Samrawit
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My name is Samrawit, 29 and I am Eritrean, born in Oklahoma and raised in Addis and Dallas. I met my husband Aaron here in Dallas through mutual friends. We knew of each other through friends, but officially you can say his cousin had a part in playing matchmaker.  My Husband popped the question by surprising me with a trip to our favorite park. There is a park downtown we always go to on Sundays to relax and do outdoor activities. So this particular day he suggested we go, but was insisting that I wear something nice, have my hair done etc lol. Of course I responded with a no to all of those questions because it was a HOT summer day in June. Anyone that has visited Texas in the summer knows the situation. At the end of the day I was so oblivious to everything that I didn’t even think twice about all of those questions. This particular Sunday the park was packed and I could sense Aaron being a little hesitant, even suggesting that we leave! Long story short, we were hanging out and I noticed a girl with a big beautiful hat taking pictures of everyone and as I walked past her not thinking anything of it I complimented her on her hat. Taking a break from playing ping pong, I sat down to relax and as I turned around I see Aaron what seemed to be in slow motion about to get on his knee with a box. I couldn’t even tell you what he said because I just stared at him and the box saying “what is happening right now”. As soon as I got myself together, and attempted to dry my tears I see the girl with the hat coming closer taking pictures of us. Apparently Aaron hired her for the day to take pictures of the whole thing! It was such an exciting and fun day. My first thought after I said yes was the shock of me being engaged!  was still in shock for a while that I kept repeating, “Is this really happening right now”. I was completely overjoyed and so happy!

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Waking up on my wedding day I remember feeling really excited, calm, and a little bit nervous. It’s such a weird feeling that comes over you, can’t help but smile at everything and everyone. What made me say yes to my dress was that it was the classic wedding dress in every sense of the word. It was a beautiful gown that fit me like a glove. It was classic and had the right amount of bling and lace. Having my bridesmaids next to me made me feel relaxed and comfortable. Anytime one of them would sense I needed something they were there. Doesn’t hurt either when we’re all together, it’s non-stop laughter. When selecting the colors for my girls I knew it had to be reminiscent of the spring time since our wedding was in April.  I wanted very pretty spring colors. I chose Mint green, gold and cream with a pop of peach/coral. Walking down the aisle made me feel really calm actually. Aaron was the only person I was looking at and that totally made me feel at ease.

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When designing my reception I didn’t have a theme; I just knew I wanted it to feel romantic, elegant, minimalistic and beautiful. When I walked in during our entrance and saw the space I thought Wow, all of these beautiful faces (family/friends) are here for us! It was such a beautiful and overwhelming feeling that can’t be put to words. Our first dance was “I want you”, by Luke James. The lyrics are so powerful and it fits us so perfectly. Even now when I hear the song I vividly remember us on our wedding day dancing and talking like it was just the two of us. There were so many memorable moments throughout the night, but one in particular was while everyone was enjoying their dinner and socializing looking out into the reception and noticing how many of our family and friends came to witness our love and be present with us. Such an amazing feeling!

One thing I wish a Habeshabride had told me is the week of the wedding or days leading up to your wedding, really take the time out to just breathe, relax and enjoy the moments. The small details probably won’t even matter the day of, so take a nap and relax. I was pretty detailed when it came to time and being punctual during our wedding weekend. One thing I will say is always plan for more time, whether it is getting ready in the morning, pictures etc ALWAYS plan for more time. For the most part everything went smoothly, but for the Melse our sound guy that we hired for the weekend decided he wasn’t going to show up on Sunday. Thank goodness out families quickly jumped into action and made everything workout within hours of our Melse.

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For my Melse it really was really my mother’s baby, she did everything, I didn’t really have anything in particular I asked for. At the end of the day the decor, traditional elements were perfection and couldn’t have asked for anything better. Honestly throughout my zuria process it was such a hassle from the get go that I didn’t get my dress until the Thursday before the wedding weekend. Initially I wanted a very traditional dress similar to one my mother had when she was younger. Although I loved the traditional zuria I got, a lot of my family thought it didn’t look bridal enough, and that’s when the dress I wore at my melse came about. I did love the colors and style of my modern zuria I wore for the melse. For my bridesmaids It was a simple and clean look. I didn’t want them to wear something just for one day, but something they can wear on other occasions. We all loved the design and colors of the zurias they got. My favorite part of the Melse was enjoying the time with our guests in a much more relaxed environment and seeing everyone’s beautiful zurias. We had so much fun that we did not leave the dance floor the whole night! I would not change one thing about that day. One piece of advice I wish a Habesha Bride would have given me for the Melse would have been to take it all in. I feel like your Melse should be the day where you actually enjoy the day without feeling stressed and truly enjoy your guests and socializing with everyone. Good luck! 

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Vendor List:

Wedding Gown Vendor Name Maggie Sottero
Ceremony Location Name St. Joseph Catholic Church
Florist Vendor Name Bebe Decor- she took care of my flowers and overall decor for the whole wedding. Absolutely recommend!
Bridal party Attire Vendor(s) Name(s) Alfred Angelo.uhmm probably not, alterations were a headache to deal with.
Stationary Vendor Name Myself- yes I would do it  🙂
Photographer Vendor Name Samson of Nebsee Fotography- loved his work and he is so patient! Definitely recommend.
Videographer Vendor Name Sami, Nati Productions- Yes, would recommend.
Reception Venue Name Sheraton Hotel Downtown Dallas- yes, yes and yes!
Habeshalibs/Zuria Vendor Name Weinim from Addis Ababa.
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