Christian/Catholic weddings are quite different to the traditional Samoan ceremony. The wedding reception starts of the exact same where the couple enter at different times and the priest pronounces them man and wife. However everything that follows is different to the usual wedding festivities. Here are some of the traditions that happened at a Samoan wedding.
The bride needs to be aware, it is a sign of respect to the groom’s family that she wears one of her in-laws dress to the reception. The dress can be from the mother of the groom if that size fits her or the daughter. After this, she wears a nice floral gown that shows respect to her heritage.
The groom in more traditional times wears a lavalava (wrap around skirt) with a long white shirt placed over the top. If the wedding is outdoors, then the groom will be shirtless. Some of the female guests will wear a muumuus which is a loose and brightly coloured dress with a floral pattern.
The main course of a Samoan wedding feast usually includes:
After the guests are finished eating, the bride gets up in a floral skirt with a flower crown or a rose in her hair. She then dances and the guests are expected to stick paper money to her body as a sign of wealth in their marriage. She is usually oiled up in coconut oil to make her body glow and the money sticks to her better. Her new husband also dances quite close to her as a sign of support and care.
While guests are eating their delicious home-cooked meal, they are entertained by performers who are either hired or part of the family. They perform dances called the Taualuga and the Siva which are performed by the daughter or sisters of the couple.
The Samoan Hulu is also performed by the bride for her new husband. It is a sign of respect and love for the husband.
The Taualuga dance is performed by the woman of the couple’s family, can be the sisters and the mother. It is performed very elegantly and looks effortless to do. The dance is a sign of beauty for the bride and how she will become a great mother.
It is common to have more than 100 uninvited guests at your wedding as nearly everyone will bring two or three other family members. This is why so much food is prepared and slices of cakes are rather thin. Even though in some other cultures this might seem unethical, it is perfectly normal in the Samoan culture.
Before the couple cut their cake, they first have to acknowledge their priest, family and performers. It is then time to cut the large cake that serves more than 200 people. This is why Samoans cannot have just ‘a small wedding’ because even then there would be over 100 people invited.
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