Hawa Hassan and Kwame Apraku’s Mexico City Wedding Put a Contemporary Twist on Somali and Ghanaian Traditions
James Beard–winning cookbook author and TV personality Hawa Hassan first met her future husband, engineer Kwame Apraku, close to home—but a trip across an ocean was needed for them to exchange numbers. The pair initially crossed paths in September 2018 at Dumbo House. “I was hanging out with a group of friends and Kwame was working right next to them,” shares the bride. “At some point, I was spraying her face with rose water and offered to spray Kwame’s face. We had a brief chit-chat and went on with our day. No names or contact info were exchanged.”
Their next meeting took place by chance 18 months later in Accra, Ghana. Kwame was home with his family for Christmas and Hawa was in town for the “Year of Return,” an initiative memorializing 400 years since the first slave ship left Africa. “We ran into each other at a house party at Hawa’s friend’s backyard,” says Kwame. “I walked up to Hawa and said, ‘You’re the girl from Dumbo House!’” They finally exchanged information and had their first date in January 2020 back in New York.
Kwame planned to propose to Hawa while they were on a three-week trip to Japan. However, the vacation almost fell through as Kwame’s passport renewal was running behind. “Just two days before departure, we nearly canceled the trip, but Kwame found someone on Instagram offering a same-day passport renewal appointment for $300, which saved the day,” says Hawa. “After eating our way through Tokyo and visiting friends, we headed to Kyoto for a few days of peace and quiet. It was there, in a beautiful, quaint garden, that Kwame popped the question.”
Initially, Hawa and Kwame were set on hosting their nuptials in Lisbon as it would be an easy middle ground for family and friends on multiple continents to meet. The bride even spent six weeks in Portugal while planning the event. However, due to complications, the couple shifted their wedding destination to Mexico City, a place they both love and spent time in together, just six weeks before the event. The new celebration was held on April 26, 2024, at Liverpool 76, a historic building in the Juarez neighborhood operated by Table Studio that once served as the headquarters for active members of the Mexican Revolution.
While the couple admitted the wedding planning was hectic, they took the pivot in their stride. “We approached the wedding the same way we approach most things in our lives—as teammates,” says Kwame, noting they also worked with planning team Tremenda Event Makers. “Hawa handled communication duties while I took charge of the planning. We put guardrails in place to ensure the planning process would not add an unnecessary burden to our relationship.”
While deciding upon their venue took some work, Hawa and Kwame both had a clear vision for their wedding attire. “We both knew from the start that we wanted to create custom pieces that honored our Ghanaian and Somali heritage,” says Hawa. These pieces were created to be worn during the traditional part of their celebration as they danced the Adowa. “I wore a traditional Somali outfit called a Dirac, lovingly sourced by her mother,” the bride explains. “Kwame, who was raised by the Queen Mother of Bonwire, the town in Ghana where kente cloth originated, had a custom kente cloth made to reflect that deep cultural connection.”
For his wedding and after-party looks, Kwame collaborated with his friend, designer Akief Sheriff, to create two custom Mokief suits. “The process began with ideas tossed onto a Pinterest board, which evolved into a vision for a double-breasted beige gabardine suit for the ceremony and a double-breasted black linen suit for the after-party,” he says. As for Hawa, she went deep into the design process with the help of her friend Zoya Jarrett and Chinamine to create a beautiful strapless gown with full off-the-shoulder sleeves that could be added and removed throughout the celebration to change up the look. “As expected, adjustments were made along the way, and everything came together just a week before the wedding, with final touches completed by Allen Tailoring Cleaners in the East Village,” says the bride. “In the end, everything turned out beautifully.” To accessorize, Hawa received gold jewelry from her mother and siblings—a tradition in Somali culture—and donned a diamond necklace and earrings gifted by her best friend Noelle. She also worked with her longtime makeup artist Denise Dihn and hairstylist Jessica O’Brien to complete a beauty look that made her feel like herself.
While the couple did not have a wedding party, some of their closest friends flew in early to surprise them with a special night out. “The guys had dinner at Botanico and the ladies had dinner at Blanco Colima,” remembers Kwame. “After, we all met at Tokyo Music Bar for a private after-party.” The official events began the next day with welcome drinks at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery. The couple ran into Ibrahim while visiting Ghana in December 2023. “Although she wasn’t going to be around, she insisted we use her space to host anything we wanted,” Hawa shares. “Coincidentally, the exhibition at the time of the welcome drinks was from world-renowned Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. It was serendipitous for host representation from our cultures in Mexico City and it set the tone for the whole weekend.”
The wedding day arrived and guests filled inside the venue adorned with tropical florals. “The ceremony was heartwarming and intentionally brief,” says Hawa. Her longtime friend Khary Lazarre-White, a lawyer and founder of the Harlem-based nonprofit Brotherhood Sister Sol, served as officiant. It was a full-circle moment as Khary was present when the bride and groom both first met at Dumbo House. “I was a mix of nerves and pure joy,” says Hawa of the ceremony. “It felt surreal to look around and see a room filled with all the faces we love, gathered there for us. I kept thinking, ‘We really made this happen!’ It was an incredible realization that all the planning and effort had led to this beautiful celebration of our love.”
After the ceremony, the couple took a moment to themselves and had a quick outfit change before they greeted guests at cocktail hour and had their first dance. “There were so many unforgettable moments from that day,” Hawa recalls. “One moment that stands out is when my mom danced with Kwame. Watching her let loose and enjoy herself was such a beautiful sight—something I’ll never forget. There was also a powerful moment when Kwame honored our mothers, acknowledging their unimaginable courage and sacrifice. It brought tears to everyone’s eyes and was one of the most touching parts of the most touching parts of the night.”
Reflecting on the day, Hawa appreciates their incredible community traveling from afar to celebrate their love. “A girl from Mogadishu and a boy from Kumasi coming together to create something so profound and beautiful—it still feels surreal,” she says. “What I cherish most is that we did it our way, staying true to ourselves throughout the process. This journey has been more than just a series of shared experiences; it’s been an unfolding of love, strength, and deep connection that I never could have imagined. I wouldn’t change a single part of it.”
Photo: Max del Valle1/87Our sweet friend Mariane Ibrahim generously offered us her gallery when she heard we were getting married in Mexico City. The space is beautifully romantic and well-lit, making it the perfect setting to kick off our wedding weekend!
Photo: Max del Valle2/87Our friends from all over the world poured into the gallery, sipping cocktails crafted by us and listening to a Bolero band.
