HARARE – Inside a rusty old caravan, brides-to-be try on gleaming white wedding dresses whose pricetag would normally put them way out of reach.
Parked to the side of a Harare courthouse where couples go to tie the knot, the caravan even enables brides to get fitted on the way to getting wed. It is not exactly something borrowed — the business is a commercial venture, hiring out wedding dresses, bouquets and decorations.
However, in Zimbabwe, plagued for decades by poverty, unemployment and high inflation, the rental service is an affordable godsend.
“Young and old, they come in here,” said Daphne Siwardi, the elegant 37-year-old owner, her hair pulled back in short dreadlocks.
Brides can have their hair and makeup done too before heading into the Magistrates Court to make their vows.
Typically, Siwardi has up to six customers a day.
Brides arrive first thing to prepare for their big day, before meeting their groom outside and going to the ceremony, she said, sorting through a rail of Chinese-made gowns.
Mother-of-three Gloria Mutero, 45, is won over.
“To buy from somewhere is very expensive,” she said, adding that renting a dress from a shop in town costs US$150.
However, she said she was unwilling to spend a lot on something she would only wear for “three [or] four hours.”
“I like this one,” she said, looking at a dress on display in the caravan.
It is “decent” and “cheap,” she added.
“Maybe if I negotiate, they are going to give it to me for US$50,” she said, looking toward Siwardi and her assistants.
The white-roofed caravan is one of three offering similar services outside the court.
Siwardi, a widow and former teacher with a broad smile, said her profession has at times turned her into a confidante — particularly for brides who “rush” into things.
“Some call maybe after a month and say: ‘I want to divorce,’” she said with a giggle. – AFP
