Posts Tagged ‘island weddings’

Basics Of A Caribbean Wedding

Caribbean weddings surely do borrow from popular U.S. wedding customs.  However, Caribbean islanders have a rich African and European heritage, so you can be sure they have some customs of their own.  Caribbean weddings can have a special flavor all their own. 

The first Caribbean tradition is that the bride and groom wear their finest clothing, and walk from either the bride or the groom’s house to the church.   This serves as a way to announce the wedding and to celebrate the occasion.  Members of the community will line the streets as the couple comes by, admiring the duo.   Most guests are invited to the wedding via word-of-mouth, and it isn’t unusual for guests to “crash” the wedding; invitations aren’t traditionally required in the Caribbean!

Ceremonies combine elements from Catholic, Mayan, and African traditions.  It is traditional that the bride’s father or parents take the bride down the aisle.   You won’t usually find a best man at a traditional island wedding.  The ceremony is followed by a reception, and is accompanied by gorgeous steel-drum music.

The gifts at a Caribbean wedding often include hand-make quilts and furniture.  Caribbean wedding presents are often hand-made, the gifts reflecting the gorgeous handiwork of talented island artisans.

When serving a reception dinner in the Caribbean, it is hard to go wrong with curried goat and spicy chicken jerky.   Don’t forget the fried plantains and conch fritters!   The food has definite island flair, and really emphasizes that special island ambiance.

A Caribbean island wedding cake is very unique; you’ll not find another like it in the world.   It’s called the “Black Cake” which has a beautiful tradition associated with it.   Mothers give their recipes to their daughters, who then are responsible for improving on the recipe in some way.  The idea is that each successive generation makes the recipe more delicious.

The cake has the same basic ingredients, no matter what: a pound of flour, brown sugar, butter, glazed cherries, currants, prunes, raisins, and 12 fresh eggs. ~ The cake has a delicious hard rum sauce, and the fruits are often left soaking in rum anywhere from 2 weeks to an entire year.

After the wedding is over, the couple goes on a kind of honeymoon.   The groom will often provide a secluded place to stay, or they may travel to a nearby island to get away.   After a week of togetherness, they return home to begin their married life together.