After reading our documentation saga (which, while not overstated, was far simpler than the paperwork required for an international adoption) many folks have asked about the wedding itself.

We tried to keep things simple and stick to our modest budget. We had chosen Lomé, the capital of Togo, because Ismael's good friend and witness, Raphael, lives there. And because I wanted wedding pictures on a beach – which Burkina Faso couldn't provide.

My friend, Alizeta, accompanied Ismael, Sarita and I on the journey. She has been a friend since we first arrived in Ouagadougou and met the necessary criteria for a witness – not too young, married, and not a member of the Zeba family. She was married 2 years ago and we attended her wedding. It was Alizeta's first trip to the coast and many things were new to her. Sarita and I were filled with nostalgia on the road trip remembering our first vacation in December 2006 when we traveled with friends Joe, Deborah and Christa. For Ismael the road is familiar and unexciting as he travels often to Lomé for his business.

We traveled almost due south by bus from the Togo border to Lomé on the coast. The bus stop was only a couple of sandy blocks away from the hotel so we walked in the humid night air carrying our many bags. While I was embarrassed by the size of our suitcases, we had packed bottled water and snack sufficient for the entire time in order to guard my sensitive intestinal tract. And hey, I had wedding dresses and a suit in there!

Everyone fell into an exhausted sleep after washing away the grime from our 17 hour trip. Our rooms were air conditioned which was a great help.

Friday morning Alizeta met up with her sister-in-law and spent the day with her exploring the markets of Lomé. The rest of us hopped on taxi-motos to head downtown to the mayor's office to finalize wedding paperwork. We then explored a first-rate supermarket where Sarita managed to snatch a couple of boxes of mac & cheese and a few flavours of Jell-O. Ismael and I were more interested in things like shoe polish and laundry stain remover and insect repellent which aren't available in Ouaga. Ismael negotiated an amazing price on a second-hand leather purse for me and a belt for himself. He is truly gifted at knowing the value of things and standing his ground on purchase prices. Ismael will keep negotiating while I am ready to either pay more or walk away.

Finally at noon we stepped onto the beach for a few minutes just to take in the ambiance of the shore. Another taxi-moto ride to a French restaurant where we made reservations for our wedding dinner the next evening and our main chores for the day were done. Sarita and I had lunch and rested at our hotel while Ismael continued his errands (still needed to buy a tie).

Friday evening was the most fun! We had a real holiday spirit as we went out for supper together with Raphael to a nearby pizza bar. I convinced Ismael and Raphael to play a game of pool with Sarita. They were all first-timers so it was good value for our money - $1.50 for an hour of entertainment for 3 people (plus me – the observer). We had pizza and cokes and afterward decided to keep walking toward the beach where there was a huge and quite elegant ice-cream parlor. The eat-in prices were almost double the take-out price but we splurged and enjoyed the air conditioning. Ismael bought a bunch of kids' DVDs for $1 each (with each disk containing between 40 and 120 animated movies/shows). Sarita took first dibs at the Tom & Jerry DVD.

Saturday morning - wedding day we again ate a pre-arranged meal in our small hotel restaurant. Then we split up. Ismael to the cleaners and other exotic places, while we 3 women found a local salon that could offer us pedicures and manicures despite the power failure. We sat outside in the shade of a woven mat and enjoyed the breezes that passed our way occasionally. It was quite civilized even if the price was horrendous.

We ate lunch at the hotel again and tried to rest a bit before it was time to get ready – however, the rooms were stifling without the benefit of fans or A/C. As the time went by I eventually got up the nerve to talk to the hotel owner who had told us they have a generator should the power go out. Normally they only ignite the generator at night; however, the owner's wife was very sympathetic and agreed to run it for the hour before our wedding so we could get ready with the luxury of air conditioning and an electric hair-dryer (which we had borrowed from one of Sarita's teachers).

Ismael bought his first suit for the occasion and wore a beautiful hand-made sky-blue shirt. Sarita's dress was actually three pieces of teal taffeta in three slightly different fabrics – smooth, wrinkled and sequined. My dress was champagne colored silk with a sheer overlay on the skirt and sheer sleeves. The bodice/waistband was a damask-style with swirl print. I had found a picture on the internet and tried to have it copied – it was my aim to try to replicate my grandmother's wedding dress. I wore a gold locket containing photos of my parents. The locket was given to my mother by my father over 60 years ago before they were married. My earrings were a wedding gift from my friend Tshiya Subayi.

Our appointment at the mayor's office was at 5:00 pm. We were running late in getting ready, but unlike in North America, the wedding doesn't wait for the bride. So we left without me having put up my hair or adding any make-up. We did, however, get to ride in style in a borrowed Mercedes all the way to the central Mayor's office or Hotel de Ville. The building itself was unimpressive among some grander national structures and monuments. We were ushered into a waiting room which during the week is probably stuffed with queues of people trying to get documents legalized and other such mundane stuff. The ubiquitous white plastic chairs were about as comfortable as ever only maybe a bit stickier in the humidity.

We only waited about 15 minutes before being called by the Mayor's assistant. She was an efficient woman who gave out clear instructions on protocols (like the fact that Ismael walked in first with Alizeta on his arm). We were directed into the right places in the four grand chairs that face the mayor's dais and ordered to stand when the mayor entered. He wore a suit and tie with a grand green and yellow sash across his chest.

Sarita sat behind us and a few minutes later 3 of our guests (friends of Ismael and Raphael) entered and sat down. Together with Rapheal's girlfriend we had 5 guests and 2 witnesses in the mayor's chambers with us.

Once we were seated again his honor verified who we were and began a monologue on the various laws related to marriage and our specific roles and responsibilities within the home. We needed to stand at various points to answer his questions, exchange rings and then sign 4 copies of the marriage license. There was a funny bit when I was asked which marriage option I had chosen – monogamous or polygamous. I said the former. When Ismael was asked what option he wanted, he said, “Whatever she says!”

Someone put music on for us to leave and I was instructed to walk back down the aisle on Ismael's arm. The mayor escorted us out to the front steps and posed for a group photo before heading back in to perform the next marriage. That was it…15 minutes maximum.

The gardens behind the Hotel de Ville weren't particularly pretty but we decided to take some pictures there anyway. Sarita picked some bougainvillea flowers for me to hold. All the pictures were done by amateurs with little digital cameras as the man we had hired to take pictures was behind the video camera the whole time. Later we moved on to the beach to take more photos there. It was gorgeous with the sun just about to set and a nice breeze.

As our dinner reservations were for 7:30 we had an extra hour to fill after taking pictures so we headed back to the local pizza place for a drink. We women took the chance to head back to our hotel to spruce up. Alizeta changed her shoes, Sarita changed out of her wet dress and I washed the sand off my feet and managed to get a brush through my wind-tangled hair.

The restaurant was empty except for our group so we were treated to excellent service in a private atmosphere. Appetizers appeared on the table after our drinks arrived and everyone except Sarita ordered chicken. The spirit was joyous and fun with lots of joking and banter in three or four different languages. A few of these new friends made nice speeches and offered us their blessings. Ismael gave me his ring and I am now wearing two simple gold bands on my left ring finger. By 11:00 we were all tired and ready to head to our respective beds. I personally was thrilled that by that time the power was restored and we could sleep in a cool room.

While we were there, Togo was in the midst of campaigning for the upcoming presidential election. Small and large groups of party members in matching t-shirts paraded through the streets with foghorns, sirens and whistles. Information meetings were held on benches around the corner from our hotel. It was all quite organized and peaceful from our perspective although we did witness a clash at a downtown hotel between the driver of one of the official International Election Observer vehicles and a wealthy Togolese man trying to negotiate the same driveway in opposite directions.

Sunday morning we decided to look for a place to eat a quick breakfast and then visit a cyber café. We then packed up and left the hotel before noon. It was our objective to get Alizeta to dip her reluctant feet into the ocean before leaving Lomé. Sarita and I managed to drag her to the shoreline close enough for a wave to kiss her toes. I got a photo and sunburn in the process – stupid me.

The rest of that entire day Sunday was spent trying to secure a way home for the four of us as there were no buses until Tuesday. Eventually we landed in with a group of Nigerians transporting used American cars from the port to Niger via Burkina Faso. The promised departure time of 5:00 pm came and went but by 8:30 we were on the road in a convoy of 5 vehicles; Sarita and Ismael in a Honda Accord and Alizeta and I in a CR-V with enough space to spread out as we spent the night flying north. We reached the border by about noon on Monday.

From there it was back into Ismael's car and on the way to Tenkodogo after visiting his uncle's family. As we pulled into his parent's yard a bumpy hour and a half later we discovered a flat tire so our planned short visit took a few hours. Lunch was waiting for us and we enjoyed the good company of family - no problem. Darkness was falling as we reached the outskirts of Ouagadougou around 6:15 pm. Back at our house Alizeta retrieved the things she had stored in one of our large suitcases and we planned to drive her home. It was incumbent upon me as the new bride to first shower and change into nice clothes so I could officially thank Alizeta's husband for allowing her to go on this trip.

Sarita made mac & cheese for her dinner but could barely stay awake to eat it. We were exhausted but happy to be home after an eventful trip.