The Wedding Gown
The wedding dress is probably the most important wedding purchase, and buying it can be quite an experience. It is what completes a bride on her wedding day. If there is a dream that I think every girl has had at one point in their life, is what her wedding gown shall look like. From the design, to the vail, up to the accessories. There’s always a certain look that keeps playing in your mind of your wedding look. Some people go to weddings anxious to see what the bride will be rocking on that special day. You would hear some people (women that is) murmuring about the brides gown like “ ahh it was on point or classy or eeh the wedding was super but the brides gown though. Or the maid of honour alimfunika bibiharusi. All in all, what am trying to say is a wedding gown is the most important detail to the bride on her wedding day. – A.L
Most brides to be in Tanzania have a hard time finding wedding gowns (so they say) it has been a little bit of an issue in the past years due to lack of availability of bridal stores. we didn’t have many Stores that sold beautiful gowns, till these recent years where some store owners decided to actually invest and take that bold step to open bridal stores with beautiful collections which I think are doing good. There’s still a group of people who still have that “ hulka / kasumba” ya kwamba I must shop for my wedding gown outside Tanzania, rather my gown must be imported . so for those who have the budget, good for them, lucky are they, because they get the chance to explore on variety of options and actually purchase a gown that they are extremely satisfied with. There’s also those who order online, the problem of ordering online is at times, rather most of the times, the gowns get here and they don’t fit you as perfect as those models you saw online dressed in them. Now that becomes a very big challenge. because one would have spent ALOT to purchase it, to transport it, then it gets here and its nothing close to what you thought it would be. Now such brides always break down. We also have amazing designers these days who custom makes beautiful bridal pieces. They actually do a good job. So for those brides who want custom made gowns, our designers in bongo got you.
Let me not forget to mention about purchasing gowns that go with your body type and shape. not everyone has the body for Cinderella gowns, the same way let’s leave the mermaid gowns for the ladies with coke bottle shapes. There are so many different styles and cuts of wedding dress that there will always be something to suit your body shape. The key is to choose something that will accentuate your best features, while drawing attention away from the parts you aren’t so keen on. Remember these key points:
- Empire line dresses will lengthen short legs
- Dropped waist gowns will compensate for a short waist ( kiuno nyigu, bila kuhitaji corset uka sudffocate bure)
- V-necks are very slimming and perfect for larger busted brides
- Detail and gathered material at the bust is great for flatter chests
- Horizontal lines widen the body and vertical lines elongate it
Don’t be tempted to try to hide the parts of your body you don’t like under layers of structured fabric as this will only draw attention to them and give an overall chunky impression. Conversely, make sure your dress isn’t too revealing as you don’t want to be self conscious all day, and you don’t want your wedding photos to be something you later cringe over, remember kuna wakwe wengine who judge you upto 20 years later, kisa ulivaa backless wedding gown. Stay WOKE
Many brides make the mistake of buying a dress that is too small with the idea of dieting into it. Although you will undoubtedly lose some weight before the wedding, you are unlikely to lose whole dress sizes, so it is much better to buy a gown that fits and plan plenty of fittings close to the big day to make any necessary changes.
Ukianza kufikiria what gown you need to purchase for your special day, think about the type of wedding you want to have when you are choosing the dress. Which season have you chosen? Will it be our usual formal evening affair, or a casual beach wedding, au labda an afternoon reception? Are you getting married in a garden location? If you are having a themed wedding you might want to make your dress part of that theme. On the other hand, some brides go out and find the perfect dress and then use that to influence their wedding theme, this is only if, your husband lets you have a say on what your wedding should be like, since in Tanzania, desturi ni kwamba harusi is for the groom and it is planned by him and his family. You as the bride and your family are invited guests. * sob* sob*
Lastly, point to NOTE kwa wale ma fashionistaaaaa,
If you buy a dress that is ultra-trendy you can guarantee it will date your wedding photos, and it may prevent you looking as bridal as you would like. Instead of choosing a wedding gown because it is fashionable, choose one that you love and that makes you look and feel wonderful. It is better to add your own personal character to a simple dress using jewellery, shoes and other accessories, than to take a wedding outfit directly off the wedding catwalks and regret it later and end up looking like “mwanasesere” * in my mum’s voice LOL
-G.S