Engagement Feature: Luwam + Yonas

Bride-to-be: Luwam George

Groom-to-be: Yonas Fessehaye
Location: Atlanta, GA.

Luwam & Yonas just tied the knot over the Labor day weekend so we thought we'd share their sweet engagement photos and "how we met" story during the same week! There is so much L-O-V-E in each photo, we loved it!

Tell us how you met one another: Yonas and I actually met through mutual friends a few years ago. Everyone always mentioned how we should be more than friends, but it really never crossed our minds until after a few years of friendship. Our friendship eventually blossomed into something more after Yonas made a couple of attempts to have a first date. I would always invite people along not really knowing if it was a date or not lol. The really awkward first date led to me marrying my best friend. J

How did he pop the question: I had my family come in town for my cousin’s wedding, so I was running all over the place preparing for their visit. After grocery shopping, I pulled up ready to park and I noticed that Yonas had stolen my favorite parking spot. So I left my car in the middle of the street (yes, I know, very dangerous) and I stormed into the townhouse ready to give him a piece of my mind. However, I walked into a pathway of rose petals leading to a big heart made out of rose petals with a box in the middle of it. I was in complete shock and totally caught off guard, just the way that he had planned. As soon as I told him yes, I would marry him, I told him that he needed to move his car out of my parking spot. Afterwards, we celebrated with chick-fil-a and wine. J It really meant a lot to my family and I that he proposed right before they came into town so I could tell my parents and brother in person that I was engaged rather than over the phone.

When's the big day: September 5^th, 2015

What are you looking forward to the most about your wedding: We are both looking forward to having family and friends from all over the world come and join us in celebrating our union.

What would you say has been the hardest thing about planning an Eritrean-American wedding: Hmm… the most difficult thing would be the guest list. Throughout the process of wedding planning, we had to keep a large guest list in mind. In some ways, it kind of limited the options available for our wedding.

Any tips or pointers for the couple planning a wedding right now:

The wedding is only one day (well, two in our case)! Do not stress out over it and remember: the most important thing is the days AFTER the wedding- the actual marriage. Also, choose your bridal party carefully- they will make the wedding planning much smoother and more fun!

Engagement photos by: Ayu Hailu (we highly recommend him!)

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Luwam + Yonas! Many blessings to you both in your new union, xx.

A Posh Habesha Engagement Party

Goodmorning, Bellas!

We are  so excited to share today's engagement party with you! Sara and her fiance Endirias recently threw a seriously posh engagement party (that can easily be mistaken for a wedding at first glance) in one of midtown Atlanta's  finest wedding venues - The Artmore Hotel. The Artmore, a historic Spanish Mediterranean building, draws brides and event planners for its stunning courtyard that's complete with lush plants and landscaping by day and beautifully lit candles and string lights by night. The courtyard also features comfy outdoor furniture and fire pit for a sexy, laid-back vibe that you would find at an outdoor event in the Hollywood hills. Super swanky!

We absolutely love the fact that Sara and her fiance decided to Do It Big for their engagement party! Here's what Sara had to say about that:

"I have been with my fiancé for 8 years and I always said that whenever the time came, we would really experience the process of getting married and enjoy every moment. Most people in our culture don't have engagement parties so it was new for a lot of people, but I wanted one because after 8 years we deserve to celebrate!" 

Absolutely! And from looking at these pictures, it looks like Sara and her fiance were successful at making sure they, and their guests, had a great time!

On planning and decorating for the engagement party, future bride Sara says she planned the entire event herself with help from her future bridesmaids and Pinterest (where would we all be without Pinterest, seriously!). She found her amazing venue, created the invites and was the master mind behind the decor and dessert bar- Go Sara! (You definitely were an event planner in your past life!)

About planning her beautiful engagement, Sara says:

"It all came together so easily!"

Congrats again to Sara and her beau Endirias on their beautiful engagement and we wish you all the best in your wedding plannings! We can't wait for you to share your wedding with us; you will make an absolutely stunning bride!

Future Bride: Sara Araya

Future groom: Endirias Endirias

Venue: Artmore Hotel

City: Atlanta, GA.

Photographer: Dosh

A Vintage Affair

Good morning, Bellas!

We are SO excited to share details from Semhar & Mussie's wedding with you today! This Victorian slash Vintage themed wedding was beautiful and beyond detailed in every decor and fashion element!

Everything from their choice of colors -sapphire blue, canary yellow and platinum- to the intimate details in their table decor with blue damask print table linen, a combination of tall and short yellow vases and tall silver candelabras, personalized coasters, personalized flutes and a custom-made, personalized boon set for Melsi (day 2)- was perfectly orchestrated at the Paradise Palace, a stunning, victorian style venue full of hanging chandeliers!

Bypassing the usual 1,000 guest Habesha wedding theme, Semhar & Mussie settled (successfully!) with a guest list of 400 and created an intimate atmosphere for their guests with a cocktail hour (uncommon in Eritrean/Ethiopian weddings) and serenaded their guests with a live pianist as they ate, drank and enjoyed themselves!

Not only does this bride have impeccable taste in decor and design, but she is smart and efficient! She wanted a different look from ceremony to reception and instead of having a complete wardrobe change, she was transformed by changing some small details. Here's how she achieved it:

For the ceremony she wore- ball gown with train and cathedral length veil trimmed with crystals and a crystal headpiece; hair was down.

For the reception she wore- Same ball gown with bustled train, a french birdcage veil and a statement necklace; hair was up in a loose side bun.
Genius! She gracefully went from modest, traditional bride to hot, trendy bride with just a few simple arrangements! Love it!

The boon set- boon is the traditional Eritrean & Ethiopian coffee ceremony that is usually included in the Melsi (day 2). Check out this custom-made, personalized boon set that was displayed at their wedding! It had the bride & groom's pictures on it- SO unique and lovely!

Not only did Semhar successfully plan her wedding with much class and elegance, but she maintained a balance while doing so. She had these words of wisdom to share with our future brides:

"Marriage is much more than a day or weekend of festivities, though the celebration is important. Couples can easily get so caught up in planning an extravagant wedding and neglect preparations to becoming husband and wife; so do have a balance.
 Make the time in advance to be counseled by your priest/pastor, seek marriage counseling, or any other preparations (reading books together) to ensure your marriage will forever be pure and a long-lasting journey."

Read Semhar + Mussie's full wedding story HERE and check out more of their inspirational wedding pics and detail of vendors! 

To inquire about getting your own personalized boon (coffee ceremony) set contact Biniam at: biniamf@yahoo.com

One Day Habesha Weddings - A New Trend?

On July 27th, 2014 Bethlehem & Esrom tied the knot at the beautiful TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club while 200 of their family and friends witnessed a breathtaking ceremony as the couple became a part of the scenic masterpiece that comprised the beautiful Cascade Mountains of the Northwest!

As every wedding is unique and special in its own way, almost all Habesha weddings tend to follow the tradition of having a two day wedding affair; asserting the Eritrean or Ethiopian traditions and culture.

I believe there has been a turning point in how we celebrate Habesha weddings, especially with our generation, and the two day weddings just may be the first to be shelved. With creativity and a vision (and superb planning, of course!), I believe it is very much possible to successfully execute a one day Habesha wedding, incorporating the meaningful details of the culture into the day.

I believe Bethlehem & Esrom's wedding will be the wedding that is talked about for years to come! The simplicity, elegance and charm was just timeless! More importantly, not only did they make a sound financial decision, but they managed to step outside of the traditional norm (and stringent expectations) to appease their desires and thoughts for a dream wedding!

Hear from the bride herself about their decision to have a one day wedding, the difficulties it posed and how they managed to execute. Also, Bethlehem tells us her top Pros & Cons as well as whether or not she would do it all over again.

Find out what she said HERE!

The Melsi Tradition

[photography: Victor Zerga]

Day two of an Eritrean and Ethiopian wedding, referred to as 'Melsi' or 'Melse,' mimics a traditional wedding that may take place in the country of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Everything, from the bride’s hair, gold accessories, traditional attire and the adornment of henna is drastically different from Day 1, the white wedding. The white wedding is the traditional western wedding where the bride wears a white dress. Melsi usually starts early in the morning for the girls in the wedding party, as each girl usually embarks on a beautifying ritual of hair braiding and henna decoration. In some cases, the Bride might opt out of this daunting task and spare her bridesmaids as well! Co Founder, Beri, personally wanted to experience the entirety of the culture, so for her bridesmaids and her, it was the very long process of hair braiding and henna, which took 3 hours solely for the henna design and processing (henna is usually reserved for the bride alone as it symbolizes the woman's beauty and joy as a bride). It was very much exhausting (keep in mind that Day 1 was an 18 our day for them) but fun, and the results were well worth it!

Overall, Melse is a sequel to Day 1 of the wedding with more emphasis on the culture and unique wedding traditions. It is a great way to preserve our heritage! The different attire worn by the wedding party and family members, the changes in wedding décor and the additions of traditional wedding games and songs is what makes Melsi so special and unique!

Welcoming The Bride & Groom
In alignment with the traditions of Melsi, the women at the wedding greet the bride and groom with various assortments of Mes (wine) bottles, Kitcha (homemade flat bread), Corn, Mesob (handwoven baskets) and much more. These are considered to be gifts to the bride and groom on their wedding day. Because weddings are typically celebrated as a community, all of the women in the village and neighboring villages and cities will bring a gift and sing and dance with it to show what they have brought.

All of this excitement is usually celebrated with close friends and family members, so the wedding guest list is usually not as massive as Day 1. It really is an intimate night of fun and games and a great time to reunite and catch up with visiting friends and family while enjoying the traditional boon ceremony (Yes! Boon is served at Melsi!) :)

Arkitay Betsi'hatiney
The traditional dancing game with the bridal party, called T'hambele, was followed by the traditional vow made to the bride by a few of the groomsmen. During this moment, Arkitay Betsi'hatiney, is repeated by the chosen groomsmen while standing behind the seated and covered bride.

Repeating vows over the bride. The vows were repeated in the language of Tigrinya, so there were a few funny moments since English is the first language for the wedding party! 

In the Eritrean culture, the Bride leaves her parent’s village to go and live in her husband’s village. There, she is destined to start a new life with her husband and his family. Because she is essentially alone when she arrives, not knowing anyone in the new village, the groom’s friends come into an 'alliance' with her as they vow to protect her, stand up for her and become mediators in her marriage when needed. I think it’s such a precious gesture made towards the new, young bride and because we wanted to honor our family and mimic the Eritrean culture for Melsi, we thought it would be awesome to include this “ceremony,” if you will. It was totally foreign to the entire wedding party but we had fun with it!