3 outfits for The Wedding

 Hi y’all!

One of my friend got married recently. She actually got married legally last year and I attended. This year was the Church wedding. As in true Senegalese fashion, it was to be followed by a reception and a Yendu (brunch) the following day. 

The Bride and Groom : The Barros 

For the reception, I wanted to wear something different from what I usually wear. I am sure I have already told you this, but weddings are different in Senegal, particularly Catholic weddings. People put on their best attire, and women tend to favor gowns or cocktail dresses. I had to look the part. Moreover, I was tired of always wearing Boubous or Princess cut style gowns. 

 I searched the internet to score that one unique gown I could rock. However, the prices I saw were way too high. When did clothes get this expensive in this country? It is outrageous. I do support local designers but the prices have to make sense to me. 

My other option was to have something tailor made. However I spent way too much time being indecisive of the design I wanted (I spent days on Pinterest) that I was not comfortable giving my tailor something to make for me just a few days before the wedding. I was worried the design would be a fail and I would not have time to fix it or find something else to wear. 

That is why I settled for this sequin dress I bought on sale in Dubai last year while I was looking for the outfit to wear to my cousin's weddingnull. The dress is thinly embroidered with flowers and pastel pink sequins. However it is short and has a slit. The fabric was too pretty to let go. Plus it was on sale. I bought it thinking I would alter it once back home. Yet I put it away in my closet and forgot about it.

Me trying the dress in Debenhams Dubai 

I decided that I would wear this dress after all but I needed to lengthen it. I went looking for a fabric with feathers or tulle to add to the length. I spent an hour looking for it at HLM market. And when I was about to give up, I got lucky. I found a fabric in pastel pink, the same colors as the sequins. I gave it to the tailor and this is how he altered it.

And here is how I styled the look :

Turban - bought in Treichville market in Abidjan 
Dress - Georges W. Davies and altered
Silver clutch - Numero Uno
Shoes - Class 
Jewelry set - HLM market 

In the video above, I am wearing my Mother's flat sandals but for the reception, 

I wore these sparkly heels pictured.

Since the dress was in pastel pink and cream, I did not want to wear it at the church. I do not do so well with light colors. I am always so afraid, I would get myself dirty. Therefore, I wore a Boubou from one of my past collections. You can never go wrong with a Boubou. I always make them light and fluid so perfect for movement and the heat.

I also did something unusual for this wedding. I hired a makeup artist. I always do my make up and I keep it cute and super simple. However, this time I wanted something different that would last all day. My best friend recommended someone that I called to come do my make up at home. Let me just say that the entire process is foreign to me. The end result was not bad but I felt so weird. I am not used to being so made up. On top of that she made me up the Senegalese way, with a shade lighter and many colors as eye shadows and heavy blush.

Here is the final result. I added the red lipstick because I did not like the pink she gave me. Wearing fake eyelashes also made me feel like an ostrich and these were the lightest ones she had. Let us just say that next time, I will look for a make up artist who will doll me up the way I like, enhance my skin ton but not make me look totally different. 

Boubou - Sinniature

Bag - Nené Yaya 

Shoes - random shop near my house

Earrings - HLM market

Ring - Gift and Dubai 

Bracelet - Sandaga market 

The Church wedding was beautiful. The priests are young and some of them know the bride and groom personally. Therefore, they tailored the ceremony to them. On top of that they made several jokes that lighten the atmosphere. Seeing my friend exchanging vows with her husband while the choir sang beautifully brought tears to my eyes. I always get so emotional at weddings. I am such a hopeless romantic. 

After the Church, I returned home to change. I went to the reception hall which was on the other side of town. I joined my girlfriends in a huge decorated hall. There weren’t no assigned seating so we all sat together at a table, at the center. The Bride and Groom soon made their colorful entrance with their bridesmaids and groomsmen. They danced to trendy Afrobeat tunes. The family made speeches and we toasted the newlyweds. 

Then it was time to eat. There was a buffet with a variety of goodies. I settled for my favorite: plantains and Attieke with barbecue meat, and Chinese noodle salad. After the food, the Bride and groom did their first dance which was super sexy. And then people joined them on the dance floor. It was past midnight by that time. I was sleepy and tired so I left with my friends.

The following day, the party was still going on. But it was a Yendu: which basically means that you spend the day. It is usually held at the bride’s home or a rented space and the event is more laid back than the reception. A Yendu is usually an opportunity for the people who could not attend the reception to celebrate the couple. I was tired so I decided to not go super early. I was there after 5PM. I joined my other friend and we sat down listening to music, eating hors d’œuvre and people watching. They were serving food, buffet style but I was not  hungry at the time. The older women were doing their thing, dancing in front of a griot who were singing the praise of the Couple and their family. I saw the Bride and took pictures with her. It was a lovely event. The dress code was white. I wore an Eyelet dress that I had since 2022.  I paired it with golden accessories and I was set.

Eyelet dress - tailored made

Bag - bought from my friend

PVC sandals - Numero Uno

Belt - (old) Sandaga market 

Earrings - Imara 

The wedding was beautiful. I really enjoyed myself. And I was extremely happy for my friend. I am also very happy that I did not spend a lot of money dressing up. Everything was already in my closet except for the jewelry I wore at the Church and reception. I also splurge on the make up, but it was not that expensive. I am slowly getting the hang of this shopping your own closet concept. I think it is ideal to stay ready, by having timeless pieces already stocked. I cannot wait to attend other weddings. I have several single friends to celebrate but also fancy clothes to wear.