The most common tradition is ‘jumping the broom’, a ritual originating from the Deep South during the American Civil War when slave weddings were not permitted and so an alternative commitment ceremony had to be found. The broom is placed on the floor and the couple jumps over it. But what does it signify? Well, there seem to be various explanations ranging from a jump from singledom into matrimony, following an African tribal marriage ritual of placing sticks on the ground representing the couple's new home or it could just be sweeping away the old and welcoming the new. A nice touch is to fill a basket with ribbon pieces for guests to tie around the broom before you begin
In Ghana, an Asante male interested in a woman must ‘knock on the door’ so his mother and maternal uncle visit the girl's family and propose marriage
Cowrie shells are believed to encourage fertility and so include them in a necklace or to trim your gowns and headpieces
At the reception or outside the ceremony, pour a little wine on the ground as a libation to the gods
