Merry-making, disjointed jigs and plenty of music echo in the minds of many when the word ceremony is mentioned in a wedding milieu. But there’s more to that for the couple whose wedding they must ensure sees the light of day and ran smoothly with no hassles. Planning tips offer better consolation at such times, provisional and impermanent relief to say the least.
6. Food serves as an integral and fundamental part in any African wedding and in an Ethiopian setting it’s no different. It’s the ultimate icing on the cake; the best way to complement the entire setting. It’s nonetheless advisable to outsource the best and finest culinary services or a native familiar with the traditional Ethiopian delicacies to make memorable each and every bite partaken.
5. Ethiopian foods enjoyed at weddings are mostly and typically spicy and largely consists of meats and vegetables. Beef, lamb, chicken and entrees (a dish served as the main course of a meal) are normally eaten with injera (a spongy sourdough flatbread prepared from and specifically made out of fermented grain flour). Ethiopians enjoy their food with their otherwise right hands, while nibbling and using portions of injera to pick up small provisions of food on the side dish. Traditionally, beef is eaten raw. However, modern interpretations prefer to have the meats cooked. Pork is typically not seen in Ethiopian menus at all, as guests might be Muslim or Jews.
4. When it comes to music, nothing makes people sway and move with the rhythm like tailor-made music meant just for a wedding occasion. Music and dancing is aptly the essence of most African weddings; without it there’s no oomph, no vigor whatsoever. That’s why it’s recommended to pick the best persons with the knowledge of the Ethiopian culture for your choice music in your wedding. Music is synonymous with nearly all Christian Ethiopian weddings. Unlike other marriages, Ethiopians redefine the entire occasion with dancing at the commencement of the ceremony before anything else. The bride and groom take it to dancing with everyone else.
3. Getting an exquisite, lavish and affordable venue is every couples dream. It adds that enchanting and spectacular theme needed entirely for a wedding. Ethiopia is crammed with a myriad of such choice venues depending on your type of wedding, be it Jewish, Christian or Muslim. But how do you get to choose what you prefer? Say you are a Christian couple, getting the right Orthodox Church with the right decor and one within your proximity could prove to be an exercise in futility all together. Get the right people to find the right venue for you as an alternative.
2. People think in pictures and nothing remains etched in everyone’s mind than what the groom and bride wore in the wedding. Therefore, choosing the best attire for a wedding occasion is akin to choosing the best coffee berries in an Ethiopian farm. Ask the bride, it takes up time. Seek the assistance and support of a service provider for your wedding attire in advance.
1. In a traditional Ethiopian wedding, the couple is adorned in a shemma: a hand woven cloth with decorative shinny threaded embroidery, more often than not woven for an elegant effect with sashes flowing over their shoulders for a more accessible look. And for that glamorous finish, hand embroidered gold encrusted crowns are adorned to signify the meaning of marriage and how exceptional and unique the covenant is before God.