It's been a hot minute since I've posted, but one of my favorite parts from this past week was attending my second Ghanaian wedding!
As my American friends went to homecoming, I had a blast enjoying the food, music and wedding ceremony.
Like most American weddings, Ghanaian ones tend to have a color scheme which family and friends try to match in their dress. I loved observing all of the different materials and styles Ghanaian men and women wore for the wedding. Traditionally, they tend to be much more modest than American formal wear, and the patterns and textures are extremely vibrant. In Ghana, most clothes that aren't bought second hand are tailor made by seamstresses with the fabric, style and alterations dictated by the customer. It's wonderful because you receive a custom made outfit for even cheaper than if you bought it at a store!
The music played at the wedding ceremony and reception was also different. Generally speaking, most Ghanaian church music is much louder, and way less formal than the church music I'm used to hearing. During the church service the choir sang to a band of drums and tambourines, guests danced in their pews, and everyone smiled as photographers and videographers swarmed around the bride and groom to capture their big day. The reception music was great too! I didn't know much before I left America, but Ghanaian pop music is actually really good! Many people were dancing in their seats and singing while we waited for the couple to arrive.
The venue was gorgeous. Our table was placed with drinks, water, champagne and peanuts, and the food we had later was spot on. At both of the weddings I've been to, the food normally consists of fried and normal rice, a West African red pepper sauce, shredded salad, fried fish or chicken, some fish-based sauce and sometimes beans. Ghanaians eat a ton of food at each meal because snacking is uncommon and they naturally walk a lot during the day. Drinks served include sparkling grape juice, champagne, water, beer for the adults, a fermented drink called palm wine and sometimes fresh coconuts or coconut water.
The reception was pretty similar to American weddings. There was a speech, the cake cutting, the couple's first dance, lots of people and lots of food. I really enjoyed myself! The whole hall was draped in white cloth, so I was surprised to find they used fountain fireworks several times whenever the couple took the stage, but thankfully nothing caught on fire.
All in all, it was a successful wedding. From the sounds of it, there are many more to come and I couldn't be more excited!
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