Hello guys!\u00a0I hope you had a great weekend. I am happy to share my very first Dowry ceremony event.\u00a0I’ve covered\u00a0an introduction in the past but this was a little different. The dowry ceremony is big must in the Igbo culture. I definitely enjoyed covering this event.\u00a0I’ve known Ogechi for a while and she has also been\u00a0in a few weddings I shot in the\u00a0past. I am always excited when familiar faces reach out to me. With Ogechi’s help I got a breakdown of the Dowry process.<\/p>\n
After the girl’s father has done research on the groom’s family and accepted the groom-to-be’s intentions the dowry (bride price)\u00a0must be negotiated. But first, the bride-to-be must find her love among the crowd of close family and friends. When she finds him, she kneels before him, offers him palm wine which he drinks.\u00a0 Once he drinks the palm wine, the girl’s father blesses the union. The Dowry amount will then be negotiated by the men in both families. Dowry is an amount of money and goods that the girl’s kindred will receive from the groom’s family in exchange for the bride-to-be’s hand in marriage.\u00a0 Many families only exchange the dowry symbolically as no actual price can be paid – of course igbo women are priceless.\u00a0 Once the dowry has been exchanged, the couple, under igbo culture, is now technically married.<\/p>\n
Check out some images from the day. Enjoy!<\/p>\n