In the Rwandan culture, a civil wedding is highly honoured. According to Chantal who preferred not to have her second name mentioned, the bride and bridegroom should plan their civil marriage at least a month in advance. “Before the couple goes to register at the district for a civil marriage or wedding, they are requested to present a birth certificate and a document that shows that neither is married.” “When my husband and I went for the civil wedding, we had only a few members who acted as our witnesses but after the district ceremony, we invited over 60 people to feast with us. Transport was not a big problem. We had 10 cars available to transport people,” Chantal said. The attire of the bride and the bridegroom is also different. The couple may just dress formally not necessarily a gown and veil as expected on the wedding day. Chantal hired a dress on her civil marriage. “I found it cheap and not time costing,” says Chantal. There are various ways you can make your civil wedding unique. This depends on how much money you saved for the occasion. It is not a must that one has to do a civil wedding in an ordinary way; civil weddings can be organised in a unique way. But as I said before, all the uniqueness goes with how heavy the pocket is. It is true that with money, almost everything is possible. But planning well will do even more wonders with whatever budget you may have. Ends
