Its well known that when the new Duke of Sussex (Prince Harry) married the American Actress, Megan Markle, they had a mixture of traditional and modern rules for their wedding. Gone is the era of the cookie-cutter wedding; you can celebrate your own way. Forget the “have to” and should” about your nuptials. there are no hard and fast rules, expect one: Be a gracious bride and groom while letting your true style shine. Here are a few rules we are sure some brides are longing to break and do away with:

You don’t have to wear white.

This season bridal designers showed scene-stealing creations in blush, pale blue and even rich red. You can also get away with a knee length dresse or a white trouser suit if you are bold enough. Some African and Zambian brides are opting for traditional look fabrics which are gaining in popularity. No matter its hue, you will look radiant in whatever knockout frock you decide to wear.

You can ask anyone to be in your party.

Your mum may have had to line up friends to pair off with your dad’s groomsmen, but you two needn’t be so matchy-matchy. Have any one you want to stand up with you both- a man of honour, grooms maids (may be a little bit tricky when it’s an African wedding) and don’t worry about having an equal number of him and hers. They can walk up the aisle solo or in groups of three. They don’t have to wear the same thing either. Devise a palette of up to 3 hues. Hand your maids’ swatches or pain chips and let them choose their own outfits if they stick to colours, even African prints are fair game.

You can send out a handwritten Invitation.

We love letterpress, adore embossing and fall hard for flat printing, but if these aren’t your type or the traditional wording of an invitation doesn’t feel like you, then write something that does; its bound to be one of a kind. Use your invitees’ names to make it personal and be sure to include all details.

You can have any stone in any setting.

Diamonds are some girls best friend, but other brides prefer garnets, pearls or sapphires. If it came with a proposal, the any stone can function as an engagement ring. You don’t even need to follow the fourth-finger, left hand custom in Europe, many people wear a wedding band on the right hand. Any ring, given and worn with love is a fitting symbol of something with no beginning or end.

Your flowers and favours can do double -duty.

Less is more when you combine two elements. Ceremony flowers can reappear at your reception, and for example and gorgeous escort cards will work as favours too.

You can make your Reception venue feel more like home.

You probably can’t spend lots of time with each guest, but you can promote an intimate at -home dinner-party atmosphere by surrounding invitees with a few of your favourite things. Create a unified table with the same flatware and china at each place, then fill the centre with an array of beloved objects- from registry gifts to a stash of personal curios.

You can serve whatever you want with Dessert.

If your sweet tooth is satisfied by the cake, offer something savoury, like cheese, etc after dinner. To set up an appealing array, order a mixture of mild and strong flavours, different textures and cheeses made with goat, cow or sheep milk. You can also come up with tropical desserts using ingredients found in Zambia only. Add name tags so guests know what they are diving into, then pair some of the food with breads, stone fruits, nuts etc and display on pedestals of varying heights. Finally, introduce an element that will surprise everyone such as a honeycomb. (you know Zambia has some of the best raw organic honey).
We hope this list will inspire you to do away with some traditions, come up with you own unique ones to make you stand out.