Engagement Feature: Tutu + Damola

Bride-to-be: Adetutu Adereni

Groom-to-be: Adedamola Gbakinro

Ethnicity of couple: Nigerian (Yoruba)

Tell us how you met one another: we were introduced by a friend in fall of 2015. I decided to take a leap of faith and go visit him in Houston, after that visit things didn't work out well so we went our separate ways. Fast forward to Spring of 2016, Damola randomly reached out to me and I had just gotten out of a relationship so i was not looking for anything serious. We went out a couple of times and I realized he had changed a lot and I was liking the new him- and the rest, as they say, is history!

How did he pop the question: My birthday was coming around in August, I had just gotten back from London and did not want anything stressful, so we decided to go to San Antonio, about 2 hours away. I did not pay much attention to his behavior because I was so hangry (hungry and angry) lol. But, I did realize he was driving very slow and he changed dinner reservations without informing me so at this point, I was really HANGRY. Anyway we finally made it to dinner 2 hours later and as soon as we got in the first person i saw was my Dad, then Mom, Brother and two of my BFFs. I was indeed shocked to say the least. So we had dinner, nothing special, he went and talked to my dad (that was their first time meeting) and when he got back, he changed seats to sit near me. Shortly after, the waiter came out with a cake, and I don't even remember anything else other than the words on the cake asking me to marry him. I couldn't have asked for a better proposal- I had all my family and loved ones around me!

When's the big day: August 4th and 6th 2017

What are you looking forward to the most about your wedding: My wedding dress!

What would you say has been the hardest thing about planning a cultural wedding: Dealing with all the "mummys" :-)

Any tips or advice for the couple who is engaged and planning a wedding right now: As an African there really isn't anything I can say, everyone will have their opinions and ideas- just try and do something for yourself, and that thing for me is my dress. I am wearing the dress I want, everything else can be controlled but that's my "One" thing. So find that One thing that works for you and stand your ground!

Engagement photographer: Instagram- @GMSphotosandvideos @Josecastillophotography

MUA for pre-wedding shoot: Princess (Instagram- @sumthin_foreign)Engagement shoot location(s): National Cathedral Washington DC and National Gallery of Art

Congratulations again on your beautiful engagement, Tutu! We can't wait for your Big Day! Many Blessings to the both of you, xx.

Our Interview with KING 5's New Day Northwest

Did you catch our appearance on King channel 5's New Day Northwest with Margaret Larson!?

We had such an amazing time sharing our upcoming wedding show in front of a live audience!

If you missed it, not to worry because you can WATCH IT HERE!

During the segment, we gave a sneak peek into what can be expected at our wedding show! Our beautiful models did such a FANtastic job of showcasing an array of cultural wedding dresses and wow'd the entire audience (and P.S. people are still talking about it!)

Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair will be the best (and first) cultural wedding show for cultural brides of all backgrounds! You won't want to miss this! Tickets to the show are $10 and can be purchased HERE. See you all there!

Below is a description of each dress worn by our lovely models and behind the scene pics.

Dress 1:  Modern style dress and kaba (cape) designed by local designer Tsigereda Tekle of Blue Touch. While this two piece skirt and crop top with sweetheart neckline is considered to be more trendy and fashion forward, it is embossed with the traditional designs typically seen on Eritrean and Ethiopian fabrics. This modern look for the Eritrean and Ethiopian bride was completed with a contemporary headpiece.

Dress 2: The Eryn Rose dress at Le Salon Bridal Couture Seattle was a fitted open back lace gown with pearls and crystals with a custom cathedral lace veil by Ariel Jennifer Taub, for a timeless elegant western bride.  We love Ariel’s veils because they are so customizable and offer wide range of colors in not just tulles but also Swarovski crystal designs.
Provided by: Le Salon Bridal Couture Seattle

Dress 3: A more traditional, one piece Eritrean and Ethiopian dress that was crafted using a hand woven cotton, a commonly used fabric in these two countries, and designed with the classic, intricate design down the middle of the dress, coming together to form a beautiful meskel (cross) at the bottom. This traditional look was completed with a deep red, velvet cape and crown embellished with sparkly, gold sequined material as well as traditional jewelry (called werki) in the form of a headpiece and necklace. It looked like royalty!
Jewelry provided by: Elsabet Habesha Jewelry

Dress 4: Two piece skirt (referred to as a wrapper) and blouse made from traditional Nigerian fabrics and completed with a stunning head wrap (called a gele) and a bold statement necklace. Nigerian brides typically custom make their wedding dresses from traditional fabrics that come in various colors, styles and designs. The wrapper is considered to be one of the most important and elegant bridal pieces. This one was a beautiful champagne colored fabric with lace designs throughout the fabric and looked perfect with the gold head wrap!

Dress 5: This two piece, hand stitched, traditional Indian dress, known as a Lehenga, is typically worn by the Hindu bride. Although our model gracefully and effortlessly wore this dress, it is actually very heavy as it is packed with tulle and a ton of material underneath the skirt. In addition to the skirt and matching blouse (choli), a scarf (called a dupatta) is draped over her shoulders. And of course, this look was completed with all of the beautiful adornments such as a headpiece, necklace and bangles!
Dress provided by: Ravishing Marketplace

Dress 6: The Brittany Dress at Le Salon Bridal Couture Seattle Le Salon look featured a blush full a line ballgown with heavy Swarovski and satin bodice and dreamy tulle skirt.  The Toni Federici double satin edge finger tip veil tied the look together for a very classy finish to frame the brides face on her big day.  The perfect shades of gowns were selected to really highlight each bride’s skin tone and look.  Fantastic job ladies!
Provided by: Le Salon Bridal Couture Seattle

How Stunning were our models!?

A big thank you to our vendors, especially our Hair and Makeup team!
Hair by Rigat Habte of Hands of Artistry
Makeup by Kayla Beltran, Kat Neal and Nikki Molinar

Introduction - A Nigerian Wedding Tradition

Meet Keley, a Nigerian (Yoruba) Bride-to-be. Keley is in the middle of planning her wedding but has already held her Introduction. In the Nigerian culture, an Introduction is when the groom's family introduces themselves to the bride's family and in turn asks for the bride's hand in marriage. The whole ceremony is often times as big as the wedding! Keley was fortunate enough to have her Introduction in Nigeria through the help of her family and her fiancé's family. She described it as, "pretty traditional - introducing of family, lots of prayer, and food and drinks." When we asked Keley what was the most memorable part of the Introduction she said, "they had everyone in attendance introduce themselves and tell which family they were a part of and how they knew the bride and groom. It was nice to be able to visually document who was there as well as hear the relation to us. Another memorable moment was when they called for me to come from the house to be introduced to everyone. I was so nervous, but once I saw Demola smiling and being his cool, calm, and collected self I knew everything would be fine and the nerves went away."

We can't wait to feature Keley's wedding set for March of 2016!