ZANZIBAR WEDDING

“Do you take this woman………………?”

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding.

Zanzibar is a wonderful place to seal your vows and the beach setting is incredibly romantic and exotic.

We understand that this will be one of the most special, if not the most memorable day, in your life. We are deeply honoured that you have chosen or are considering Matemwe Beach Village as hosts for this event.

Although we have hosted several weddings now, each one has been special and different to us. And each time we prepare for another it is as exciting as the first time though we now have the details down to much finer art!

You and your partner have no doubt discussed your wants and ideas at length and we are very happy to hear them all and consider the feasibility of employing these ideas in the Zanzibar arena.

You have your reasons for choosing Zanzibar as the place to be married. If these reasons are that you want to have a very quiet and private ceremony where you are basically alone apart from the priest, witnesses and perhaps a photographer we are happy to oblige.

For this type of ceremony we recommend that you book the Asali Suite our very special and private “Honeymoon Suite”

In fact we highly recommend that you book the Asali Suite for the wedding night and a few days afterwards as it’s the ultimate romantic treat.

The ceremony can take place in the suite’s private beach banda, which we will decorate with flowers and palm leaves for the ceremony itself. This gives you the advantage of a sea view and the accompanying melody of the sea but maintains your privacy.

Alternatively you can get married at the edge of the sea or on the beach, however, you may find a guest or two arrive to uninvited to witness the happy event as weddings are highly social occasions in Zanzibar!

After the ceremony you can toast yourselves with Spanish Methode Champagne (you are welcome to bring a special bottle with you for this purpose) on the beach, have photographs taken and watch the sun go down and the sky darken until the stars lights’ shine.

A special dinner will be prepared for the two of you at the suite. If you would like we can organize that you be serenaded by the Zanzibar equivalent of a string quartet.

This allows for a quiet, intimate and romantic evening for just the two of you or perhaps with a small group of friends who have accompanied you to Zanzibar.

As these wedding are quiet and intimate we have never partaken in them ourselves and as such it is difficult for me to give you an “inside view” of what they are like – the atmosphere. But I can tell you that the couples we have organized such weddings for felt that the nail was hit on the head!

The alternative it to include and invite all the guests of the hotel and then some more! The idea of inviting total strangers to witness and join you in the celebration of your wedding may seem strange but in our opinion it is a very fitting way to share such a special day. The goodwill and happiness that is showered on the couple by virtual strangers is to me very fitting for a ceremony that celebrates love.

For this we have taken inspiration from the Zanzibaris and allowed our imaginations to run a little bit wild……………… and we happy to let them run wilder if you have any ideas!

Not only do the guests of the hotel enjoy being witness to the celebration so do the children and the adults of the local village.

Local drummers, dancers and musicians entertain the crowd prior to the ceremony and afterwards much as they would at a traditional Zanzibari wedding.

If the tide is suitable we love suggesting that the groom arrives by boat, as there is some spray and the boats are narrow, requiring a bit of clambering we do not suggest it for the bride. Groom be prepared to get a little wet, but its so romantic having the groom sail up to the beach to claim his bride.

If the tide is not right and we cannot use a boat the groom can cycle onto the beach on a rusty “made in China” black bicycle, on a donkey or simply on his own two feet.

As it’s the bride’s day we feel she should make an entrance – she can arrive on a “litter” carried by four strong men in traditional dress, accompanied by violinists. Or she can also make her way up the beach with an entourage of ladies in colourful traditional dress singing her on her way as they would in a Zanzibari ceremony.

A note to brides here: wear whatever you want, if the idea of a meringue, a veil or train for a beach wedding tickles your fancy – wear it! It is your day. Just remember it is the beach and there is sand! Barefoot is a great way to go – for grooms too! Oh and it’s the tropics so its hot!

The service itself, can either be a traditional Christian service as conducted by an amiable Anglican priest or secular conducted by Zanzibar’s equivalent of a registrar. In our opinion this is a bit dry and lacking the recognizable ceremony that a religious ceremony departs.

After the ceremony is completed we pop the corks and everybody lingers on the beach, watching and joining the dancers, chatting and congratulating the just-weds. Canapes are circulated amongst the guests.

How the rest of the evening pans out depends on the couple, if they are on their own we can do a special dinner for you in a special location, or even with a few friends to join them.

We are now able to offer a very special wedding reception location - our new boma is the ideal place to host a seafood banquet. The setting is romantic and special – sit with your feet in the sand and under the African stars……….this space lends itself to a Zanzibari Strinq Quartet but not to a band or DJ.

Or they can choose to have the party continue in which case we prefer to offer a buffet dinner after the ceremony (this is obviously not at your expense for non-wedding guests!) and if the couple wants we can organize a DJ or a band for a bit of a dinner and dance. However, as the air is fresh and heavy our guests tend to make it early to bed so please do not be disappointed if the party does not make it much past midnight or even earlier!