Incase you missed it: How the Samantha Bridal Wedding Fair Expo went down

The talk was hosted by a phenomenal woman, Marion Obura, who is the lead planner at Majestic events and a panel of women in the wedding and event planning industry. The women included Patricia Mwalimu who is the Director of Party Lounges LTD, Kanyi Ohawa who is the Director of All & Sundry Ltd and Sylvia Getata who is the Head Designer and Planner at Purple Tulips. According to them, trends are important because they keep you current, they keep your wedding fresh and they give you guidance. With that, they went ahead and talked of the pantone colour of the year, Ultra violet, which we are most likely to see in weddings this year. They also gave suggestions on new trends that may bring a different experience in weddings this year, that instead of the usual, which is women receiving the bride at the reception, there could be ballet dancers ushering in the bride instead. They also talked about décor when it comes to table settings where Patricia gave an option for those who do not like linen on tables, where she suggested the use mirrors for the tables or just simply naked wood with geometrical or creative centre pieces to give it an edge.  They not only touched on trends but also the guest experience where they advised that the best guest experience would be owning your wedding, studying your mood board, putting your story in it and keeping it less and fresh. Just simply planning and making your wedding represent your own personality.

After the talk, there were tremendous performances from dancers who identified with Dance Centre Kenya. Their performance opened the runway show where wedding gowns and suits from various brands were showcased. The brands included Jinnel collection, Peggie “O”, Next Bridal Boutique, In Season Styles, Ogake Bridal, Omg Bridal by Laurell, Big Boss Collection, Occasion and Days Ltd and Angels Smile Bridal. The dresses were all spectacular and the models did a great job to bring out each and every brand as it individually represents.

Makeup and hair were not left behind, as they play a very big part in weddings by enhancing the beauty of the bride. Marion Obura once again hosted a panel of women to talk about trends in makeup and hair. On the panel was Lorna Mutegi who is a Professional Skin Care & Makeup Artist Specialist, Ruth Kinuthia who is the Head Makeup Artist at Makeup by Ruthie and Cecilia Wairimu aka Amani who is the Co-Founder of Diva Luxury Hair. This year’s make up trend, according to the panel, is nude makeup but with a popping lip colour. They talked about factors to consider when choosing your make up for the wedding day, like the venue, if at all you will engage in dancing and most importantly your skin type. When it came to matters hair, Amani had suggestions for the ladies who have natural hair like herself. She mentioned that even for her, on her wedding day, she never really had many options for styling with her natural hair and with that, she came up with Diva Luxury Hair to help women with natural hair to accentuate it. She advised that one should work towards a nice natural hair regimen, making sure it is healthy, loving, accepting and embracing your natural hair.

The climax of the day was Chris Kirwa, a prominent events planner, who shared his story of how he met his wife Cate and their wedding. He mentioned that he met Cate at Samantha’s bridal expo where he was choreographing the Fashion show and it so happened that Cate was among the auditioning models. He went ahead to give his wedding story where he mentioned that they both decided against recruiting a committee and opted to call in a suppliers meeting. Unlike many grooms, he took the main role of the planner; deciding to tag his fiancée as the client. He shared how they both made sure to stick to the program. This made everyone happy since people who travelled from far were able to go back home in good time. He went ahead to give suggestions for those planning a wedding like making sure that people do not wait for you at the ceremony. Instead, keep time and this will make people happy and you will also be able to enjoy your day with no stress of time. Also, he suggested that it would be best to eat before the reception because on arrival to the reception, you will not be able to since people request you to join them either for a dance or to receive gifts. He ended by saying that style, uniqueness and flow of a wedding is not about money but about you and making it your wedding.