There are two kinds of marriage certificates one can get in Senegal. Legally, men can marry up to four women, so a man can register for a marriage certificate with four blank lines for his female spouses, or he can ask for one that has just one line. It tends to fall along the lines of Christian men applying for the singular one and Muslim men applying for the one with four lines, regardless of whether or not they want to marry multiple women. While these certificates are available here in Senegal at any local municipality, typically people will not register their marriage officially. People recognize that giving a woman a marriage certificate gives her official rights to her husband's property, including any children they may have.
A dating relationship in Senegal tends to look very similar to an American one. A man and woman meet each other in school, in town or through mutual friends. They begin hanging out and develop feelings for each other. The man will then go to the woman's father and ask for his permission to marry her. The father will give his blessing, leading to a marriage ceremony (with or without a marriage certificate or a big party). Sometimes the party will be held at a later date when the family can afford it or they have been able to borrow enough money from distant family members to hold the affair.
If a woman gets pregnant, she is automatically considered the wife of that man and will move into his compound with his family, regardless of if he has wives already. They may register the marriage officially, or they may not.
Alternatively, and sadly very often, a father will decide for his daughter when and to whom she will marry.
