15 African Traditional Bridesmaid Dresses That Nailed It

Cute Bridesmaid African Dresses

Today we are talking about African traditional bridesmaid dresses.

We love anything traditional!

From extravagant Congolese blowouts to long and fun Ethiopian celebrations, African weddings are known to be massive events where ever you are in the world.

Traditional weddings are extremely important as these are typically the first gathering where the families get to meet formally!

This alone is a huge deal.

If your event or wedding features cultural elements, we want to hear from you.

Weddings representing certain cultural elements and a lot of diversity in their wedding party always have us smiling.

Finding the perfect African Traditional dress for your bridal party can be difficult but doable.

Agreeing on the material to be used, colours and possibly other accessories may be the hard part of deciding on the perfect African bridesmaid dress. 

But we can all safely agree that bridesmaid African dresses are simply gorgeous. 

Why are these dresses beautiful?

Because they are vibrant, colourful and have lots of amazing details!

As an African, I knew I had to add a few African elements to my wedding when I was getting married. 

My mom had me consider:

• The religious part of the wedding
• The traditional African wedding aspect
• The civil marriage – going down to city hall

I considered them all and incorporated them into my wedding. 

If you plan on having a traditional wedding, I hope these bridesmaid traditional dresses inspire you even more to get started with your wedding planning. 

African-themed bridesmaid dresses come in all sorts of different styles and designs.

The fabrics, colours, and material patterns are important factors in the style and type of African bridesmaid dresses you choose.

You also need to consider what part of Africa you come from and if you combine different cultures or tribes as part of your big day. 

Lucky for you, we took our time and curated some of the most stunning bridesmaid African dresses that you will love. 

Whether you are looking for:

• Simple traditional attires from Africa

• Extremely traditional bridesmaid dresses

• Colourful African traditional bridesmaid dresses

• Or tips on getting your hands on one of these beauties

I got you!

We have a little bit of everything for everyone. 

We made it a point to find amazing African bridesmaid dress designs to help inspire you during your own wedding planning. 

I know African brides are starting to shy away from the usual white gown wedding style and are now embracing the unique aspect of African traditional weddings. 

And we should. 

The dresses are unique and beautiful. 

We believe the wedding parties below nailed them perfectly! 

If you are looking for African-inspired bridesmaid dresses, you have come to the right place. 

So what are the best bridesmaid traditional dresses?

Before we get started on our best African traditional bridesmaid dresses, we wanted you to take the time to like our Facebook Page here! We use affiliate links in our blog posts, meaning we can make a commission if you use any of our affiliate links.

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15 African traditional bridesmaid dress ideas

Whether you are from Nigeria, South Africa or Zambia like me, these African traditional bridesmaid dresses should help inspire you in your search to find something unique for your bridal party. 

You will come to see these traditional wedding dresses for bridesmaids are simply gorgeous.

The colours are to die for as they are bold and make everything stand out. 

And if you can get your florist to make killer bouquets, you will have art in your hands.

You want to ensure the bouquets complement the traditional dress perfectly. 

Whether you have a huge bridal party or not, accessories can make these African dresses stand out even more.

Think traditional headpieces, print clutches and African jewelry.

They look amazing and complete the look perfectly. 

Other cute accessories you can incorporate with your traditional African bridesmaid dresses include a nice belt to help accentuate the waist, complimentary shoes with a matching fabric to the dress and any other traditional element your culture carries. 

You will see from the  African traditional bridesmaid dresses below that the bridal party used great accessories to make everything come together flawlessly. 

I truly love the yellow African bridesmaid dresses below, as well as the look of the mix and match dresses. 

Bridesmaid dresses in Africa are uniquely created. 

Using traditional attires for your bridesmaid is one of the best ways to announce your ethnicity.

Here are 15 traditional African bridesmaid dresses  that we love:

Photo: @Rwandan wedding

Source: Photographer: Koa Photography Via: Patch Work It

Source: We Love Ghana Weddings

Source: African Fashion House

Photos by Tamara Gruner planned & designed by Isabelle Kline Design

Via Orange Blossom Special Events

Source: Kaysweddings-Instagram)

Bridesmaids Dresses: @shopfatimadiallo / Photographer: @shotbysaliou

Source: Photographer @jema_photography @bebegallery

There you have it, the best African bridesmaid dresses for African weddings!

African prints come in all sorts of colours, materials and designs. 

I love the Ankara Fashion styles, the most popular African print fabric for making African clothing. 

I grew up surrounded by chintege materials, and I often use these to make my dresses.

The chitenge(or kitenge) is an African garment similar to the sarong, often worn by both women and men.

Embroidery patterns vary depending on the dress styles you pick. 

Beautiful Types of African Print Fabrics:

• African Wax
• Ankara/ Kitenge Fabric
• African lace fabrics
• African french lace fabric

And so much more. 

There is a broad range of gorgeous patterns, styles, and colours to choose from!

The bridesmaid dresses for African weddings can also be made from cotton, linen, or silk.  

Don’t shy away from incorporating or using materials such as satin, gold and lace.

Remember, Africa is huge and is made up of different cultures. 

This means fabrics and materials differ a lot. 

You can choose to purchase your African bridesmaid dresses online, but we do not recommend that. 

The sizing is usually made specific to your sizing. 

We recommend finding someone local to make the styles and designs for you and your bridal party. 

I know there are specialists available almost all over the world that are great at making these dresses. 

You will need to ask around and do some research. 

We did our best to share a few different African traditional wedding dresses for bridesmaids that you can use as inspiration. 

Whichever dress you love the most, take it to your local tailor familiar with making African dresses and have them design something similar with your own spin. 

Which of these African bridesmaid dress designs do you like?

Do you love them, or do you seriously love them?

Leave your comments below!

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Read next:

• Mix and match bridesmaid dresses
• Bridesmaid dress shopping tips
• Shop Lulu’s wedding dresses
• 7 Must-have pre-wedding dresses for brides
• Long flowy dresses for engagement shoots

Don’t forget to check out the wedding printable shop for your wedding planning checklists, worksheets, and freebies. 

15 African Traditional Bridesmaid Dresses That Nailed It