Cures to the Kenyan copy cat syndrome

copy cat is trendy..its time to kick out the old and bring in the new fresh trendy ideas. Photo's courtesy of sxc.hu

Kenyan weddings are a wonder to behold! Not because of the beautiful wedding décor, or the blushing bride on wedding day morning or the tantalizing tasty wedding buffet no…not because of  any of the afore mentioned but because of the phenomenon  called the copy cat wedding syndrome.

How many weddings have you attended this year? Well if the answer to the question is likely to be three, I can almost bet that two of the weddings that you went for almost looked identical with the only difference being the names of the couple and of course the color scheme.The wedding themes might have been surprisingly different but the final result looked oddly similar.

The above phenomenon is called " The Copy Cat Syndrome", and is unfortunately killing weddings one by one. So in this article we shall be curing the syndrome by telling you the usual symptoms to look out for and giving you quick remedies that can help prevent your wedding from falling prey to this deadly trend!

The Copy Cat Syndrome defined:

It all began when Susan went to Sharon's wedding and noticed her reception layout.She was amazed at how beautiful it looked and when Jim ( her fiancé) popped the question she remembered how beautiful Sharon's wedding was and all she did was pick up a phone and armed with photos, that she got from the paparazzi who were outside at the reception that day, she went  to all of Sharon's service providers and her one request was can I please have a wedding like Sharon?

Well, we believe that's how the copy cat syndrome began. With one bride/ groom/ service provider simply replicating what he/ she/they saw at one wedding and now most weddings in Nairobi look the same.

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with you using one or two service providers who your friend used for their wedding or replicating a wedding card invitation design, the problem Is when a wedding ends up being quite similar to another couple's hence resulting in the couple's identity being los.

Causes of the copy cat syndrome:

So, what causes the copy cat syndrome?

LACK OF CREATIVITY: This is mainly on the part of service providers. Each couple should represent a new wedding challenge, to the wedding service provider. The service providers  ought to offer each couple unique solutions with regards to their personality, tastes and preferences. Your wedding service provider's  portfolio is not supposed to be a catalogue for you as a client to choose your  wedding product it is supposed to show you samples of work they have previously done and it forms a foundation on which you can discuss your wedding. Your wedding service provider should be able to create and design your own signature wedding.

AVOIDING NEW IDEAS: This is on the part of you the bride and groom. No one ever wants to walk the road less travelled especially when it comes to wedding day so you find that a lot of the couple' s prefer to go for the safer option of doing something that has been done before. Unlike the west we are not open to new ideas either because of the fear of trying something new or because we are afraid of the cost implications.

IGNORANCE:  This is both  by the service provider and the couple. We tend to be lazy with regards to weddings. The service providers do not  want to research on the new ideas for the bouquets, the  bride does not bother finding out what gowns are suitable for her body shape, the groom could be least bothered about the wedding all he keeps on looking at is wedding budget. Ignorance in this case will surely not be bliss. Research, read and see what you can implement in your wedding. You only get married once you ought to do it in style.

The cure to the copy cat syndrome:

Back in the day, when our parents were saying I do, there was nothing like seat covers, all weddings were in striped tents, ( these came in two varieties green and white, red and white), the term " centerpiece" had not yet been invented and everyone got their wedding invitations printed in India and distributed from a local wedding ring shop down at river road.

Then came the 90's, we saw the wedding bridal party march/ dance become the hottest trend down wedding aisles. You remember the days when the bridal party would practice steps in church!!The flower girl had the tedious job of always walking behind the bride carrying her wedding gown train while fluffing it and who can forget the staired (" tiered") cake, in fact the  hottest wedding cake was one that had five " stairs". Towards the late 90's balloon arch's were a hit and not forgetting the crepe paper initials at the back of the tent/ or in the hall.

Come the new millennium all weddings have their seats dressed, the hottest thing in 2000,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08 and still in  09 is garden weddings with the cake gazebo in the middle, the tulle walkway with the white netting and the bride with her gel up do and tiered bible cakes, with pots and fruit baskets.

The main problem with all the weddings above, is that they looked the same and fit in  time with an era. You would want your wedding to look timeless.If you have a wedding where you take the time to design each element you will avoid this. Here are a few tips that could help you cure the copy cat syndrome:

1.Be Yourself: is your favorite color blue ( have it in your wedding day), do you hate flowers ( no need to have them in your wedding you could just have accessories). Be yourself work together with service providers that will be able to implement your wedding vision. Do not be afraid of incorporating your  desires into your wedding day after all it only comes once.

2.Be Choosy: Go over your wedding service providers portfolio's as a sample of the work they have done previously. Be careful if you see similar designs replicated in the weddings that they showcase. Your service provider should be at a position of giving you a pre-wedding sample for all your services e.g. your wedding centerpiece e.t.c  Having a sample of your wedding services, before wedding day,   gives you an opportunity  to ensure that nothing will be replicated. Be wary of service provider that lack creativity.

3.Be Creative: Create an inspiration board and do research over the internet and get inspiration from other brides. Most couple's  e.g. believe that you have to use roses for your floral arrangements but we are lucky to be in a county that is a floriculture hub and we have a wide selection of flowers that we could use. Attend different bridal shows, bridal talks and consult with wedding  professionals. Pay close attention to the details and don’t  be afraid to dare to be different.