The Black experience is never a monolith, however, there is a commonality many face when it comes to living their lives; having an internal struggle with honoring and acknowledging their culture as loudly in private as they do in public.
And while the reasoning behind this issue varies from person to person, it’s a common issue many Black persons face, especially in this country due to our troubled past within the historical context. However, a new day is on the horizon and autonomy is something everyone can and should have access to, particularly brides.
Though many hold the assumption that your wedding day is an opportunity for you to be as traditional as possible, what the word “tradition” in the bridal scene often translates to is “white-leaning” with white imagery to further back the statement.
But for the Black Bride, the idea of tradition holds much more weight than a deemed “traditional” aesthetic ever could, which causes many melanated wives-to-be to find themselves struggling to define what bridal buzzwords like “classic” and “timeless” look like for them and if they should include their culture in their bridal fashion to begin with.
Black Bridal Hood is rooted in a rich heritage and because of that, the nuances that come with its expansive POV should be reassuring to Black Brides everywhere.
With its plethora of cultures to identify with, Black Brides open themselves up to the opportunity to show up for their love story on their big day in a richly nuanced and specific way. Through the medium of fashion, we see a multitude of opportunities to not just “serve a look” but honor our past while showing up for a future in a rather literal sense.
And in a world that serves a purpose of taking our sense of cultural identity away from us, repping our individual ancestral and cultural backstories on the biggest day of our lives seems like the most poetic form of resistance, protest and activism for a Black Bride.
Kaftans, headdresses, stacked ornate jewels and robes; there are a number of cultural fashion pieces that can invite your ancestral background into your big day. And by initiating their appearance in your wedding look, you ignite onlookers to revel in a complexified style moment that embraces all of who you are.
So, the question remains; “Should You Include Your Culture in Your Bridal Fashion?”
But the answer is within you.
Altogether beautiful, you, just as you are, are a representative of your culture. And showing up as your most authentic self for your big day and honoring the idea of “tradition” in the way that feels most natural for you is the best way to include your culture into your bridal look.
If you are a Black Bride struggling to figure out whether you should embrace your cultural background for your big day, leave the finding of that answer to no one else but yourself but find that answer with the knowing that while your culture is not a costume, you can add it into your bridal wardrobe to up the ante in any way you please.
Whether that’s rocking some bamboo hoop earrings like Tracee Ellis Ross, donning a ‘fro like Solange, slipping into an elegant kaftan for your reception like Rihanna or wearing beautiful, African garb like Porsha Williams; the choice is yours. And whichever direction you choose, know that you made the right decision and you made your culture proud.
Written by Fashion & Beauty Writer, Kennedi LéShea.
