Traditional African Wedding Attire

In Africa, the wedding attire can vary greatly by tribe and by country. There are thousands of different African tribes and each tribe has its own unique wedding traditions. Many of these traditions pay homage to the couple's roots and rich, historical culture.

Wedding Dresses

In Africa, most wedding dresses are custom made. In many countries, a wedding is held over the course of several days and many brides wear a different dress for each occasion. Today, many traditional African wedding dresses are infused with elements of Western design. Most brides wear dresses that are made out of rich fabrics with vibrant colors. Ankara and voile lace are two fabrics that are widely used when designing African wedding dresses.

Wedding Clothing

For women, skirts with a matching blouse and head wrap are worn as traditional African attire. The ensemble can be made out of different types of fabric. Both men and women can accessorize their outfit with an African Kente Cloth. This cloth originated in Ghana, and is worn draped over the shoulder.

Traditional Men's Attire

African men typically don embroidered dashikis when they attend a wedding. A dashiki can be very simple, or with the right type of stitching and handiwork, be very formal and elegant. An essential component of wedding attire is the Agbada. This formal piece of clothing is tailored to correspond with the bride's outfit, and is even more formal than a dashiki. A Kufi Hat is a form of head gear for men that is worn to complement their wedding outfit.

Traditional Children's Attire

Typically, little girls wear three piece skirt sets that consist of a blouse, matching skirt and headgear. Young ladies wear fashionable dashikis that function as dresses. Little boys tend to wear dashiki sets with matching pants.