijst van items die de bruidegom moet indienen voor hen. In andere gevallen zullen de ouders laten de keuze aan de bruidegom. Een ding is zeker wel, kan hij niet maken dit bezoek met lege handen. Typische geschenken zijn: stof, runderen, geiten, geld, suiker, meubels en nog veel meer.

De bruid aan de andere kant zal worden verwend en zullen alleen maar korte optredens begeleid door een entourage van meisjes. Aan het einde van de functie, zijn de paar verloofde. In sommige culturen zijn uitgesproken man en vrouw. Deze ceremonie is bijna altijd verplicht voordat het paar kan overgaan tot de religieuze ceremonie hebben. Het bewijs van deze traditionele huwelijk meestal in de vorm van een brief van het meisje, aos vader, zal worden voorgeschreven door de religieuze instelling waar het echtpaar van plan hun westerse stijl huwelijk te hebben.


Het kerkelijk huwelijk Ceremony
Deze ceremonie heeft de vorm van de Westerse stijl bruiloft. Afhankelijk van de religieuze overtuigingen van het paar, zal het huwelijk plaatsvinden in ofwel een kerk of moskee. De bruidegom zal een beste man, en soms grooms mannen. De bruid zal gepaard gaan met een meisje van eer, bruidsmeisjes en een bloem meisje (s). Het paar zal geloften aan elkaar en zal worden uitgesproken man en vrouw en gepresenteerd met een huwelijksakte.

De religieuze huwelijksceremonie volgt een receptie partij tegen het einde van de dag.

Het burgerlijk huwelijk Ceremony
Hoewel niet erg vaak voor, Oeganda sommige paren geven de voorkeur aan het burgerlijk huwelijk ceremonies. Deze huwelijken vinden plaats op de griffier-generaal, aos kantoor in Kampala. De burgerlijke plechtigheid wordt ook gevolgd door een receptie partij.

Weddings Past

One of my favourite weddings has been that of my sister Susan and her husband Walter, which was on May 19th 2007. We started planning the wedding almost a year before. First we had to make preparations for the traditional marriage ceremony, and this was held two weeks before the actual wedding day. The theme colours for this  traditional ceremony were pink and white. The pictures show different items from the ceremony. 

The colour theme for the wedding was blue. The bridesmaids wore blue tafetta A-line dresses. The maid of honor wore a beautiful blue hat. The collage below shows pictures from the wedding. My sisters and I enjoyed planning this wedding.

 

Ugandan Marriage Customs and Ceremonies

Uganda marriage ceremonies usually include the traditional marriage and the religious or civil marriage ceremonies.

The Traditional Marriage
In the Uganda culture, a man seeking to marry will have to pay a visit to the girl’s parents to seek her hand in marriage. He will be accompanied by his father, uncles, siblings and friends. The groom will have to carry gifts for the girl’s parents. The gifts in question vary according to tribe and ethnic group. In some cases, the girl’s parents will demand a list of items that the groom must present before them. In other cases, the parents will leave the choice up to the groom. One thing is certain though, he cannot make this visit empty handed. Typical gifts include: fabric, cattle, goats, money, sugar, furniture and more.

The bride on the other hand will be pampered and will only make brief appearances escorted by an entourage of girls. At the end of the function, the couple are betrothed. In some cultures they are pronounced man and wife. This ceremony is almost always mandatory before the couple can proceed to have the religious ceremony. Evidence of this traditional marriage usually in form of a letter from the girl’s father, will be required by the religious institution where the couple plan to have their Western style wedding.


The Religious Marriage Ceremony
This ceremony takes the form of the Western style wedding. Depending on the religious beliefs of the couple, the wedding will take place in either a church or mosque. The groom will have a best man and sometimes grooms men. The bride will be accompanied by a maid of honour, bridesmaids and a flower girl(s). The couple will make vows to each other and will be pronounced man and wife and presented with a marriage certificate.

The religious wedding ceremony is followed a reception party towards the end of the day.

The Civil Marriage Ceremony
Though not very common, some Uganda couples prefer to have civil marriage ceremonies. These weddings take place at the Registrar General’s office in Kampala. The civil ceremony is also followed by a reception party.

Setting up House Continued

I did return to the Diamond Trust Bank to pick my receipt after the long line has shortened. Then it was back to Amamu House to log the official application for the registration certificate. 

Meanwhile work on my sister Flora's wedding has already started. The wedding is slated for September. We have worked on a timeline/monthly planner for the wedding, have a picture of the wedding gown. We also already have a venue for the reception party and a sample of the invitation card. Way to go!

I also have Brenda (a good friend) and my other sister Stella's weddings to organise. So pretty busy already. 

I still have another trip to make to Amamu House.....up those 12 flights of steps.....to pick up the registration certificate.....

Setting Up House

This year (2010) starts with me setting out as a professional bridal assistant here in Kampala, Uganda. It is something I have done for a while, pro-bono for friends and family and enjoyed immensely. But I have decided to make a business out of it and am very excited.

The first step was been finding a suitable business name. This took me to the Registrar of Companies on the 6th Floor of Amamu House. The lift in this building doesn't work, so going up those twelve flights is basically a work out for the day. The first name I chose already existed. The second one was a swish on the buzzer, so we are called purple WEDDINGS.

The next step was paying the registration fees at the Uganda Revenue Office at the Diamond Trust Bank on Kampala road. After the payment, you have to wait for two hours for the receipt. I decided to return the next day, only to find a very long line....