I actually first discovered Moroccan Wedding Blankets via Instagram and Tumblr a little while ago, and immediately felt guilty that I didn't know the meaning and thoughts behind them! I just knew they were beautiful looking and starting to pop up all over Western Interior Blogs!
Known as Moroccan wedding blankets, handira are woven out of sheep's wool, cotton and linen by Berber women in the Middle Atlas mountains of Northern Morocco.
Berber wedding blankets are woven in anticipation of, you guessed it, a wedding, by the bride's female relatives. It can take many hours — even weeks — of work to attach those hundreds of mirrored sequins once the weaving is complete; it is thought that during this collaborative task, the bride's relatives teach her all about the birds and the bees, among other marital duties and expectations. After the wedding ceremony, the bride wears the blanket tied around her neck as a kind of cape. It might be associated with her trip to her new marital home, which could be a chilly ride.
I love the history and romantic, charming story behind these blankets and can truly appreciate the amount of time, hard work and detail which goes into each and everyone.
I would simply adore one for mine and Steve's bedroom, to lie at the end of the bed like a throw would. I think against a shade of white wall or light grey, the soft tones and majestic shimmer would work wonderfully together!
The problem is getting your hands on one here in the UK! I have found some sites online that import them but then obviously charge a lot for them too...
We were lucky enough to visit Morocco three years ago but boy do I wish I'd known about these then, as I might have been able to hunt one down in the Souks there or with other market traders!
If anyone knows of a place I can get them or order them from here in the UK and that they are the real deal, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a comment below and let me know. Otherwise, I might be booking a cheap flight back to Marrakech soon...
