🇲🇼 Diaspora Bride Diaries: Getting Married Back Home in Malawi

Meet Tendai & Jean-Paul
From Birmingham to Blantyre, this love story came full circle—wrapped in tradition, French elegance, and lakeside Malawian magic.

Tendai always knew she’d get married in Malawi. Though she’d grown up in the UK since age 7, her roots remained firmly planted in Blantyre soil—Sunday lunch at granny’s, Christmases at Ndirande, and the memory of playing barefoot by the mango tree at her childhood home.

So when Jean-Paul, a soft-spoken French-Congolese architect, proposed on a snowy winter walk in London, Tendai already had her heart set: “We’re getting married at home.”

✈️ Planning a Wedding Across Two Continents

Planning the wedding from Birmingham was no easy feat. Time zones. WhatsApp voice notes. Currency conversions. Vendor delays. But Tendai was determined.

With her aunties on the ground in Malawi and a local planner from Lilongwe, she managed to organise a three-day wedding experience that was equal parts cultural immersion and cosmopolitan charm.

“I didn’t want to parachute in and just ‘use’ Malawi as a backdrop,” she said. “I wanted to be present. To honour where I’m from.”

💒 The Ceremony – A Homecoming Full of Heart

The ceremony was held at a small church just outside Blantyre—a red brick chapel with stained glass windows and a hilltop breeze. Tendai walked down the aisle in a simple, backless ivory silk gown paired with a vibrant chitenje headwrap passed down from her late grandmother.

Her bouquet? Wildflowers and eucalyptus, foraged and arranged by her cousin.

Jean-Paul wore a tailored grey suit with a wax-print pocket square made from the same chitenje. He recited his vows in French, she responded in English—and their pastor blessed them in Chichewa.

Guests wept. Tendai’s mum ululated. Jean-Paul’s sisters clapped in rhythm. It was raw, real, and sacred.

🍴 The Reception – A Celebration of Cultures

Their reception took place at a family friend’s lakefront property. Long tables were dressed with handwoven runners, clay pots filled with fresh florals, and name cards written in three languages.

The menu included:

Chambo and nsima served as starters

Beef bourguignon (a nod to Jean-Paul’s heritage)

And plantain chips with Malawian relish for late-night snacking.

For dessert, they served a “cake table” with sweet potato cheesecake, banana fritters, and French macarons in the wedding colours—burnt orange, ivory, and emerald green.

💃🏾 The Vibes – Music, Dancing, and Diaspora Joy

The dancefloor opened with a traditional mganda performance, followed by a Congolese rumba set. Guests from Birmingham, Lubumbashi, Cape Town, and Lilongwe danced together like long-lost cousins.

The couple’s first dance was to “Zilibwino” by Wambali Mkandawire, and they ended the night under fairy lights, barefoot by the lake.

“This wasn’t just a wedding. It was a reunion of cultures, a love letter to Malawi, and a thank you to our ancestors,” Tendai shared.

💬 Final Reflections from the Diaspora Bride

“There were moments I questioned if we were crazy for planning this from abroad. But standing under that Malawian sky, surrounded by family—blood and chosen—I realised we’d done something deeper than a ceremony. We’d come home.”

Vendor Shouto