Not every couple who is married did a church wedding. Due to lots of expenses incurred during a church wedding, many couples opt for other types of marriages. The main idea behind formalizing a marriage is for parents' blessings and legal recognition from the government.
Here are different types of marriages:
1. Church weddings
Most Christians prefer church weddings but the expenses involved put some of them off. A proper church wedding requires that the couple that is planning to get married reports to the priest. The priest then makes a first, second and third announcements in front of the congregation. If there is no one who comes up to stop the two from getting married, the wedding is given a clean bill of health. Until wedding day, the couple is required to totally abstain from sex.
2. Attorney General's engagements
Some couples prefer to officiate their marriages at the Attorney General's office. This type of wedding is cheap. It does not require a lot of procedure. The couple just notifies the office of Attorney General of their intention to get married. After they are given the go-ahead, they then report back to the same office after 28 days together with a witness. After they have sworn affidavits, they are then presented with a marriage certificate.
3. Traditional weddings
Africans still practice traditional weddings. This is where the couple's families agree to hold a celebration of love where the parents of the woman (or her guardians, if her parents are not there) officially “release” the girl to go with the man as his wife. It is also relatively expensive considering the facts that the man is required to pay dowry. During the celebrations, food and drinks are prepared in copious amounts to feed not only the family members involved but also the entire village.
4. Come we stay marriages
Come we stay marriage is where a man and a woman move in together to try the marriage life. If it works well with them, then they continue living as an officially married couple. If it does not work to their expectations, they are free to part ways. According to the marriage laws, if a man and a woman live together for a period exceeding six months, then the law recognizes them as husband and wife.
5. Situational marriages
Situational marriages are also very common in Kenya. This is where two people get married, not because they have decided to get married but the situation has forced them to get married. A good example is when a man makes a school girl pregnant and then he is forced by the family of the girl to marry her.