My big fat Ghanaian wedding - Choosing the bridesmaids traditional material

       

In September I am celebrating my traditional Ghanaian engagement ceremony. So this weekend I was tasked with choosing the colour scheme for the day, sourcing material for my friends and female cousins for the event and also choosing the traditional Ghanaian Kente cloth for my fiancé and me.

Ghanaian engagements are full of colour, food, music and great vibes. One big thing about the day is the attire of both the guests and the couple. And what you wear signifies whether you are a representative of the bride or groom with each side donning a particular material chosen by the couple.

This is a wedding of my good friend Vicky and her husband Shakim which I attended last year

Now, fashion, clothes and textiles has never been a love of mine. I don’t consider myself to have a good eye for fashion and struggle slightly when coming up with ideas for outfits. So when it came to looking for my material for friends I did what most people do when they’re a bit stuck… procrastinate!

After realising time was ticking, I dragged my hubby down to Liverpool Street to a road called Petty Coat Lane. They have an array of fabric stores that sell material of all different shades, colours and textures. If you've been to the fabric stores in this area you can appreciate when I say that the customer service isn’t the greatest. It reminds me of being back home in Ghana. Sales assistants on the phone and not too bothered if you’re there or not or they’re sitting by the till eating a hot bowl of rice and a pungent stew - not the ideal shopping experience. 

Anyway, I eventually managed to purchase a gorgeous material from a store called Novo Fashions. I tried to barter on the price but the sales women were quite inflexible which was annoying, but I decided to buy my fabric anyway.

It’s definitely a weight off my shoulder and one less thing to think about for my traditional engagement. I can’t wait to walk into the hall on my traditional engagement day and see all my family and friends representing me in such a cool way!

I have had a chance to represent a few friends in this way in the past, so I thought I’d share some of my memories over the years...