BRIDAL Bliss ISSUE 01
EAST AFRICA
the
PREMIERE ISSUE
MAGAZINE - EAST AFRICA
Bridal Bliss is a monthly digital wedding publication for the independent bride and inspiration for couples planning alternative weddings in East Africa.
! After months of researching, brainstorming, organizing, of late nights and early mornings, I’m excited to share with you the very first edition of Bridal Bliss magazine East Africa, a monthly digital publication for the independent bride. SAMI KHAN
Through beautifully curated content, our goal is to inspire couples to plan their big day their way, to reflect their tastes, passions and individuality.
In this issue we feature weddings that give a glimpse of the kind of weddings you’ll see in future issues - weddings that are authentic, nontraditional and with lots of personality. This magazine is not just for brides-to-be, its also for those who appreciate beautiful photography and celebrate love. Thank you for joining us on this new journey. Follow us our social media networks and send your feedback to brideblissea@gmail.com Till next time.
Patricia Miswa, Editor
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Patricia Miswa
ASSISSTANT INTERN Sheila Bussollo
COVER CREDITS Gathoni Kinyanjui, Marcel Temba & Waridi Fashions
FOR SUBMISSIONS, GENERAL ENQUIRIES & ADVERTISING bridalblissea@gmail.com
CONNECT WITH US
Bridal Bliss Magazine - East Africa is published by Miswa Media copyright Š 2014. All rights reserved. All photography courtesy of the photographers credited.
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“Making your dream a reality�
CONTENTS |
SEPTEMBER 2014
IN EVERY ISSUE Letter from the Editor Questions To Ask Before You Hire a Wedding Photographer Creative Ways to Personalise Your Wedding
14 VENDOR PROFILE Josh and Jess Kisamwa of Jazada Wedding Films
18 LOVE STORIES Ben & Gathoni Kiruthi Marcus &Njeri Olang’ Charles & Saiton Righa
58 STYLED SHOOTS
58
Paradise Found Garden Inspiration
86 REAL WEDDINGS Amrita & Anil Mercy & Bastian Kunal & Neeral Shah Ujita and Harry Eric & Hannah Jason and Ghoncheh Lee
108
128
46
18 86 14
66 Koitobos Road - Langata 00509 www.bonganigardens.org | bonganigardens@gmail.com 0733 935 060
Gathoni Kinyanjui
Christophe Viseux
With over 10 years of experience and an MA in Photography from the prestigious Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle (Saale), Germany. Gathoni photographs weddings throughout East Africa and beyond. Her work has been featured by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂźr Photographie e.V.(German Society for Photography) at the Photo Kina in 2012, the Kunst Fabrik in Munich and in various publications. She is also one of the winners of the 2013 Safaricom Capture Kenya challenge.
Based in Paris and Middle East, Christophe has a special interest in multicultural and destination weddings. He has taken his award-winning wedding photography to an international level and he has already covered many events in India, Dubai, Morocco, and East Africa. His work has been featured in numerous international photography and wedding publications, including Town and Country Magazine, Times of India, For the Bride, I Do Destination, and Smart Photography Magazine India.
Terilyn Lemaire Terilyn’s heart is Kenyan but her love of poutine, ability to wear minimal clothing in subarctic temperatures, unerring politeness and weird accent are undoubtedly Canadian. Photography is my passion, my profession, and the one thing that will most likely drive me insane someday. She has a distinctive, documentary photographic style that softly captures spontaneous emotion. She loves photographing people. Her creativity and imagination is fuelled by love and by real, human connections. She is inspired by the design elements, the thoughtful details and the joy of weddings as well as the beautiful softness and sexiness of bridal boudoir.
Louis Nderi
Maureen Owiti
Beena
Louis is interested in photos that capture both the mind and the heart. His award winning work consists of portraits of people from all over the country and of different backgrounds. In October last year he made his first mark by winning the Young Photographer of the Year award at the Kenya Photography Awards. When he isn’t taking pictures of people he meets on the street, he shoots beautiful weddings.
Maureen is a freelance writer and crafter. She has a degree in communication from Daystar University. She has worked at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, and writes SEO articles for companies. She is currently based in Nairobi and is at work on a special project for her card making business.
I love bringing out the chemistry between a couple. Through subtle direction, I will create those beautiful moments that will always serve to remind you why you fell in LOVE the first time you met. My daring nature will ensure to bring out your inner passion towards each other, at which point I will press the shutter.
Anil Unexpected Moments. This is my style distilled into two words. I love capturing those connections between you and your friends, family and your partner to be‌the exchanging glances, the smiles and even the tears. Capturing a profile in these moments lets you see familiar in ways that are completely new. This is what I do, not direct your wedding into a one size fits all album of staged images.
Photo Credit: Mutua Matheka
VENDOR PROFILE
& JAZANDA WEDDING FILMS Tell us about yourselves, what you do and how you got started as wedding videographers? We are a very fun loving laid back couple, or so we tell ourselves. Jess is Ghanaian and Josh is Kenyan, which makes us all about compromise and exploring we love trying out new things, enjoy traveling and absolutely love good food. We’ve been married for three years , work together and are loving it. We tell stories full time, shooting mostly documentaries for nonprofits and corporates and are now doing a lot of weddings. We got our start in weddings when a friend asked us to shoot their wedding after that another friend asked and the rest is history, we’ve been shooting weddings for a couple of years now.
Can you tell us more about what you work entails? We are in charge of the whole production process, which means we shoot and edit everything we capture. In a nutshell our job is to capture the bride and groom preparations, the ceremony, photoshoot and the reception as beautifully as possible. Shooting weddings is very spontaneous and very little can be controlled, our job is to anticipate and position ourselves as things unfold. After the “Big Day” we decide what will make it into the wedding film and start piecing together the wedding making a story, usually the bride and groom have already given us their input and we have an idea of what is important to them. It all comes down to us capturing and immortalizing weddings as best we can, it’s a very intricate and tedious process but the results are always worth it.
What do you love most about your job?
Photo Credit: Mutua Matheka
What we love most is that we get to be part of moments in time that are so sublime and intimate, it is such a precious thing to help couples build memories. Above all we love the process of filmmaking and are always trying to get better, our passion for the process gets us excited and that motivates us.
What is Jazanda’s signature style? We take a storytelling approach, and are usually searching for moments that stand out and are unforgettable. We love grabbing congratulatory messages throughout the wedding day and mashing them up together. Visually we’re evolving and like to incorporate the couple’s theme into the film whether it’s the color grading or choice of music, we like to think that each film is handcrafted specifically for the couple.
What advice would you give brides to be looking for a videographer to capture their big day?
You started the Affinity web series that interviews or features married couple sharing their journey, what inspired this series?
Firstly, research what you want against your budget you have to like what they do because it’s about trust and allowing them to do their thing.
We felt like there was so much negativity surrounding marriage and a fear of commitment. As a young couple we realized right away that sharing our experiences with others and listening to others was beneficial it helped us mold a system that worked for us.
Communication is key, the videographer knows what to do but they are not mind readers if there is something that you really do not want missed tell them in advance whether it’s a flower in the garden or the shoes your aunt is wearing its important to nail down the details and be on the same page.
Affinity is about encouraging people by listening to married couples talk about what keeps them going hopefully in so doing you can pick up a nugget of wisdom from each story or realize how normal you are.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH JAZANDA WEDDING FILMS
LOVE STORIES
’ 14th March 2014 Jasmine Gardens in Sigona
According to Marcus, March stands out as a special month. He exchanged vows with his wife Njeri Olang’ on 14th March 2014, 4 days after his father’s birthday and 14 days before his. The Olang’s hosted their wedding ceremony at a new ground in Sigona – Jasmine Gardens, close to the Sigona Golf Club.
? MARCUS: We first met in 2008, even though I don’t remember that. She was part of a production, and I dropped by Alliance Francaise to check up on those involved. She claims I gave her the hug of a lifetime – I remember none of it. Then we met again in 2009 – this time, it is she who remember that. We were doing a play together – Kijiji Entertainment’s “A Village Easter.” Two months of rehearsal and at least 5 shows later, I flew clear under her radar. In her defense, I’m a very dark man, and most of said shows and rehearsals were during the evening-into-night hours, so she likely never actually saw me.
NJERI: I met Marcus in Church, one cold June Saturday, I had seen him around and we were supposedly in the same play. He was one of those faces you have always seen but never knew where.
MARCUS: The 2009 Kijiji production. She was very intense and deliberate in her execution of her role. She was playing Mary Magdalene, and there’s one particular scene where Mary breaks down in tears as she tells her tale. I never knew where Njeri ended and Mary took over whenever she got to that scene. The pain felt genuine. That was the first impression. Her getting my attention was a completely different story: I hosted the 1 FM Breakfast show for 2 years. Working in the industry showed me how lonely it can truly get – yes, it seems as though folks in the industry have a lot of friends, but proper interrogation will show that most are simply there to be associated with you. Very few truly have your interests at heart. At the time, I only had 2 people that I could confidently call “friend” – and they remain so to date. Into the picture comes this lady. Gorgeous as nothing else, beautiful smile, and proudly wearing a rich natural fro. Each day, she’d send me a direct message on Twitter: A prayer. Every morning, I’d receive a prayer over my day from her. Now, you need to understand: It takes either a very brave or very concerned person to start sending you a prayer over your day, especially when you didn’t ask for it, and when you worked in the entertainment industry. So when she started, I thought she’d burn out in a week. She kept sending them. THAT struck me.
My first impression was awww, he looks so sweet and intense. He gave me the most amazing hug and that is what struck me most about him and stuck with me.
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MARCUS: Almost as soon as we started dating, I knew our relationship would lead to marriage. Rather, I thought: “If this isn’t the kind of relationship that leads to marriage, then none is.” I genuinely have no logic to how I came to that conclusion. Call it my gut, call it my spirit, but there’s absolutely no rational reasoning to it.
NJERI: I knew it would lead to marriage when he refused to break up with me, all the times I had tried and tested his patience and pushed him away. I knew he was a keeper.
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? NJERI: I was looking for someone solid, someone who I would not want to push around. The man is the head of the home and being the leader I should be able to respect and follow his leadership. I needed a leader. MARCUS: I wasn’t looking for a spouse. A few weeks after we met, I went through a very rough patch: My then-employer and I had a difference in opinion about the strategic direction that my show would take. So we parted ways. Then began the tough times. I had made this show the centre of my life – for me, it was about the lives I had a positive impact on every day through that microphone that stood before me. That was my mission. It meant everything to me. The money was a nice additional perk. When all that went, it felt like I lost myself on every level. I was a soldier without a mission – worse, without money! And in a new relationship! Every time I looked at Njeri, I’d wonder if my worth had dropped in her eyes.
Yet in all this, she took every opportunity to remind me that this was simply an opportunity to rewrite the story. “What’s a good hero without his darkest moment?” she once asked. She stood by me, helped me learn, held my left hand as we rewrote the story. I wasn’t looking for a spouse. I needed a friend. She was that friend. And in her, the friend she was when I most needed one, I saw a wife.
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NJERI: I had killed the notion of the one and I had decided to LOVE him, he was so different from me and still so the same. I wanted to grow young with him. He has the biggest heart I know, audaciously loving and caring. Our hearts connected on this.
MARCUS: I remember looking at her one day, remembering the prayers and how encouraging she had been, and thinking to myself, “If this relationship fails, I’m done. I’m not playing the field any more. I need to build a life. If this isn’t the person with whom I’ll build said life, then it’s a lifetime of being the eligible yet mysterious bachelor for me.
MARCUS: She makes me think. She really does. I can be stubborn and properly set in my decisions. She’s the one person that can get me to reconsider or think deeper about anything. Also, she prays for me. I’m action-oriented even when it comes to my life with God – I’m the sort to first step out of the boat and start walking, without a second thought as to how I’ll survive the next step. With her, I know that as I walk, there’s someone to pray that I don’t start sinking – especially seeing as I can’t swim!
NJERI: He cares with his entire being. Loves in totality. He is my PANDA BEAR. Protects me ruthlessly, leads me fearlessly, prays over me so gently.
How long did it take to plan your wedding? MARCUS: We started talking about the wedding around the beginning of 2013. The first official booking we made was our photography – which was in September of the same year with Mwangi Kirubi of Click Pictureworks. What did you learn about your spouse during that planning process that you didn’t know? NJERI: He is insanely patient. MARCUS: She likes a plan. She likes to see a plan. She believes in asking God, making the plan and going back to God to bless the plan. I’m more of a one-step-leads-to-the-next person. I believe God knows my next step and He’ll guide me, as long as I’m doing my best and doing right in the present. God has the plan – mine is simply to walk. So that difference proved to be a rich source of conflict. *chuckles* What stood out most about your wedding day? NJERI: The fun we had, then the rain. MARCUS: Everything. It all worked out absolutely beautifully. Most of all, the fact that we left the venue debt-free! To date, I have no idea how that wedding budget was covered. Quite honestly, I’m not seeking the logic. The wedding proved this to me: God’s grace is everything! Mine is to take that step, and He’ll sort the rest.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” I say this to myself every day. It reminds me where my priorities lie.”
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“ Marriage is the best discipleship tool God can use to shape any human being. I love that He is shaping me daily and am learning to learn without a fight. Walking the adventure that is life with someone who loves me, enjoys my cooking and my jokes is priceless. I am blessed.�
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To the newlywed MARCUS 1. Get married friends. Married for one month, six months, six years, sixteen years… Get them all. Keep them close and learn from them. It’s a journey that no friend who’s not married can help you on – if anything, they might cause you more trouble than they are worth. 2. It’s YOUR marriage. Not your sister’s, not your brother’s, not your best friends, not your mother’s, not your father’s. It’s YOUR marriage. Guard it jealously. Not one else should have voting privileges in YOUR marriage. Just you and your spouse. 3. Never stop dating. The mistake a lot of us make is that we stop being nice to each other when we get married. Remember how sweet you were with him/her when you were dating? Remember how highly you thought of him/her? Living together with someone has an interesting way of magnifying their flaws. CHOOSE to magnify their positives. CHOOSE to see the good in them. CHOOSE to see how hard they are working for you. Which brings me to… 4. Love is not a feeling. Love is a choice. It sounds cliché, but allow me to refer to another little hidden gem of wisdom: “Love is patient, kind, does not envy nor
boast. Love is neither self-seeking nor easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres.” Love is a constant stream of DELIBERATE and PREMEDITATED thoughts and actions. Finally, for the men: She is always number one. Your employer will replace you, your boys will move on, but she will carry your memory. Give her memories by which she’ll cherish you. Live life with her. Make her your undoubted number one.
NJERI Marriage is not the wedding day, The moment you make the commitment to be with your partner then you should be faithful and work at making the relationship the best thing the two of you will ever own on this earth.
VENDORS Fabric Canopies & Chairs by Kate Kreations Photography: Click.co.ke Mwarv and Wamuyu Videography: Faimus Productions Decor: Tiffany and Andrew Ngatia of Mstari Sound by Julius Kibugi Wedding Planner: Kathy Mwathi Cake by: AcakeAffair Njeri's Dresses by Ogake Make-up by SonnieKay Hair by bride.
Photography by Allan Gichigi, Mwangi 'Mwarv' Kirubi & Matt Masha
It was awesome; it totally caught me off guard. This day we were headed to his place, he gave me a key and told me to open the door. I found a piece of paper (removes a paper from her bag- the first clue she got during the proposal, she carries it to this day). He said it was a game like treasure hunt. The paper directed me to the mirror where I found the 2nd clue. This time the clue was a bible verse. Matthew 24. I got my bible, and checked it, it talked about cool waters. The only place in that house that had cool waters was the fridge. I proceeded to the fridge but couldn’t see the next clue. He was having a lot of fun as I struggled. Then I saw a piece of paper stuck in a very weird place on the fridge. It was another bible verse, Jonah 1:7, it talks about Jonah being in a ship. I was a bit lost again, luckily I remembered there was a ship model on top of the TV, inside that “ship” was a pink box, I opened it and found the ring, at this point he was already on one knee. He proposed that time and I said yes, surely after all that it was hard to say no.
Ben I had a lady friend who was mentoring me at that time and she had the most beautiful hands I have ever seen. I asked God for a sign & I told God that if I found a lady with hands that are more beautiful than my mentor’s hands then I would know that she was the one. So, from there I looked keenly at every girl’s hands that I came across but I was unable to find hands as beautiful as hers. When I met Gathoni, I was struck by her beauty, personality & love for God. When I looked at her hands, they were the most beautiful hands I have ever seen. There & then I knew without a doubt that she was the one!
Gathoni The instant friendship that we developed and in my heart I felt that he was the one meant for me.
We love our African culture and we always wanted our wedding to be anti-west like every other wedding. And we thought incorporating African stuff in every detail it would be super unique. My bridal gown: My gown was just an extension for my love for the African culture. I had it made at the Ihsani Culture house. Since we are wedding photographers, we shoot weddings every weekend. We wanted something unique & outside the wedding box, thus we opted to do pizza right after the ceremony & not go for the photoshoot as is the norm of every wedding.
I learnt that Gathoni enjoyed planning her own wedding. She had notes for everything. She knew exactly what she wanted and she fought for it! I loved that about her, she also stood up for me during the negotiation processes & pleaded with her parents to be lenient with her man, loved that much!
Our biggest wish was that God be the center & be glorified throughout our wedding process. And that happened so much. God was glorified in our wedding & it our desire every day that God will always be glorified throughout our marriage too
Never stop dating each other. Take walks, hold hands, be silly together, be naked together both physically, emotionally & spiritually. Fight for private time together, away from work or obligations. Talk about anything and everything, fight, laugh, cry & dance together.
Companionship, that is the greatest thing of all. Having someone to share your life with. The joys, the sorrows, the losses, the successes. It is beautiful getting to share your life with someone else. I guess that is why God gave Adam Eve. Since he was alone & lonely.
Marriage has taught us the true meaning of a wife submitting herself to her husband as the head of the home & also the husband loving his wife sacrificially as Christ loved the church giving Himself up for it as the ultimate sacrifice.
The Kiruthi’s :: Had a surprise dance for their guests. They did their photo shoot after they came back from their honeymoon, at night on Kenyatta Avenue. They combined their evening party & reception. The bridesmaids wore traditional Rwandese attire. Gathoni swapped her white gown for traditional Rwandese attire for the reception. They played the ‘How well do you know your spouse, shoe game’ at the reception.
To the newly weds, pray as often as you can together, spend as much time as you can learning & studying each other. Love each other fiercely and never forget that the best thing you have in this world is each other. To the singles, wait on God! There can be no better answer than that. God knows the perfect timing, He is never late or early, He is right on time. We spent many years alone, not dating anyone at all. At many times we felt like despairing, but God in his own timing brought us together, and now we are happily married. So, wait on God, wait on Him & you will never be disappointed.
VENDORS Ceremony :: PCEA Kahawa Farmers Reception :: Sportsview Hotel, Kasarani Wedding Co-ordinator :: Peter Wachira - (+254 721 874219) Gathoni's Gown :: Ihsani Culture Maids Dresses :: Rwandan Mushanana MC :: Peter Gitau of Kayamba Africa (+254 723 171513) DJ :: DJ Sadic Cake :: Larimar Bakers Make-up Artist :: Make-up By Koby Hair :: Roni Mugure Cinematographers :: Faimus Productions Photographers :: Allan Gichigi, Mwangi 'Mwarv' Kirubi & Matt Masha
Saiton & Charles Righa
#Ringfinger PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARCUS OLANG’, K.KIMANI, DEAN L. FONTAINE + DEAN MUNROE
On how they met Charles: We first met at Saiton’s former work place; back then she was intern at an ad agency. I used to do some voice acting work for radio ads and had come to collect a cheque. The payment wasn’t ready and as a result, I was in a particularly bad mood. So much so that I barely noticed her when she approached me to say hi. A few months later, after the sting of delayed payments had worn off, I saw her again in church. And this time I was intrigued enough to initiate conversation. I’m glad that she gave me the opportunity to redeem myself.
On first Impressions Charles: Based on how we met, I didn’t have much of a first impression. But as I kept seeing her I thought to myself “She is pretty isn’t she!?” And when we began talking and text messaging each other, her most striking quality at the time was how funny and clever she is.
On what he was looking for in a spouse Charles: The key qualities for me were someone who shares my faith and passion for God and has a brilliant mind and a warm loving heart. It was also VERY important to me that I find her physically attractive and witty. My wife meets all the criteria.
On the road to marriage Saiton: When we began dating, we both did so with the hope that it would lead to marriage. We even briefly talked about it but not so much to put pressure on ourselves. We only became more certain when we did pre-marital counseling together and got engaged. By this time it firmly established that we’re best friends and we want to do life together.
On finding the one Saiton: In our humble opinion, there’s no such thing as the one. Not to be unromantic but we find it a bit unreasonable to look to one specific person to “complete” you. We believe that a person must first be whole as individual before looking to make a lifelong commitment with someone else. While single, we both found our wholeness in God and in living out our respective purposes. While doing so, we bumped into each other, began dating and in time fell in love. The day we made our wedding vows, we then knew for sure and became “the one” for each other; till death do us part.
On wedding matters How long did it take to plan your wedding? Saiton: Around 3 to 4 months but it got most demanding about a month and a half to the wedding.
What did you learn about your spouse during that planning process? Charles: I learned afresh how much my wife loves and believes in me. Our planning process had a number of challenges; with the budget, family drama etc. But all the while, she stood with me, soldiered on alongside me and believed in me to the very end. I’m convinced that my wife would literally follow me to the ends of the earth.
What stood out most about your wedding day? The joy that was there that day and it wasn’t just for the two of us. We had 1000+ guests and it was fun and exciting for everyone there. It wasn’t impersonal we all shared in the joy. Many of those who came say they felt like “we all got married that day.”
On lessons There’s a lot to learn in marriage, it’s very different from living single. We haven’t been married very long so we’re working to get balance and rhythm in the way we do things… even around the house. As uncomfortable as that is, marriage is teaching me grace and patience and it’s also revealing my flaws and inadequacies. It’s humbling. ~ Charles
On making it work Thankfully, we share the same faith and this is what our marriage is founded upon. Challenges are a sure thing. We need someone outside of ourselves to help us through all the many external challenges and pressures. We also need an authority to hold us together when the two of us are fighting. God does that for us. ~ Saiton
VENDOR LOVE WEDDING PLANNER Gladys Njiru ( contacts available) WEDDING MC Kimari Maina of Sisimisha Entertainment facebook.com/Sisimsha.Entertainment PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Makeni www.joemakeni.com/ CAKE Mudi's at Adams mudicakes.co.ke/ VIDEO Red Flash Films DECOR Tiffany Muthoni ( contacts available) MAKEUP Sonnie Kay Musyimi http://on.fb.me/1lqLsri BRIDE'S HAIRNjeri Olang' GROOMSMEN OUTFITS Kepha Maina facebook.com/kardikepha HEXAGONAL TENTS Peris 0722790632
Exploring Colour Patterns for Your Big Day By Maureen Owiti
1 Colour plays a big role in a wedding; it stimulates the
senses, soothes the soul, and affects the overall mood. Thus, as you plan for your big day, you have to be careful about the colours you choose to use. 2 You may consider black as your favourite colour for
example; but even if you are hosting a rock theme wedding, your main focus should be to keep things balanced; hence, if you must have black, you can combine it with white, a light blue, maroon, red, or a bright pink. These will not just complement the black, but they will also brighten up the setting and make it more cheerful for your guests. 3 Purple, yellow, and orange are the more common colour
options for weddings in Kenya. However, even when you opt for such, you shouldn’t overdo things. In this case, you can have your favourite colour as the main one, and then incorporate any other colours you like in bits. To create high contrast in your setting, you can work with complementary colours , colours which sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and orange, or red and green.
Optionally, if you prefer a softer look, you can go for a single colour such as a dark purple, and then combine it with lighter shades of the same colour. Regardless of the alternatives you select though, you should strive to use three colours at most. []
STYLED SHOOT
Paradise found
Words & Photography by Terilyn Lemaire terilynlemaire.com
I have a genuine love of the Kenyan coast. I love the relaxed vibe, the sand underfoot, completely eliminating the need for shoes. I love the warm turquoise sea softly ebbing in the background, the gorgeous Swahili elements in the architecture, the frangipani trees, the bursts of bougainvillea, the camels sauntering on the beach and the sky-high palms. It is no surprise that people travel from all over the world to get married there.
It was such a pleasure to work with Serena Mombasa Beach Resort and Spa and with brilliant wedding designer and stylist, Catalina Bloch, to create and photograph a wedding that meets the increasing demands of the coast’s upscale wedding clientele. Catalina made beautiful use of local flowers and fabrics, and the hotel’s own rugs and carved Swahili furniture to create a classy signature wedding for the hotel - one that meshed perfectly with its beach environment.
The Jahazi Grill, with its sandy floor and nautical elements was a wonderful location for the reception table, while the hotel’s wellmanicured garden provided an ideal ceremony site. I loved photographing the couple against the stark white walls of the hotel and at sunset on the beach, with ancient colourful wooden dhows bobbing in the background.
Photography
Terilyn Lemaire Photography terilynlemaire.com
Models Miguel Carter and Pauline
Wedding design and styling Catalina Bloch catalinabloch.com
Dress provided by With Love Bridal Boutique withlovebridalboutique.ca/
Suit Indochino indochino.com/
Location Serena Mombasa Beach Resort and Spa
Jewelry & Flowers Provided By Serena Mombasa Beach Resort Gift Shop & Spa
Garden Inspiration GATHONI KINYANJUI PHOTOGRAPHY
MAKING THE COVER BEHIND THE SCENES @ Bongani Gardens- Karen We chose Bongani gardens for our shoot because of its natural beauty. Bongani is a 20 minutes drive from Karen Crossroads shopping center, and three minutes from Hardy Post Office (on the road that leads to the AFEW Giraffe Center).Within the 4 acres is a multitude of different shaped flower beds and lawns shaded by 362 mature trees. The gardens are serene and green and full of dappled shade with secure parking for approximately 160 cars. There is a large natural clearing, perfect for multiple tents or a marquee. A discreet brick drive loops around the trees allowing easy access for setting up events. Bongani Gardens is a venue only; the bar and coffee garden are stocked and staffed. Bongani is perfect for venue weddings, private parties, corporate events, craft fairs or product launches. The Gardens can comfortably accommodate up to 1200 people.
Thank you to the vendors who contributed to our styled cover shoot PHOTOGRAPHY Gathoni Kinyanjui Photography BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOGRAPHY Sami Khan MAKE-UP Marcel Temba JEWELRY Adèle Dejak BRIDES GOWN Waridi Fashions LOCATION Bongani Gardens ON SET Claudia Asha Festus Lang
REAL WEDDINGS
Jason and Ghoncheh Lee The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel, Diani By Terilyn Lemaire Photography terilynlemaire.com
“ There was so much to love about this wedding. There were so many perfect moments of thoughtfulness and caring. There was so much emotion in the expressions on everyone’s faces, in the words everyone chose to say about the couple and the words the couple chose to say and sing to one another.”
There was genuine feeling and consideration, not to mention amazing displays of talent . Jason, not only rocked the guitar and sang beautifully to Ghoncheh, making all the ladies swoon, but he later busted out a perfect Gangnam style on the dance floor. He’s a triple threat!
Guests came from all over the world to help the couple celebrate and celebrate they did into the wee hours, dancing barefoot in the sand, having a beautiful time.
Ghoncheh and Jason were brilliant to hire wedding designer and planner, Salima Bertoglio. The details in the set up and decor were absolutely gorgeous and everything worked perfectly together. The simple white chairs, the gauzy peach fabric adorned with a single calla lily, the signposts, the twinkling lights – all in complete harmony with the beach backdrop.
Wedding designer Salima Bertoglio kwamoyoweddings.com Location The Maji Beach Boutique Hotel, Diani the-maji.com
Photography by Zurihsia Studios zurihsia.com Amrita and Anil met in Geneva after she accepted a new job there. He proposed to her in Mumbai and they settled on Mombasa for their wedding as she grew up in Kenya. All his family and friends flew over from Switzerland.
Amrita and Anil had a Hindu and Christian ceremony - very intimate with150 guests followed by the reception. Guests stayed at Kole Kole Diani where they celebrated the Mehndi.
The couple partied until 6am! The first dance was choreographed, Amrita has always been a great dancer and Anil followed her moves .
CREDITS CATERING Madhavs - They had a full buffet of Indian courses and Swahili Seafood (prawns, lobster) MAKE-UP Nilofer Anbhji窶年airobi OUTFITS Kimaya - kimaya.in/ SHOES Jimmy Choo PHOTOGRAPHY Zurihsia Studios
Mercy and Bastian A meeting of two cultures, Kenyan and German, Mercy and Bastian’s gorgeous wedding was held at the Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens. The morning Mercy and Bastian got married was cold and rainy, they grey of the sky matched the grey of the bridesmaid’s dresses, which they described as pewter. 23rd May 2014 Gathoni Kinyanjui Photography gathoni.com
VENDOR DETAILS Bride’s gown David’s bridal davidsbridal.com Hair and makeup Eve of Diva’s Divine Décor Weddings and Events by Kui weddingsandevents.co.ke Catering Tamambos at Karen Blixe tamarind.co.ke/tamambo-karen
Cake Royal Delites royaldelites.co.ke
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LOUIS NDERI
louisnderi.com
I always look forward to taking photos at an Indian wedding because you are always sure its going to be a whole lot of fun. I don’t know what it is about these weddings but it’s like everyone can dance, and even if you can’t dance, as long as your hands are in the air, and your hips are swaying back and forth, side to side, it’ll look like you’re having the time of your life! There is a certain ambiance to these kind of weddings that you don’t experience anywhere else, maybe it was the sound of the tablas drumming, or maybe it was the the food. It’s like you’re transported to into India for the time you are there.
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- Photographer, Louis Nderi
VENDOR DETAILS DĂŠcor Floral Heritage floralheritage.co.ke Meena Shah 0722 706 060 Catering Haandi Restaurant Ltd & Chimanlal Bhai Nakar 0722 712 900 Wedding Venues SSD (Shri Sanatan Dharam) Temple Nairobi, Oshwal Centre, Apollo Centre, Marula Mano & Villa Rosa Kempinski Wedding Day Art & DĂŠcor Harish Shah of Rangeela Arts rangeela-arts.com Henna Rinku Mehndi 0736 779955 Hair and Make Up Farouks Salon 0707 958231
Eric & Hannah Dar Es Salaam
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHE VISEUX
christopheweddingphoto.com
VENDOR INFORMATION Catering: Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel; Decor by Hugo Domingo; M/C: Taji Liundi; DJ: DJFU from Fusion TZ; Wedding gown: Essence Designs, Martina Liana line;
Ujita & Harry Ujita was born and brought up in the UK and met Harry whilst he was studying in the UK. They planned their celebrations in Mombasa as his whole family is from Kenya and he is very PRO Kenyan and refused to get married elsewhere. Ujita’s family and friends flew out from the UK.
Photography - Zurihsia Studios | zurihsia.com
The morning of the wedding Harry was very laid back and even managed to have a game of football on the beach with all the boys.
4 Questions To Ask Before You Hire a Wedding Photographer By Maureen Owiti
A wedding is an occasion to be cherished for life and wedding photos help preserve memories of your big day. But how do you go about finding the right person for this? Asking these four questions should help. 1 Have you covered any weddings before?
Every other weekend, there are always so many couples holding their weddings in Kenya. Thus, your ideal photographer should have covered no less than five of these. While it’s good to give a chance to a fresh professional, you wouldn’t want anyone using your big day for practice. 2 What sorts of equipment will you use?
However good one may be at photography, it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t use the right equipment. Your preferred photographer has to therefore use high quality –if not the best –cameras, lenses, and lighting. 3
Will you have backup during the event?
Weddings don’t take place every day. For that reason, the last thing you want is to hire a photographer who will do an incomplete job because their lens broke down and they didn’t have a plan B. Be sure to hire a person who has backup for all their equipment. 4 How long will it take to process my album?
Whether it takes a week or six months, it’s good to confirm how long it will take for your images to be developed, and then only pay a deposit if you are comfortable with the timing.
By asking these simple questions, getting hold of a reliable professional won’t seem so hard after all.
SUBMIT A WEDDING! Photographers and brides we’re on the look out for unique real weddings, styled shoots, engagement sessions, wedding proposals and bridal showers to feature in our future issues. If you’d like to be considered submit 2-3 images of the wedding to brideblissea@gmail.com