Book Recommendations | Weddings with an Afrocentric Twist

If April showers bring May flowers, then what does the month of June bring? Weddings, of course! According to the National Association of Wedding Ministers, every year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the U.S. with 10.8% of them taking place in the month of June. Therefore June, compared to other popular wedding months (August with 10.2%, May with 9.8% and September with 9.6%), is considered to be the most popular month for brides and grooms to enjoy intimate or spectacular wedding events with their families and friends.

This association also reports that about 15% of the weddings performed each year include ethnic customs and that number will steadily rise as more couples, African-Americans in particular, break away from old wedding traditions to make a cultural statement on one of the most important days of their lives. In years past, finding the perfect attire and equipment for an Afrocentric style wedding was a daunting task because very little information was available for couples to refer to. Today, all that has changed and below are some of the best books and wedding guides written for those who want to add an Afrocentric, "I DO" on their wedding day.

Jumping the Broom, Second Edition: The African-American Wedding Planner
Harriet Cole
Owl Books
ISBN: 0805073299

Jumping the Broom is newly revised for the twenty-first century. This bestselling and first comprehensive wedding guide written and designed expressly for African Americans, presents everything you need to know to plan an event that is truly an expression of your personal style and heritage.

The Afrocentric Bride: A Style Guide
Therez Fleetwood (Author), Yvonne Rose (Editor), Editor-In-Chief, The Knot Carley Roney (Foreword)
Amber Books
ISBN: 0972751912

This is the nation's #1 African-American bridal book. This internationally acclaimed styling guide for brides of color has shown thousands of women how to successfully present their "perfect wedding day."

Going to the Chapel: From Traditional to African Inspired, and Everything in Between-The Ultimate Wedding Guide for Today's Black Couple
Signature Bride Magazine (Editor)
Berkeley Publishing Group
ISBN: 0425176509

Traditional? Trendy? No matter what your taste, you'll find everything you need to plan the wedding of your dreams in this comprehensive wedding guide for people of color. Written with a smart style & lively tone, this book includes: a 16-page full-color "wedding album," featuring traditional European-inspired, Afrocentric, & avant-garde wedding apparel; more than 120 striking B&W photographs illustrating hairstyles, head wraps, jewelry, & more; practical advice on invitations, meals, music, & everything else you need to make the wedding perfect; tips from Black designers & other experts on how to put together your best wedding-day look; & much more.

Vows: The African-American Couples' Guide to Designing a Sacred Ceremony
Harriette Cole, George Chinsee (Photographer)
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0684873133

In her new book, Vows, Cole turns her attention to the heart of the special day: the wedding ceremony. With everything that is involved in planning a wedding, it is easy to get so caught up in all the details of the celebration that you lose sight of the significance of what you are actually doing - committing to make a life together. In this beautiful volume, Cole gives you the guidance and inspiration you need to focus your energy on the spiritual and sacred aspect of your wedding day.

Down That Aisle in Style!: A Wedding Guide for the Full-figured Woman
Charmein Canton
Windriver Publishing
ISBN: 188624913X

For many reasons the fashion industry has centered itself on the beauty of a minority of women - short and slender - but this is changing. Today women of all shapes and sizes are challenging the world to find them anything but beautiful, and with this confidence comes the desire to make their wedding day - that day of days - the most beautiful of all. This guide focuses on the resources, advice and encouragement (generously mixed with photographs of beautiful full figured women) that will help women around the world plan one of the most important days of their lives - their wedding day.

African-American Wedding Readings
Tamara Nikuradse
Plume
ISBN: 0452280230

A beautiful treasury of prose, poetry, and song, African-American Wedding Readings offers a complete range of selections for every significant nuptial moment. From the proposal, bridal shower, and rehearsal dinner to the actual ceremony, reception toasts, and the honeymoon, excerpts from a wide variety of sources supply the perfect words to express joy, exuberance, and romance. Drawing on the Bible, prose and poetry from past and contemporary writers, as well as love letters by prominent African-Americans, Tamara Nikuradse provides inspiration for brides and grooms, wedding party members, parents, and clergy - anyone who wants to commemorate a wondrous event with the best possible words.

The African Roots Of Jumping The Broom
Tolagbe Ogunleye
Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1413458157

This book examines the matrimonial practice known as "Jumping the Broom" from an African-centered perspective and dispels the myth of a Gypsy origin of this ritual. Ogunleye traces this customs foundations to Africa and demonstrates that it was the Africans who migrated to the British Isles during antiquity who created and initially practiced this nuptial. Ogunleye situates this custom within earlier matrimonial rites and measures to safeguard marriages and family abodes. She illustrates that this traditions roots are discernible in the cosmologies, moral codes of conduct, religious beliefs, and proscriptions of the ancient Khamites (Egyptians), Nubians, Khoisan, Twa, and Yoruba.