Customary Marriage in Ghana

In Ghana, marriage is constructed according to the custom of ethnic group of which the couple live.Marriage is a union between a man and a woman who have agreed to live together as husband and wife and have gone through all procedures recognized in the society for such purpose . Generally,marriage in Ghana is recognized as the union between a man and a woman with the knowledge of both families of the bride and the groom.Customary marriage is therefore said to be the basis for all marriages where the customary rites as practiced by the woman’s ethnic group are performed by the man’s family head,by the father or uncle or any member of the family who is recognized by community as honorable. Duvall,(1971:89) has defined Customary Marriage as “traditional concepts of motherhood and development”. The ceremony seems to put order in marriages and understanding between the two families that are being brought together through the customary marriage.For even before the ceremony, a delegation from the groom’s family would have been to the bride’s family to ask of a list of things that is required for the dowry depending on the tribe the bride comes from.A bonding between the two families begins from here. Customary marriages differ among societies .Despite the differences, drinks and cash are widely used.Also the presentation and acceptance of drinks and gifts known as dowry bride wealth signifies consent of family members to the