Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair RECAP

[Photos 1-4: Timestop Photography. Photos 5-44: Siddhartha Saha Photography]

It's been almost four months since the biggest cultural wedding show that the Pacific Northwest has EVER seen - Her Big Day: A Cultural Wedding Affair. We are still pinching ourselves at the amazing turnout and how much fun our attendees had enjoying our handpicked, exclusive wedding vendors, a mimosa bar, live music, food and drink samples, giveaways and our beyond fabulous fashion show that featured the hottest wedding bridal looks from some of the top designers and boutiques.

The show started off with an amazing makeup demo from celebrity makeup artist, Glam by Maryam. The final wedding looks on all of the models were drop dead gorgeous.

All of the brides and their family and friends had a blast visiting all of the booths which ranged from hair and makeup stylists, floral vendors, henna artists, photographers, wedding decor designers, favors companies, traditional bridal fashion boutiques and designers, white wedding dress boutiques and designers, wedding planners, cultural food and drink vendors, lighting specialists and more (for a complete list of our show vendors click here)!

Perhaps the most exciting part of the wedding show was the fashion show! Looks from Farida Designs, Nadia S Boutique, Dream Dresses by P.M.N., Best of Both Worlds Production by Nansare Consolata, Blue Touch Bridal, Ravishing Marketplace, Le Salon Bridal and Demestiks New York graced the runway leaving the crowd in awe of all the beauty on the stage. From East African bridal fashion, to Asian/Indian fashion, to West African fashion and the traditional white dress bridal look, the wedding show attendees got to see a variety of bridal looks to help them plan the perfect looks for their big day(s).

Our giveaways were the icing on the (wedding) cake! Giveaways from Alem Family Dental (teeth whitening package), Aria Style (floral gift certificate), Shiseido (facial service gift card), Jembere Eyewear (free sunglasses), Nala's Mane (free hair bundles), Yoga by Biola (yoga session gift certificate), The Lash & Wax Boutique (gift certificate), Elegant Beauty (gift certificate), Core Power Yoga (1 Month Unlimited Yoga Gift Card), Lashes by Tiah (gift certificate) left many brides leaving home with one less thing to worry about for their big day!

This could not have been possible without our amazing sponsors: DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport, Moxie Pictures, Seattle Met Bride & Groom, Greenlight Events, Greenroom Decor, Ruhus Gama Weddings, Evergreen Beauty College, Alem Family Dental, Jembere Eyewear, Aria Style, Yoga by Biola, Mesob Gifts, Nala's Mane, and Wristband Bros!

Will you be at the next show?! We hope to see you there!

Engagement Feature: Helen + Marion

Bride-to-be: Helen Berhe
Groom-to-be: Marion Clark

Tell us how you met one another: We met at a United Nations Conference in Washington DC. We were both in attendance representing our respective schools. He introduced himself and when he shook my hand, the coffee in my other hand spilled all over. We chatted a bit and really hit it off. For more about the story, visit: marryingmybestfriend.com 

How did you/he pop the question: I learned weeks after the proposal that he asked EVERYONE in my family individually for permission for my hand, which I thought was so sweet and thoughtful. He took me (my brother tagged along) to the Japanese Gardens in Portland because I had mentioned to him that I never been there despite my being in Portland my entire life. After walking around for a bit, we sat on a bench to relax. He pulled out a Mac book to give to me. I was super excited about the Mac book not knowing what was to come next. He opened the computer and there was a video that he made with all of our special memories. As I was watching the video, he stood up and with a shaky voice said my full name and got down on one knee. Of course I said YES! He is my best friend and I could never imagine being with anyone else.

When's the big day: August 27th 2016! 

What are you looking forward to the most about your wedding: Having all of my loved ones all under one roof. I am so excited to be able to laugh, party and have a good time with all of my family and friends. Rarely does everyone get together this way and I feel so blessed that it will all be in celebration of Marion and I's union.

What would you say has been the hardest thing about planning an Eritrean-American wedding: Being born and raised in the United States, there are elements to wedding planning practiced in the U.S. that are not common in Eritrea, such as the bride having a big voice in her wedding. My family has been amazing in this entire process and they have made it so easy for me, but initially, finding a balance, was a challenge. Additionally, juggling all of the vendors was somewhat of a challenge as well. I thought I was a patient and organized person until this wedding planning process. This is by far the most challenging feat I have ever taken on. 

Any tips or pointers for the couples planning a wedding right now: Make a list of things that are negotiable, and things that are not. The cost of weddings can add up very quickly if you are not careful. If you know you must have a certain photographer or vendor, write that down and cut in other places that are not so pressing for you. Also, COMMUNICATION with your fiance is vital. 

Locations: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and the Ambridge Event Center.

Photographer: Simon Tsegay of "Infocus Media" http://www.infocusmedia.us/

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

#AskWendy

We asked all of you lovely brides out there to submit your burning wedding questions for our expert Wedding Coordinator, Weddings With Wendy, to answer. Wendy has been serving the wedding industry for decades here in the Seattle area and knows a thing or two about planning for a wedding.
Find the answers to your burning questions from her below!

Question #1: Are there ways to get loans or free money to offset the cost of weddings?

I am sure there are however the question you want to ask yourself is do you really want to begin your marriage with debt? A wedding can be super fun with almost any budget and I highly recommend putting a budget together before you start your planning and doing whatever you need to in order to stay within it.

Question #2: When it comes to your bridal party, is there an unwritten rule about whether or not the bride should pay for the bridesmaids’ hair and makeup and/or bridesmaid dresses?

Traditionally the bride will pay for hair and makeup so on her special day all your bridesmaid will feel equally pampered and equally special and pretty. When it comes to the dress choice it is typical for each member of the bridal party to pay for her own dress. When a bride is picking out her bridesmaid’s dress she should keep in mind the affordability of it. You don’t want one of them to have to back out just because she can’t afford the dress and there may be times the bride should offer to pay for it. You’ll just want to be very sensitive to the way you handle it.

 

Question #3: With cultural weddings, it’s hard to accommodate and please everyone involved due to direct involvement of family members. Do you have any useful tips or great advise on how to plan a large wedding with family involvement without hurting anyone’s feelings or sacrificing things that matter most to you?

It will be difficult to keep everyone happy 100% of the time and if that is your goal you’ll probably find yourself being frustrated most of the time. I would recommend that you ask your immediate family (mostly the mom’s and dad’s) what is most important to them. Even ask them to write it down and then go through the list letting them know that you will do what you can to accommodate as many of their wishes as possible. If there are things on the list the bride and or groom won’t be able to do they should let the family know ahead of time so there are no surprises. The main thing is to just listen. Your family mostly wants to be heard and to know their wishes are being considered.

Question #4: Real flowers are pretty for weddings, but so expensive. Is there any way to save on Flowers while still getting a full effect of flowers for your wedding décor? Are there places where I can hold off on real floral? Can you suggest pretty flowers that won’t break the bank, but will make a wow factor at my wedding?

You would be surprised on how much you can save and how pretty potted flowers or potted plants are. I myself use these kinds of flower at my home on a regular basis and often take them to my wedding shows and events with spectacular results. Often I’m asked about silk flowers and in general find there to be a significant price range on these and the nice ones often will end up costing more than real flowers. The only advantage is that you can take the silk flowers home and use them again and again however you can also do this with the potted plants and flowers as well and probably at a lower cost. Your other choice is to go to Pike’s Place Market and buy your own seasonal fresh cut flowers however you will have to do your own arrangements and provide your own containers if you choose to do it this way.