Caribbean and African weddings in Canada bring together some of the most joyful traditions there are. Families from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Haiti, Barbados, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and many other places each have customs of their own, and many couples combine two cultures, or blend family traditions with a Canadian ceremony.
This guide gathers a few traditions couples often ask about. Your own family will know best how they are done at home.
Caribbean traditions
- ✦Black cake: a rich, dark fruit cake soaked in rum and wine, often made months ahead by a family member. Many Jamaican, Trinidadian and Guyanese couples have black cake as their wedding cake or alongside it.
- ✦The wedding procession and steel pan or soca: music that gets everyone dancing early.
- ✦Family speeches and blessings: often longer and more heartfelt than at other weddings, so plan time for them.
- ✦Food: curry goat, jerk chicken, rice and peas, roti, pelau and doubles. Ask your venue if you can bring a Caribbean caterer.
African traditional ceremonies
Many West African couples hold a traditional engagement or wedding ceremony before or alongside a church or civil ceremony. In Nigerian and Ghanaian families this may include the formal introduction of families, the presentation of gifts listed by the family, and the couple dancing in to music. Aso ebi, matching fabric worn by family and friends, makes the day bright and beautiful.
Ethiopian, Eritrean and Somali weddings have their own customs, music and food, and many families hold several days of celebration.
Jumping the broom
Some Black couples in Canada include jumping the broom, a tradition with roots in African American history, as a symbol of sweeping away the past and starting a home together. It fits easily at the end of any ceremony.
What to ask venues and vendors
- ✦Can you bring your own caterer, or does the venue have someone who cooks the dishes you love?
- ✦Is there space and time for a traditional ceremony and an outfit change?
- ✦Does the DJ know Afrobeats, dancehall, soca, highlife or kompa as well as the other songs you want?
- ✦Has the photographer worked with darker skin tones and colourful fabrics, and can you see full galleries?
- ✦Does the makeup artist work with your skin tone and have the right shades?
On OpenDates, businesses can tick the traditions they know well. Browse Caribbean and African wedding businesses across Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Can we have two ceremonies on one day?
Yes. Many couples hold a traditional ceremony in the morning and a church or civil ceremony in the afternoon, with an outfit change before the reception.
How far ahead should black cake be made?
Many families start soaking the fruit months ahead. If a relative is baking it, give them plenty of notice.
Where can we find aso ebi fabric in Canada?
Many families order through relatives or African fabric shops in larger cities. Give guests your colours and the fabric early.
Plan it in one place
Find venues and vendors free on your date with OpenDates, and keep the guest list, budget, wedding website and seating chart together in OpenDates Ever After, free for couples.
Congratulations! Kristina
Photos from Pexels.