My name is Senait and I’m a 29-year-old Eritrean-Canadian living in Toronto with my husband Othniel and beautiful daughter Mezan. I currently work with children, youth and their families as a counselor that I love as it gives me the opportunity to positively affect others. I am outspoken, friendly and truly blessed to be living the life I always dreamed of. My husband and I met through a mutual friend at York University, where we both attended. We remained friends for a few years before dating. I knew an engagement was coming as we began to informally plan our future together therefore, my husband surprised me by proposing in his living room while watching X Factor! My first thought after saying yes was “God is so good”. This simple phrase encapsulated my gratitude to God for bringing us to this point, which was nothing short of a divine intervention.

Waking up on my wedding day I remember feeling anxious but knowing that within a few hours I would become Mrs. Litchmore, eased my emotions. I said yes to this dress because it was perfect! I had a mental image of the dress I wanted so after weeks of searching online, I finally found it and knew it was the one. I was overwhelmed with emotions when walking down the aisle. My eyes were filled with tears; my body shook as my arm held onto my dad ever so tightly for comfort. Our relationship replayed through my mind and I was overwhelmed with joy and relief that we finally made it. Knowing that I had my bridesmaids next to me during this monumental moment made me feel incredibly blessed. I picked my favorite colors, pink and purple for my bridesmaids and wedding theme. Initially during the planning process I felt obligated to choose traditional color combinations but nothing excited me. Till one day I came across a beautiful bouquet with my favorite colors, pink and purple and fell in love.

When I was designing my reception I was going for a romantic-glam-fairytale setting.  The most important part of creating the space was that I wanted it to be a reflection of me and capture our fairytale love. Although my overall vision for the reception came to fruition there were some hiccups on the big day. Due to technical difficulties, particular songs I selected were not played. Also, our backdrop was not used because it could not fit on our stage (oversight by our decorator). If I could change one thing, I would have hired two live bands (English and Tigrinya) instead of hiring a DJ (to everyone who advised me on this-you were right!).

For my Mesli celebration I wanted it to be small and intimate.  I had a modern Zuria designed with a Mermaid silhouette. My bridesmaids wore Zuria’s of their choice. My favorite part of the Melsi was during the open mic when my family and friends had the opportunity to share loving words to my husband and I. One thing I wish a Habeshabride had told me was to take advice! If I could change one thing about the Melsi it would have been to schedule it a week after the wedding day.  I was so tired from the night before I could not fully enjoy the Melsi. If I could offer one piece of advice it would be just that. Don’t be afraid to move the Melsi a week to a month after the wedding. This will give your guests, you and your husband an opportunity to recharge and energy to celebrate all over again!  Good Luck!

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