Susan's Wedding

Yesterday, the assistant coordinator of my program got married! 

While in Kumasi, Katie, Kelly, and I bought traditional Ghanaian fabric to be made into dresses for the wedding. Susan took us to her seamstress. She told us that most seamstresses in Ghana are women who didn't go to university; however, her seamstress went to a four year university and some type of design/art school for an additional two years. For this reason, and because I wasn't quiet sure what style I wanted, I just let the seamstress do her thing. This is what she came up with:

 Pretty cool, eh?

 The Ghanaian symbols on the fabric signify supremacy and strength and humility.

Kelly, Katie, and I in our dresses! 

The wedding was very...Ghanaian. It started over 30 minutes late and lasted over two hours. 

 Susan and her dad walking down the aisle

The wedding was a beautiful blend of old and new. Both of Susan's parents were dressed in incredible Ghanaian kente cloth.

 The ceremony was more like a regular church service with elements of a wedding woven in. The focus seemed to be on Andy and Susan's relationship with God as opposed to each other

. In Ghana, there are still very defined roles for men and women. The ceremony placed special emphasis on the idea that the man is the head of the household and the woman is subservient.

 Mr. and Mrs. Andy Akpebu

THE CAKE!!!

Unfortunately, the cake did not taste as wonderful as it looked. It was really dense and tasted like a combination of carrot cake and corn bread. The icing was the consistency of a thick paste and didn't have much flavor. Ghanaians just don't seem to have dessert quiet right. Needless to say, I am going to take my wedding cake very seriously.

 Most importantly, I've never seen Susan so happy! It was so nice of her to include us in a very special day.

Susan's wedding has me eagerly waiting for two upcoming weddings. 

Alex and Nicole will be married in Blacksburg, VA in June 2013!!! I'm a bridesmaid, YAY!

Andddddd,

Ashleigh, one of my best friends, recently got engaged and will start planning her wedding following her graduation from VT in May. Her fiancee, Alex, is about to finish tech school for the Air Force. He's been stationed in Virginia Beach, so Asheligh hopes to get a job in the area and settle there with him.

I know this is horribly cliche, but the idea of these two weddings nearly makes me bubble over with excitement :):):)