THE WEDDING DECISION

Over the years, many Ghanaians have been in conversation and contemplation about whether it is necessary to perform both traditional and white weddings.

So I thought I should break the whole thing down to see whether we are right or right. Lol

The Ghanaian Wedding

First and foremost, I have a plea... can we be kind enough and stop calling our traditional marriages the “engagement”? Our Traditional Marriages are stand-alone ceremonies where its process is complete in itself. To summarize what these ceremonies entail, The groom’s family presents the bride’s family with items requested by the bride’s family. Once these items are intact and accepted by the bride and her family, their union is blessed, and then we move to feasting and merrymaking.

NB: the next time you call our traditional marriage and engagement, remember you’re implying that most of our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents are only engaged and not fully married.

White / Western Wedding

According to Wikipedia, A White wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. However, due to globalization, we’ve seen these ceremonies incorporated into all other cultures including our homeland.

Usually held in churches, the bride wears a white gown and walks down the aisle by her father who gives her hand to the groom. An officiating minister then guides them to exchange vows. These ceremonies also consist of traditions such as the bridal party accompanying the bride and groom and something old/new/borrowed/blue, etc.

So, to the motion before the house, does a Ghanaian couple need both ceremonies?

In my opinion, I say No, they do not need both ceremonies.

Am I against couples having both ceremonies?

Also, No.

Both Ceremonies are stand-alone and complete marriage rites. Also, kindly scroll to the top and read the definition of the White Wedding. You’ll find that it is also a Traditional wedding just in another culture.

So having just our traditional wedding is just as perfect.

Therefore it’s completely okay if couples decide to stick with just the traditional wedding. Or decide to include the White wedding.

The decision to have either one or both will however depend on the couple’s vision for their wedding, what compromises they’re willing to make, and to a large extent, their budget.

So couples, have it your way and on your terms. Xoxo