Samoan Wedding Ceremony

The dream of saying 'I do' under the tropical palms and waves lap at the feet is no longer a dream. There is wide range of wedding and honeymoon packages where these dreams can be fulfilled.

The Samoa provides many options to those who are willing to marry, like marriage in church or on a beach or beside a waterfall or in tropical rainforest.

The weddings in Samoa are huge social events. The two families which are involved undergo various duties and obligation which are of traditional nature.

The weddings in Samoa are very costly for the families of the couple. To start with, the bride is to be provided with several wedding dresses. She has to select two dresses from those dresses which she wishes to wear on her big day. One dress is for the wedding service and the other is for the reception that follows.

The wedding is done by following the traditional ways of the religion to which the couple belongs like Christian(various types), Mormon and Bahai.

After the wedding service the reception party is given. The property of bride's family is used mostly for the reception. Various tables are placed out and are covered with sun shelter in order to protect the guests from heat of sun or rain. At the arrival of guests and there settling down at their respective seats, the bride performs the traditional dance of Samoa, after which the meal is served.

The meal which is served in Samoan weddings is fixed. It includes piece of roasted chicken or pig, serving of canned corned beef, boiled taro in coconut sauce, Samoan chopsey and serving of macaroni salad. The older members of the families serve the meal to the guests making sure every one receives what their status requires. After the meal the best man makes his traditional speech and gives blessings to the couple. The cake is followed right after the speech.

The wedding cake of Samoa is not a simple thing. The wedding cake is huge including multiple tiers vertically and several tiers across the table horizontally. The tiers which are separate are used as giving to the guests according to their social status.

The gifts which are given to the guests are a way to maintain the social status of the families. The persons who are given gifts are the High Chiefs, Ministers, Priests, and etc. parents of groom, important guests and other chiefs.

The dance party is often thrown after the gifts are presented to the guests which is on till late in night. There was one traditional part in Samoan wedding that is a test of virginity of the brides which is no longer followed.

Samoan hospitability is notables. They invite even the tourists who are in the village at the time of wedding. The wedding is once in lifetime so one should go for a small, beautiful and memorable wedding ceremony.