By: John S. Morlu II, CPA
If you think weddings are just about love, vows, and happily-ever-after… clearly, you haven’t been to a Ghanaian wedding.
Here, weddings are full-blown economic events that could crash your savings faster than the cedi in election year. In fact, economists could use them as case studies for “luxury inflation” and “unnecessary peer pressure.”
The Wedding Economy
Forget “small family gathering.” Ghanaian weddings can feed a small nation — and still have leftovers for the Sunday church lunch. You’re looking at 300 guests minimum — and that’s for a “small” wedding. If it’s a “big” wedding, expect 800, with extra chairs borrowed from three other events.
Half the guests are your relatives. The other half are relatives of relatives you’ve never met, but who “were there when your father was born,” so naturally they have rights to jollof and chicken wings. There will be toddlers in suits, teenagers in dresses that look straight out of Paris Fashion Week, and at least one man in sunglasses indoors.
Fun Fact: In Accra, there’s an unspoken competition to see whose wedding video gets the most drone shots. A proper wedding these days has at least three drones in the air, circling like vultures waiting for a romantic kiss. If your aerial footage doesn’t look like a Nollywood movie, did you even get married?
The MC and DJ Show
The wedding isn’t just about the bride and groom. Oh no — it’s about the MC, who’s a cross between a comedian, motivational speaker, and auctioneer. He will hype the couple, roast the single guests (“We are still waiting for your wedding o!”), and still find a way to plug his side hustle: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you need premium chicken feed, call me after the program.”
The DJ? He’s got one mission: make the aunties dance to old-school highlife while the youth wait impatiently for Afrobeats. Expect at least six shoutouts to “the groom’s boys” who “don’t fear anybody.” And just when you think the song is about to end, he’ll rewind it back to the start because “the bride’s side wasn’t dancing enough.”
Food: The Real Star
Jollof rice, waakye, fried fish, shito, kelewele, goat soup — the works. And no matter how much food is cooked, there’s always that one uncle who acts shocked when the meat finishes. “Ei! No more goat?!” Sir, you had four pieces already and two turkey wings.
Some guests will eat like they’ve been fasting since January. Others will be more strategic — carefully packing takeaway boxes for “the children at home,” even though the “children” are 25-year-old footballers.
Fun Fact: Some guests actually attend multiple weddings in one day — purely for the food. They call it “wedding hopping.” Professional wedding hoppers can collect enough takeaway packs to last the week, complete with different varieties of jollof to compare like fine wine.
The Wallet Woes
Whether you’re the groom, a guest, or just a plus-one, prepare your wallet for heavy lifting. Gifts are expected — and not just “congratulations” cards. We’re talking envelopes stuffed with cash, blenders, rice cookers, even goats. Yes, someone once brought a live goat into the reception as a wedding gift — and it became the unofficial mascot for the day.
If you’re part of the groomsmen squad? Get ready for matching suits, matching shoes, matching ties, and matching financial trauma. By the time you’ve paid for outfits, stag night contributions, and “emergency” drinks for the MC, you’ll wonder if you accidentally married the bride yourself.
Weekends in Ghana = Wedding Season
From September to December, Accra turns into one big bridal runway. Roads are blocked, traffic is insane, and tailors make more money than tech startups. Uber prices triple because everyone is either going to a wedding, coming from a wedding, or stopping at a third wedding in between.
If you don’t have at least one wedding to attend in that season, people start asking if you’re okay. “Are you sick? Why are you home? You don’t know people getting married?”
Perspective Shift
Yes, weddings are extravagant, exhausting, and expensive — but they’re also joyful chaos at its finest. You’ll see fashion, food, music, and community all rolled into one unforgettable weekend. There’s a strange magic in watching aunties from different tribes compete in the “spraying” game — flinging cash at the bride like it’s a currency devaluation protest.
In Ghana, weddings aren’t just about starting a marriage — they’re about celebrating life, family, and the sheer ability to dance for six hours straight in high heels. And no matter how much you spend, the photos and videos will make it look like it was worth every cedi.
So if you ever get invited, don’t eat before you go. Cancel your diet plans, wear loose clothes, and for heaven’s sake, bring an extra envelope. Because in Ghana, love is free — but weddings? Oh, they’ll cost you.
Author: John S. Morlu II, CPA is the CEO and Chief Strategist of JS Morlu, leads a globally recognized public accounting and management consultancy firm. Under his visionary leadership, JS Morlu has become a pioneer in developing cutting-edge technologies across B2B, B2C, P2P, and B2G verticals. The firm’s groundbreaking innovations include AI-powered reconciliation software (ReckSoft.com) and advanced cloud accounting solutions (FinovatePro.com), setting new industry standards for efficiency, accuracy, and technological excellence.