Wedding Traditions in the Pacific Islands

Picture it. An endless white-sand beach with gently-swaying palms and the soft hiss of waves on the shore. The wind is warm and gentle and filled with the fragrance of exotic flowers. In the background colorful birds call to one another in a musical language all their own.

Could anything be more colorful or more picturesque that a Pacific Island Wedding?

In Fiji the groom is expected to present the bride’s father with a whale tooth.

Presenting a whale tooth to the father of the bride represents his wealth and status. This is similar to the Western tradition where the groom shows his wealth by presenting a diamond ring to the bride. Regardless whether the ring has been bought in an old fashioned shop with smartly dressed attendants, 77-Diamonds or another website, or the ring has been inherited, the ring is still a special item. It is also part of Western tradition for the brides family to pay for the entire wedding, but this is rare to find these days. But in almost all wedding traditions, the groom is expected to ask the father of the bride for permission for her hand in marriage, which shows respect and care.

Assuming a young Fiji man receives permission to marry from the bride’s father, the prospective groom is expected to prepare a lavish feast and to send it to the bride’s family. This is called the “warming.” Just before the wedding, it is tradition for the Fiji bride to be tattooed, a sign of beauty on the islands.

And what Fiji wedding reception would be complete without the tradition drink of the islands, Kava. Kava is brewed from the crushed root of the native kava plant. At the reception there is much traditional music and dancing, with gifts exchanged between the bride’s and groom’s families.

One of the oldest traditions on the Hawaiian Islands is the flower lei.

In Hawaii the wedding tradition calls for flowers. Flowers everywhere. The bride and groom are decked out in flower leis, which symbolize love and respect. Each flower lei consists of 40 to 50 fresh flowers strung on a colorful ribbon and are one of the oldest symbols of Hawaiian culture.

Both the bride and the groom dress in pure white, with the groom wearing either a red sash or a black cloth belt tied around his waist.

No Hawaiian wedding would be complete without the “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” and it is customary for the bride’s and groom’s Hawaiian names to be engraved upon their gold wedding bands.

In the Philippine Islands the witnesses are responsible for seeing to it that the ancient wedding traditions are observed.

In the Philippine Islands ancient rituals and traditions are still observed. During the ceremony, which is attended by all of the bride’s and groom’s family and friends, the witnesses, or sponsors, are responsible for many of the wedding traditions.

The first tradition calls for the pinning of the bride’s veil to the groom’s shoulder, symbolizing that the couple is now clothed as one. Following that a pure white cord is draped around the couple’s necks to symbolize the ever-lasting bond which now binds them together.

Next, three candles are lit. The bride lights one candle, the groom lights another, and together the bride and groom light the Unity Candle, the candle which signifies their union as husband and wife.

The final Philippine wedding tradition calls for the groom to present his bride with thirteen gold coins which have been blessed by the priest. The thirteen coins are a symbolic promise of faithfulness and prosperity.

The Philippine wedding reception is a time of joy, laughter, music and dance. The traditional dance is the Pandango, which is often danced non-stop for hours at a time. Traditionally guests pin money to the bride’s dress during the dance to help pay for the honeymoon. Often there is a birdcage decorated as a wedding bell and filled with white doves. The bride and groom release the doves as a symbol of their going off together in peace and love.

Though the traditions may be different, though the customs may vary, no matter where you go the tradition of marriage remains true. It is a joyful joining to two lives, celebrated the world over for the miracle that it truly is.