Editor,The unnecessary huge expenses, including debts, incurred weddings in Rwanda go beyond the wedding day itself. The groom-to-be often rents a house he can’t afford to live in long after the wedding, meaning that the newlyweds actually leave the house for cheaper accommodation just a few months after the wedding.But everyone seems to be blaming the girls/women; why don’t the men stand their ground and say no and wait for a woman who is realistic? We all share the blame; including society we live in because once you say “I am getting married”, it’s no longer about you - it’s your family and all relatives. Annette MukigaKigali Editor, The problem we have today with weddings is that this very important day/event has lost its meaning. Instead of being a day of sharing, loving and wishing the best for the new couple, it has become a day to show off your wealth.Man, don’t spend all of your savings on your wedding day – just one day! You don’t have to please anyone but you and your wife. Remember your marriage starts after the wedding day.Ishami Toronto Editor,I don’t think a “savings culture” should be tied to “Rwanda weddings” or vice versa. Rwandan weddings are a part of a Rwandan Culture. Rwandan Culture is an all-inclusive culture; meaning even your fifth cousins and their families are invited to your wedding and don’t need an invitation for that. Your fifth cousins will also contribute to your wedding not because it is required of them but because it is part of our culture. You see, our very extended families share all the good and bad together – Wedding or Funeral. What we should be saving instead is our ever eroding culture. Besides, isn’t your wedding the one time you should be allowed to splurge?Jaffe JofferKimironko Editor, As a Kenyan I can honestly tell you that it took years before most of us rid ourselves of that menace. For years, we had ourselves a monster calling itself ‘pre-wedding’! A strange one. It was not uncommon to have at least four of these before the actual fete, all at the friends’ expense. Let folks in Kigali heed your advice, Ms Diana Mpyisi.DennisNairobi Editor,Spot on, Diana. This is especially so if you consider that all you absolutely need is a priest and two witnesses for the church wedding and four witnesses and someone to administer the civil marriage. Otherwise, some weddings I see around are not only needlessly expensive but also a sign of mental poverty. Sam KebongoKigali
