Trousseau: the clothes and other possessions collected by a woman who is soon going to be married, to begin married life with. From the French word trousse meaning small bundle. (Oxford Dictionary)

I was complaining about how many clothes i have to my mother when she popped the big word above. Clearly i need to read more coz I’d never heard before that night. Thing is, i hope to get married within the year and I’ll have to get rid of a lot of them. Some of the stuff i have can’t even be blamed on sentiment e.g. my high school blazer, why i keep it considering how much i hated high school is totally beyond me.

In some of our local marriage ceremonies collecting a woman’s trousseau is actually a big part of the ceremony. It’s either picked on the eve of the wedding day or on the day itself.

So what should you have in your trousseau?

1. Clothing. Further split into Loungewear, Lingerie, Special occasion dresses and work clothes.

Loungewear, if we are to be totally honest with ourselves this usually consists of oversize t-shirts, flannel pants or tracks and lessos. All furiously worn, more often than not with a gaping hole or two. Your mother mightn’t mind the sight of those rags but your hubby surely will. So for starters, get rid of them and find nicer things to wear. Of course a switch from your oversize high school t-shirt to lacey lingerie may be too drastic not to mention uncomfy but how about the silky/satiny camisole boxer-short combos that I’m sure you’ve seen around. Pretty yet comfortable. A little negligee (it’s essentially a dressing gown but instead of the ugly flannel, it’s made of silk and other thin fabric) wouldn’t go unnoticed should you need to pop outside to throw away the trash or something.

I feel I should mention here that those old stockings you cut up to cover your hair with have got to go. There are mesh-like black nets that are available even at your local salon for those who can’t do scarves. And if you do tie a scarf on your head before bed, funga naplan tafadhali, make it look as pretty as is possible should you be ‘called-on’ in the night.

Special Occasion dresses; these are your vitenges and saris. To reduce the amount of luggage you do move in with, keep it simple. Classic cuts, newer outfits and must-haves only. Keep in mind that you are accumulate a lot more clothes in your new life. So if you’ve had it for three years and you wore it once, darling, leave it behind.

 

Same for work clothes, you know that blouse with a hole in the back that you wear with a sweater on top to hide its flaws, throw it away, coz nobody will have it anyway. Take your new life as an opportunity to pimp your wardrobe as well. Any worn clothes you may have need to go.

 

I saved the best for last, well almost. Lingerie, your engagement party, your bridal shower and some of your wedding presents could have taken care of some this. You need to take care of the rest. This includes your underwear too dear not just the bamchikawowow pieces. All those seriously worn granny panties that we sometime retain for our ‘special’ days need to be got rid of. Even if he doesn’t come near you, you are going to need to hang it out to dry, are sure you want someone else to see those knickers now? I didn’t think so. Not all of us are thong inclined but there are loads of options out there.

 

If you didn’t receive any lingerie, get some. This is even better coz what you pick will be to your taste. Lingerie makes you feel sexier and look almost edible. Your wedding night is the first of many such nights so stock up on the sexy pieces.

 

The general rule of thumb here is if it has a hole in it or is discolored to the left with it (into the trash that is).

 

2. Linens. This is your towels and bed sheets and such like things. You’ll definitely get beddings as a wedding gift but if you have a favorite set, carry it along. Carry your own set of towels, coz in all likelihood you’ll need to replace his too J .

 

3. Toiletries and Make-up. The rule of thumb here is if it’s almost over just get a refill or buy a new one. You know that mascara bottle that you have to shake and add kidogo water to use, that’s what I’m talking about. Aibu ndogo ndogo wacha kwenu.

 

4. Bags and Shoes. Like the clothes above, if you have it used it in the last year, chances are you aren’t going to. The shoe with the broken heel and the bag with the worn handles, throw away. You are starting a new life and everything about you should show that.

 

 

5. Miscellaneous. A sewing kit (highly doubt he has one), books, soft toys (caution: please don’t turn your home into a nursery, a cuddly toy or two don’t overwhelm the guy). For the faint at heart, kindly stop reading here.

 

Your freaky gadgets, naughty nurse outfits are a definite must carry. Lube and edible underwear too.

If you had asked me what I would be doing in June 8, 2011 awhile ago I would probably have said working  with an N.G.O somewhere in Somalia or Sudan, as it is, now I find myself working at Divine Weddings limited (Bridal Shop). We sell/hire wedding dresses and tuxedos and also plan weddings.

My first thoughts  were how was I going to deal with panicking brides and the brides that think they know all there is to know about weddings?  Granted I am no an expert but I’m a planner in the making and our planner definitely is. Working with Susan Muriuki has been a blessing to me; a learning experience that has given me such insight in a very short time, that’s why I am now in the process of doing the certified wedding planning course myself.

Having sat through a few client meetings I can tell you from firsthand experience that planning a wedding can be a lot of fun or a lot of stress depending on how you look at it. When I first started working at the Divine Weddings Bridal Shop a client asked me if I was anxious to see myself in one of our dresses and quite frankly at the time I was not the least bit interested in the gowns, now my answer would be a very huge “YES”. Having dealt with a few brides and seeing the joy that a bride has in finding the perfect gown has turned this skeptic into quite the aficionado, I can now honestly say that I cannot wait for the day when I call my friends and say  ‘girls get your flats out, we are going shopping !’  Oh and “AM GETTING MARRIED !!!!!!!!!!”.

There is a joy you get as a sales person in seeing that you are part of the reason a bride is smiling. To see brides satisfied is the only reason for Divine Weddings, the company I work for, exists. When it comes to planning we have a saying “Don’t get tied in Knots, let us help you tie the Knot”. Simply do not get an ulcer because a vendor will not agree to a detail in your contract or is not doing what you want, come over to Divine Weddings and let us get that ulcer for at a reasonable fee of course. At Divine Weddings we turn your vision into a reality; if your wish is to have an African themed wedding or even a destination wedding at the coast we will make your dream come true.

Planning your wedding does not have to turn into a hellish affair that will make you wish he had not given you that ring in the first place? Wedding planning should be an adventure one that when you are old and grey you will sit with your grandchildren around a fire and tell them stories to make them want to go through the experience themselves. This is what we offer you at Divine Weddings a peaceful and enjoyable adventure that will lead up to an unforgettable day for you and your groom.

Brides are as different as night and day but the one thing that they all have in common is that all brides panic about anything and everything. One of my client’s for example did not believe that her dress would be safe if it left the shop to go for cleaning and my question to her was, ‘would you rather trust my cleaner or get married in a dirty dress?’ Thank God she chose to trust my cleaner.

From the little exposure that I have had with my clients I can now say that God truly does work   mysterious ways and I am happy that on 8^th of June 2011 I am at Divine Weddings.

 

 

 

 

 

Check back later!