Bamako Weddings

Bamako Weddings

I began getting into wedding photography while living in Bamako, Mali. For anyone who has spent time in Mali or listened to Amadou & Mariam’s "Dimanche a Bamako," this might make some sense. Weddings in Mali, as in other West African countries, are bursting with energy, and brimming with colorful and ceremonial inspiration. In many ways, a photographer’s dream.

This page contains a collection of images from two Christian weddings and one Muslim wedding in Bamako. The couples featured in the photographs are Rachelle & David (friends from church), Youma & Moussa (neighbors), and Badji & Ibrahim (one of my Malian sisters). In Bamako, a wedding day typically begins around 5am when the bridal party gathers at a local hair salon. Following is some combinations of familial house visits, portraits, and the signing of marriage documents at the courthouse. The climax of Christian weddings is music and vows in a local church. Every wedding day closes out with a stampeding street party that lasts into the night.