Every young girl dreams of the day when she will become a bride. From the matrimonial ceremony to the first dance, all eyes are on her and her white gown.
However, for the black couple the day is a celebration of their milestone, heritage and upbringing. Colourful beaded embroidery wraps around the white gown and head wraps have substituted the sheer white veil for a stylish interpretation of the modern black bride.
After successfully co-ordinating the weddings of her three sisters within the space of a year, Mabutla Modiba, a wedding planner and owner of Innovative Eventz, says that she has learnt first-hand that the black bride wants to embrace her culture with pride.
“My first sister who got married did not want a white wedding at all. She wanted to be in a beautifully tailored traditional dress but still look like a bride.”
“We [the family] looked at her like she was crazy because we believed that every bride wanted to be in a white wedding gown. After much negotiation with the seamstress we settled on fusing a traditional twist in the gown for the reception.”
Modiba has worked with many black brides who are looking for wedding gowns that represent their African heritage. “Most black brides are shying away from white dresses mainly because they feel as though they have adopted a culture that they don’t completely understand.”
Modiba says that many wedding traditions such as the white gown have fallen out favour with newly-weds. Another once-popular tradition is saving of the top tier of the wedding cake.
When it comes to celebrations, the cake is the centre piece of any special function, especially a wedding day. “Not many people are following the trend, but for those who are it's something sentimental and special.”
Pastry chef and cake artist Simphiwe Zondi knows too well the perils of newly-weds who have saved their wedding cake for their first anniversary.
“It’s a bit more complex than people have come to believe. One will need to know where and how to store the cake. I’ve heard too many stories of people who have had worms in the cake that they saved from their wedding day,” he said jokingly.
Zondi advises newly-weds who want to honour the tradition to store the cake the right way. “The best way to store it is in two ways: cling-wrap the entire tier and store it in an air tight container, or cut up the cake into slices, cling-wrap every piece individually and then store it in an air tight container,” he said.
“Another option to preserve the cake after it has thawed is to swap out the fondant decorations for plain butter cream cake as that defrosts quite nicely.”
Modiba believes that there are numerous ways that the wedding couple can incorporate an African finesse into the key elements that make up a wedding. “The black couple have reimagined their big day – from the gown and adding a traditional flare to the wedding décor.”
The key to creating the memorable moment is to be intentional to fuse sentimental pieces that reflect the couple. Modiba says that couples can be inspired by traditional wedding trends to make a statement on the day.
“Brides can also swap out their heels for sneakers that are decorated in beads or Ndebele art and wear a headwrap instead of getting your hair done. The groom men can wear a patterned traditional shirt,” Modiba said.
“For couples whose wedding is not at a venue, the wedding can be at home with a stretch tent or marquee. Inside the tent the décor can be more earthy, natural with wooden chairs and subtle earthy African colours on the cake.”
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