- Incorporate a little Zulu culture into your wedding by making beaded necklaces for your groom. In Zulu culture, a tribe in South Africa, brides make beaded necklaces for themselves and their grooms as a symbol of their love. Necklaces are made in matching colors to let guests and others know that the bride and groom belong to each other. Making, or buying, a set of necklaces for yourself and your groom is a colorful, loving way to inject a little traditional African culture into your wedding. Brides might also choose to wear a kente cloth headpiece while grooms may wear sokotos (pants made of kente cloth) or filas (box-like kente cloth hats). Kente cloth is royal woven fabric made by the Ashanti people of Ghana. Kente cloth often uses red, green and gold in its design.
- Incorporating African flowers into your wedding decorations is another clever way to capture the beauty of Africa on your wedding day. African daises, irises, orchids, violets and African queen lilies are just a few of the flowers that can be fashioned into table centerpieces, stage decorations and bridal party bouquets. As with any wedding flower theme, select colors that complement your overall wedding color choice and that fit into your budget.
- Prepare traditional African dishes for your wedding reception as a way to host an African-inspired party. Dishes like Jollof rice are tasty traditional African appetizers. Moroccan lamb makes a succulent entree choice. Even dessert can be African-themed with mandazi, koeksisters and chin chin. A bowl of kola nuts placed at every table welcomes guests to your reception and honors the tradition of recognizing African ancestors, which kola nuts are associated with. African rooibos tea and palm wine are African-inspired drinks that guests can refresh themselves with during your reception festivities.
- Broom jumping is a distinctly African-American wedding tradition started by African slaves in the southern states before the civil war. Slaves who worked in the fields were not permitted to marry legally and couldn't afford elaborate weddings so they placed a broom on the ground, made their vows and jumped over the broom together to signify their passage into married life. The tradition traces back to Africa where sticks were placed on the ground to represent the joining of two families and the couple's new home together. Today, couples place a broom on the floor and jump it immediately after being declared husband and wife before walking down the aisle.
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