Marriage counsellor and founder of The Radiant Place Church, Apostle Emmanuel Nkum
Marriage counselor and founder of The Radiant Place Church, Apostle Emmanuel Nkum, has expressed his views on the relevance of white weddings in Africa.
Speaking on Joy Prime on February 6, 2025, Apostle Nkum asserted that white weddings hold no spiritual or cultural significance for Africans, arguing that the practice has been blindly adopted.
He emphasised that Africans embraced white weddings due to low self-esteem and urged pastors to discontinue officiating them in churches.
“I feel like white weddings are not relevant in marriage. They have no spiritual or cultural significance but only economic significance. It is the very definition of a lack of self-esteem among African people. Marriage itself is cultural. What is the meaning of a white wedding if you have already slept with the woman?
“In the olden days, white weddings were done with a white dress because the bride was a virgin. After the marriage, the couple consummated their union, and the bride’s white dress would show bloodstains as proof of her virginity. This was an ancient Jewish custom. However, when Westerners adopted it, they abandoned its original essence. Exchanging rings and other rituals are irrelevant. Pastors should come together, deliberate, and put an end to these white weddings,” he stated.
Apostle Nkum further noted that white weddings often lead to financial burdens and marital conflicts.
“What I am saying, in a nutshell, is that we should not follow traditions blindly, especially when they are irrelevant. Economically, white weddings can push people into bankruptcy and even cause conflicts in marriage. Additionally, they can take away the joy from marriage,” he added.
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