My name is Ariam. I was born and raised in the great northwest. I graduated college from the University of Oregon with a degree in Family and Human Services. My Hubby and I met In the fall of 2004, we both attended Eastern Washington University. On the first day of Fall semester, we walked into our math class and sat next to one another. As the attendance sheet was going around, I looked down at the paper and saw Tekles name. With excitement I exclaimed, “You’re Habesha?” He replied, “Yes, you are?” From then on we became really good friends. He popped the big question while we were at dinner. My first thought after I said yes was “I am so excited!”

Waking up on the morning of my wedding I felt so happy! Seeing my bridesmaids that morning helping me get ready made me feel so grateful and appreciative. The dress that I selected was perfect for me as it fit my silhouette. Walking down the aisle made me feel emotional. My father passed when I was younger, so my older brother walked me down the aisle. I was also feeling grateful to have my brother by my side and put my hand in my Husband’s’.  When selecting my wedding colors I wanted to be different. I had picked light pink and gold at first but I saw so many weddings with the same colors. Therefore, I added mint green and made that the color of the bridesmaids dresses. For the venue I wanted the reception hall to have personal touches. Such as, Bible scriptures on each table. We also decided to do a mint candy bar with small bags that read ‘Mint to Be’ and our wedding date. Our first dance was to Point of it All by Anthony Hamilton. He is one of our favorite artist even before we started dating. We both always loved this song too. The most memorable moment of the night was the Sunset photos right outside the hall. Because the hall was glass we got a chance to just sit back and watch our family and friends enjoy themselves at our wedding. If there were close calls we had so many amazing family and friends that took care of things so we wouldn’t have to worry about them. Also, Adiam Tesfay was our day of coordinator plus she is a dear friend of ours so she keep things smooth. If there was one thing I could have done differently it would have been to have the family photo session a bit more organized. Making a list for both sides of the family and identifying a location for the session would have been helpful. It was very time consuming and hard to smile for that long. I also wish a Habeshabride would have told me to always have snacks on hand! The day is long.

For the Melsi I picked this Zuria because it was traditional. I used Habesha’s by Selam for creating my Zuria and she was willing to change the colors to what I wanted. For my girls I picked these Zurias because they were a fun new style and I knew it would be flattering on everyone. In addition I also loved that I was able to accessorize them with cute clutches that matched the tillet/tilfe pattern on their dresses! Some of the highlights that were most memorable was when my husband and I danced with our son. Also At the end of the night the women sing songs full of wisdom to the bride. They also sang songs to my husband. One that I love is ‘Kem Berbera Ab Tsahay Ey Tewkalay Araim Haftay Enda Belka Yebayelay.’ If I could share one piece of advice to current brides that are planning it is to not use black henna. I have seen other brides and bridesmaids end up with very bad allergic reactions.  Good Luck!

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