Weddings in Limpopo represent a very important part of the Sepedi culture and community.
In the U.S., our culture revolves around individualistic or personalized ideologies, but in South Africa, the saying “it takes a village” is represented through their daily lives as well as celebrations. Weddings in Limpopo, most of the time, take place over a few days and multiple events. Usually, it is a two-day celebration. On Saturday, the celebration is at the bride's family home, and on Sunday, the celebration is at the groom's family home. On both days, the gates are open to the whole commnity, and anyone is welcome to attend. Speakers loudly play traditional music that travels throughout the village, while mothers and aunts work hard to prepare traditional foods for anyone who might be attending.
One South African tradition that is very different is that not every bride will wear a white dress! Sometimes, the bride will decide to wear a traditional dress, or she will start in a white dress and later change into a traditional dress. However, all of the bridemaids wear the same color and pattern of dress, like in the U.S. Also, many guests may be wearing white! Wearing white to a wedding in Limpopo is not a bad thing, and you will find many women wearing white dresses.
