Wedding traditions of Port Vila
A harbour capital in Vanuatu where kastom marriage means pigs, mats and kava given between families.
Vanuatu's many islands have over a hundred languages and each has its own kastom, the custom. Marriage in many islands involves a bride price in pigs, mats, kava and money. A church wedding and a civil ceremony are held in town, and the family feast is shared by the village.
A wedding here
The groom's family gathers the gifts and presents them to the bride's side. The couple is decorated with leaves, flowers and coconut oil. A feast of laplap, a pudding of root vegetable and coconut cream baked in an earth oven, is shared.
Law and change
Bride price is lawful and customary, and the government has debated its role in violence against women. The legal minimum age is 18 for women since 2018 changes, although earlier rules allowed marriage from 16 with consent.
Wedding customs of Port Vila
Also part of it, and being written: Kava (The drink.), Laplap (The festive dish.), Culture of Vanuatu (The culture.).
A wedding trail idea for Port Vila
- Port Vila Market A produce and craft market.
- Vanuatu Cultural Centre A museum of kastom.
- Mele Cascades A waterfall near the city.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source