Like anywhere else in the world, Ghanaian weddings are all about celebrating the couple and getting together to wish that their lives will be happy and productive. In modern times, the weddings have two parts: first there is the traditional ceremony, and then there is the church wedding. The traditional ceremony heavily involves the families of the couple: the groom and his family pay a "bride price" to the bride's family in order to secure a blessing for the marriage. Sometimes the bride price is physical money, but sometime's it's land or livestock. Bottles of alcohol and woven cloth sometimes change hands, too. The specifics depend on the families in question.
I learned about Ghanaian weddings, both traditional ceremonies and the typical "white dress at the altar" ceremonies that are common in Western countries. In Ghana, family and friends often travel considerable distances and undergo notable hardship to attend faraway weddings! In this case, I had a Ghanaian friend and classmate who was serving as a groomsman in a childhood friend's wedding. He invited my roommate and myself to travel with him to Kumasi in order to attend the wedding!
