Moroccan Weddings
Moroccan weddings are renowned for their grandeur and beauty.
They are a celebration of the union between a young couple and are marked by colorful and elegant events that bring together a large number of people.
Organizing a traditional Moroccan wedding, which often lasts several days, requires careful planning and assistance from both the groom’s and bride’s families.
Moroccan weddings are guided by ancient traditions, which dictate every aspect of the event, from the ceremonies leading up to the wedding to the reception.
Family is a central theme in Moroccan weddings, with unity being seen as a sign of respect for one’s parents and religion
The wedding celebration itself is marked by a festive and joyous party that lasts for several days and is attended by a large number of guests
Table of Contents
The Moroccan engagement (Khotba)
The engagement, called the Khotba, is an obligatory part of the Moroccan Wedding. The future wife is requested by the parents of the man to be married to their son.
Only after the two families have reached an agreement can the young couple be officially engaged and the marriage preparation phase can begin.
Negotiations take place on a variety of topics, for example, dowry, budget, wedding dates, wedding lists, and venues for receptions. Engagements are often long and can last for several months
The preparation process
Considering all of the measures to be performed, wedding preparation typically needs the presence of some members of the family.
The finest venues are sought after to accommodate the bride and groom, experienced caterers, and musical groups.
The best negafa is also carefully chosen, as she has the heavy responsibility of making the bride look beautiful during her wedding day, by proposing the dresses and the jewels that she will wear, and also by taking care of her hair and make-up.
Invitations are sent to the guests from family and close friends and also coworkers, either by mail, message, invitations, or phone.
The word of mouth also works, and weddings often gather several hundred people.
The partners sign their marriage agreement during this phase.
This is known as the “al kaghet” ritual. This ritual is just for close family. The Moroccan wedding paper, written by an adoul, is signed by both parties.
Traditional steps as the Moroccan wedding approaches
The bride conducts various rituals within a few days prior to the wedding.
First of all, there is the milk bath, taken in the hammam, the bride will be accompanied by some of her family members.
With the sound of youyous (Zegharit) and songs, amid the gentle ambiance of candles, this session in the hammam is said to cleanse the young woman before her marriage.
Following the milk bath, the essential henna ritual may take place.
For this occasion, the bride wears a green robe. The henna event includes music, singing, and dances. A henna tattoo artist(nekacha) tattoos the bride’s hands and feet.
Because henna is connected with prosperity and pleasure, guests can also tattoo themselves for the occasion.
The purpose of this event is to wish the bride luck in her marriage.In the evening, a celebration called “the hdiya” is held.
The bride receives caftans, which she would wear in the evening, as well as cakes, taifours with sugar signifying happiness, and milk, indicating purity, from her husband and his family.
The Moroccan wedding’s timeline of events
The Maghrebi bride meets her negafa in a beauty salon on the day of the wedding to get made up, accessorized, and clothed.
Guests begin to fill the reception area at about 9 p.m., as the bride is getting ready.
The celebration is already in full flow, thanks to an orchestra playing Moroccan wedding music and waiters serving appetizers like dried fruits, fakia, and tea or fruit juice.
The Moroccan bride traditionally makes her entry at 11 p.m. She’s wearing a Takchita, a silky white dress with a broad belt.
The bride walks into the reception room while seated on an amaryia. It’s a pretty nice seat with a carrier. The bride, like a queen, will be led throughout the room so that all guests may see her.
She subsequently marries her spouse and moves up to the throne. It is frequently a podium from which the bride and groom may be observed by all the guests.
Throughout the evening, the bride appears in three to seven different costumes and jewelry sets, at least one of which is emblematic of her parents’ place of origin (Berber, Fez, north…).
The wedding dinner consists of three parts. It begins with a pastilla, a kind of traditional flaky pastry pie.
The feast continues with a generous meat dish (couscous, tajine, mechoui). A dessert will then be offered, as well as an inevitable fruit basket.
The party continues until dawn. Shortly before the end of the ceremony, the bride is dressed in a white western dress.
The day after this grand ceremony, the couple is visited by the bride’s family, who bring breakfast.
The bride and bridegroom will spend the week visiting family members and friends to thank them.
Some customs may vary depending on the region of origin of the spouses’ families.
There is a trend towards the Europeanization of the Moroccan wedding, however, the bride and groom try to follow the traditions of the event as much as possible.
The Venue of the Moroccan wedding ceremony
The wedding ceremony can take place in a large hall, in a riad, in the family house, in the street, in a garden.It all depends on the financial resources of the families.
The wedding venues offering a clear view of the sea are currently very popular. However, the wedding is a big party for which one looks little at the expense.
How Much does a Moroccan Wedding Cost?
Here is a summary of the costs for a Moroccan wedding for 250 guests:
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dress of the bride and accessories | 2000-50000 Dhs |
| Hair and makeup for the bride | 2000-7000 Dhs |
| Groom’s outfit | 2000-10000 Dhs |
| Wedding contract | 500 Dhs |
| Band | 10000-70000 Dhs |
| Cameramen and photographers | 2000-25000 Dhs |
| Invitation cards | 20-25 Dhs/card |
| Room rental | 20000-120000 Dhs |
| Caterer | 3000-25000 Dhs/table of 10 |
| Negafa | 100000 Dhs |
| Wedding cake | 5000-45000 Dhs |
Note that these prices are estimates and may vary depending on the season, location, and desired quality
A wedding party in Morocco must be well organized and thought out months and months in advance not only to ensure the quality you desire but of course to save a decent amount of money.
We give an example for your 250 guests, the overall cost can start from 50 000 Dhs to 500 000 Dhs!
Below, the detail of the expenses to be considered to make a successful ceremony of marriage as you dreamed it but we note that the prices remain relative to the chosen season, the region, and the required quality.
- Dress of the bride and its accessories: The bride is required to prepare a traditional dress whose price can start from 2000 Dhs to reach even 50 000 Dhs. The cost of buying a caftan can reach 100 000 Dhs if not, it is possible to rent it with an advantageous price from 500 to 1500 Dhs. Generally, the bride prepares 3 to 7 outfits during her evening.
- Hair and makeup for the bride: The general cost of beauty care varies between 2000 and 7000 Dhs.
- Groom’s outfit: As for the bride, the groom must be in perfect elegance with his traditional outfit plus 2 suits on average. In general, the outfit varies between 2 000 and 10 000 DH.•Wedding contract: Signing a wedding contract with Adoul is usually estimated at 500 Dhs but try to negotiate or see other adouls in your area.
- The band: The price of an orchestra varies between 10,000 and 70,000 Dhs but it all depends on its artistic level and the performance package it offers you.
- Cameramen and photographers: It all depends on the technology, the tools and the people who will be hired, the price will be between 2000 Dhs and 25 000 Dhs.
- Invitation cards: The price of each invitation card is between 20 and 25 Dhs depending on the print and the model chosen.
- Room rental: Without decoration and furniture, you can spend up to 20,000 Dhs for a room rental, and for hotels, it can be as high as 120,000 Dhs.
- Caterer: For each table of 10 people, the caterer can charge you a price that starts from 3000 Dhs to 25000 Dhs but it depends on the menu you choose: chicken, seafood pastilla, drinks, dessert, ice cakes, and others.
- The negafa: The charges of the negafa can go up to 100 000 Dhs taking into account the type of amaria, the jewelry used as well as the outfits to wear.
- The wedding cake: The cake is to be ordered with a price starting from 5000 Dhs to go up to 45 000 Dhs taking into consideration its composition and the number of tiers.
