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....