Mared blo Godwin

The three couples, getting ready to say their vows. The groom we came with, Godwin, is in the middle.

Setting off down the road, I was excited. I was on my way to my first Vanuatu mared (wedding)! Sitting in the back of the Provincial truck, holding on to the sides, with the groom (the handyman at my work, Godwin) sitting next to me, there was a definite air of excitement. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out, Maewo and Pentecost clear and gorgeous on the horizon…it was going to be a good day.

If you look closely, you can see Maewo and Pentecost in the background

The road going south, much less used than the road going north

After about an hour or so, the truck sliding this way and that in the mud of the unmaintained road, we finally stopped. My butt a little sore, I slid off the side, glad to be done with the bouncing, jolting, ride. Glad to be stopping as it had just started to drizzle, I followed the rest of the group as we walked down a hill, across a rocky stream bed, and up the hill on the other side only to find…another truck! Resignedly, I hopped in, and we started off again, shaking my head every couple of minutes to get the rainwater out of my eyes. I’d thought the road up til that point was bad, but boy was I wrong. We were constantly jumping in and out, walking up the steepest hills and across the rockiest stream beds that the truck couldn’t traverse with all of us in the back. 

Walking along a particularly muddy/treacherous part

One of the many stream crossings.

Getting back in and resettling after walking over a stream bed and up a hill that the truck couldn't traverse with us in it

Sometimes I walked...

...and sometimes I rode

I kept myself busy with observing the new scenery around me. Where the vegetation of North and East Ambae is dense and jungly, South Ambae was turning out to be more small hillocks, palm trees and cows. Pretty incredible how much the scenery could change so quickly!

 Finally, a gruelling 2 hours later, and 2 hours late to the wedding, we arrived, carrying the groom with us. In typical Vanuatu fashion, this was, of course, no big deal. Of course they just hung out and waited for us to arrive!

Although they did break out the laplap while they waited

The ceremony started a short time later, and I was surprised to find that rather than being a wedding just for my friend, it was in fact a triple-header! Three brides, three grooms, three cakes…you name it. The tiny church was packed, but in typical Vanuatu fashion, I, as the white person, got ushered inside, and the kids on one of the benches squeezed over to accommodate me. While I felt bad about making the cramped seats even more cramped, I was also glad to have my prime seat to watch my first Vanuatu wedding.

I guess I should talk a little about marriage in general. There are three basic kinds of ceremonies here: civil wedding, where they just sign papers at a government office; custom wedding, where they observe local traditions; and church wedding, much like most western weddings. Regardless of the kind of ceremony, the man is required to pay a bride price of sorts, which depending on island and custom, could be any number of the following: a large quantity of hand-woven mats, a pig, a cow, money, coconut trees, etc. Because of this, many couples here are not married. It’s not uncommon for a couple to be together, committed, have kids, but not be officially married yet.

The wedding I attended was a church wedding, and it was eerily reminiscent of weddings I’d been to in the states, with one big difference. No one seemed very happy! I got the impression that religious weddings were a very serious thing, because no one really smiled, including in the audience. The preacher talked for a long time about how to avoid satan coming into your marriage and your home, the importance of church, and many other things I wouldn’t have thought of as being great rhetoric for a marriage. 

Time to head into the church, I guess!

The three brides, looking gorgeous in their dresses, but all very serious

The grooms, waiting for their brides, also very serious

First the fathers walked their daughters in through the back


Then came the hand-off to the grooms

After the hand-off was the sermon, a song, then vows. Here they're exchanging rings. I tried to get a picture of the kiss, but none of them were particularly passionate. Ni-Vanuatu are not very outward with their affections, and when the priest asked them to kiss, there was a lot of nervousness and giggling.

Final prayer

Then they signed papers, and while I didn't get a great shot of this, I think you should all know that the woman in charge of it was wearing a shirt that said "St Patty's All Star Drinking Team". The perfect wedding attire, I'd say!

Last, leaving the church, as married couples!

When the ceremony was done, and the food and cake were brought out, however, the smiles too appeared. We spent the rest of our time eating good food and cake, giving presents to the groom, talking, laughing, and generally having a good time.

After things started winding down, we hopped back in the truck, and gingerly sitting on the edge in an attempt to give my bruised butt a break, headed back.

Bonus pictures of the food, cake, and ride back:

Mmm. Chicken.

The members of my office that came to the wedding with me

Godwin and his new wife