Love & Strength
Black Panther Inspires Luxe Wedding Shoot on Livingstone Island, Zambia
Mwai Yeboah of Love From Mwai radiates strength and creativity as a proud Zambian woman and multi-awarding winning wedding planner. She recently channelled her immense wells of energy into conceptualising and carrying out a wedding editorial at one of Southern Africa’s most famous natural and cultural heritage sites – Victoria Falls and Livingstone Island, Zambia. It’s here, on what feels like the top of the world, that Mwai brought to life a celebration worthy of royalty and inspired by the internationally-acclaimed film, Black Panther.
Livingstone Island sits at the heart of Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya or ‘The Smoke That Thunders’. This waterfall is the largest curtain of falling water in the world, and the combination of power and beauty that makes up any Victoria Falls experience is the reason that it has been named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. What place more perfectly epitomises the bold contrasts of love, and the courage to take the plunge to marry and spend life together?
The wedding ceremony was a gorgeous curation of luxe outfits for the bride and groom, vibrant shweshwe, skins and feathers for wedding guests, and offerings of local botanicals, fruits and vegetables. It all took place on the edge of a cliff that drops into the Batoka Gorge, against a backdrop of luscious greenery, rocky outcrops, and the spray and rushing sounds of the Falls. The festivities highlighted the nuances of Zambian culture and nature, while also pulling through strong elements of Wakanda, the fictional sub-Saharan African country in Black Panther.
Mwai has travelled the world, designing highly bespoke weddings for couples in diverse locations, but her heart remains firmly in Zambia and the people that call it home. She put together this extraordinary set with the teams of Tongabezi Lodge and Sindabezi Island Camp, which are both found a few kilometres upstream of Victoria Falls on the Zambezi Riverbanks.
Tongabezi then threw a Wakanda-inspired feast at their main lodge for Mwai and her wedding team, complete with fruit and vegetables from their own organic garden, and the day ended with a female empowerment shoot on the river decks overlooking the Zambezi.
IMAGES
Eva Tarnok Photography www.evatarnok.com
Stepan Vrzala Photography www.stepanvrzala.com
WanderGlider www.wanderglider.com
THE TEAM
Mwai Yeboah Wedding Planner www.lovefrommwai.co.uk
Tongabezi Lodge www.greensafaris.com/tongabezi
Sindabezi Island www.greensafaris.com/sindabezi
Livingstone Island www.greensafaris.com/livingstone-island
Models Lonah Shawa & Leon Mukhola
