My name is Hililina I’m 27. Ethiopian:) University of Miami grad, 2011and studied physiology. Currently I  work as a teacher to homeschooled students and give private training for SAT/ACT. Also studying a masters degree in Mental Health counseling. I met my hubby through a friend. I was in Ethiopian working on my first Amharic Christian album (Egziyabeher Telek) and he happened to be best friends with the person who took a main role in making the album happen. During our 6 months anniversary. He took me to a nice place for dinner, we ordered, and when the food came he asked me to pray for the food and our relationship lol (it was bizarre to pray for our relationship when we were about to eat but I guess he was trying to buy time and I did it anyways lol). And when I opened my eyes after the prayer, he was down on 2 knees lol, apparently my prayer took too long, so he couldn’t stay on one knee anymore. Haha My first thought … “This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made” 🙂

Our wedding was in Ethiopia and when I woke up on the wedding day I remember feeling excitement and peace. Having my bridesmaids also made me feel complete! My wedding gown was everything I imagined. Just perfect for me. And the moment of walking down the aisle I was so happy. I couldn’t believe the day actually came!  The overall theme for our wedding was glam but simple to create a classic, vintage look. When we walked into our reception I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! The most memorable moment of the night was my hubby reading a poem he wrote for me. And the worship time we had :)) Kal singing! The only thing I would have changed for the day would have been to not have a lunch and dinner reception. It made the day too hectic.

The traditional days that we celebrated were the Melse and Kilikil. The habesha elements that were a must were the Dabo Sim ceremony, traditional libs, decor and food. I picked my kemis because it was just beautiful. Made perfectly for me! For my girls we had them match with my dress. One piece of traditional day planning advice I would give to other HabeshaBrides would be to order the libs a few months ahead and make sure you do a couple of fittings! Good Luck!

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