As Wafa is of Moroccan origin, some background on Moroccan weddings! Some of this will be incorporated into our wedding.

General Traditions

When looking at the history of Moroccan wedding traditions, you need to remember that there’s no such thing as an intimate wedding ceremony. The culture has a great emphasis on hosting and welcoming, this is often paired with lengthy guest lists invited to a wedding that can go for several days or even a week. In modern times, these festivities take 3 days and contain several beautiful traditions to bind this eternal commitment.

The first day is the “Hammam and Henna day“.

In the hammam, the bride and her entourage get their hair washed with ghassoul (a type of clay), body scrubbed, massaged, perfumed, waxed and all prepped for the wedding event.

Afterwards its time for the henna ceremony. The bride gets henna designs on her hands and feet, to keep the evil spirits outside of the marriage after a she had a hammam. This ceremony takes place in intimate circle with family and close friends of the bride. In the past the bride was the central focus of this event, but as times changed this ceremony became a moment shared with family and friends. All the guests are also offered the chance to have henna placed in the palm of their hands to dye it to bring them good fortune as well.

The groom is also painted with henna after the wedding. During the groom’s henna painting, he commonly wears black clothing.

• Fessia: style originating from Fes and is geometric with squares and triangles
• Mehndi: style originating from India and contains a lot of details with flowers and leave motives
• Khaleeji: similar to Mehndi style but with bigger flowers and leaves

What is henna? Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis, also known as the henna tree. Henna can also refer to the temporary body art resulting from the staining of the skin from the dye. After henna stains reach their peak color, they hold for a few days, then gradually wear off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks. Light stains may be achieved within minutes, but the longer the paste is left on the skin, the darker and longer lasting the stain will be, so it needs to be left on as long as possible. After some time the dry paste is simply brushed or scraped away.

The second day is the day of the festivities.

The wedding guests gather at the wedding site before the bride makes her entrance. The groom comes with his family and everyone waits for the bride to come. The bride’s entrance is very important in the Moroccan ceremony. She is usually placed in an  amaria: an elegant roofed platform that’s carried by her brothers and nephews.

Rings are exchanged; the bride receives her dowry, which is also called the Mahr. The dowry contains a sum of money or golden jewelry (depending on the bride’s request). This present is for the bride only and she does not share.

At the end of the evening, the couple cuts the wedding cake and shares some dates and milk. Milk symbolises the cleanliness and dates are for fertility. Afterwards, the festivities can start with traditional music, nice food en drinks.

It is costumary that the bride wears different dresses during the wedding period. She can wear up to seven different traditional outfits, ending with the white western style dress. The outfits all have cultural and geographical significance, celebrating the diversity and richness of Moroccan folklore and culture.

On the day of the wedding itself, the bride will wear two to three outfits. During the ceremony the bride will wear a traditional white takchita, symbolizing purity. She then changes into a “sahraouia”, which is a dress wrapped around the body as a tribute to the Moroccan Sahara region. Typically, the evening ends with a mejdoub, a gold and embroidered caftan.

The third day is the day the bride goes to the groom’s house. This is the moment for a brunch for both families to get to know each other.

Musical Traditions

In typical Moroccan wedding receptions, guests can expect to hear (and dance to) Andalusian music. There will also normally be a mix of bands that play throughout the reception. The main band will be playing chaabi music (Moroccan pop), but also more traditional music like Andalusi is usually played during dinner by local bands that are regional to where the couple are from. DJs are often used for the extended dancing and after party.

What to wear to a Moroccan wedding

As a guest attending a traditional Moroccan wedding, you should definitely feel free to dress up. The bride is the queen of a Moroccan wedding with multiple symbolic dress changes all of which are stunning. Most women also wear takshitas to the celebration. Women’s dresses can be very expensive and chances are you won’t be wearing it for daywear. The good news is that these dresses are available to rent from special dress shops across the country. If you are visiting and have a wedding invitation it’s probably best to rent one of these dresses instead of buying it.

As for the men, you can opt for a suit.