The Moroccan Wedding

The negafa is the director. She is the wedding stylist, costume manager, and ceremony choreographer. A top negafa in Casablanca or Marrakech commands fees of 30,000 to 100,000 dirhams — and she brings everything: the seven outfits, the amariya sedan chair, the jewellery, the makeup, the assistants. The bride's family provides the venue, the food, and the music. The negafa provides the spectacle.

The seven outfits follow a sequence. The white kaftan — often Western-influenced now — for the entrance. The green takchita for the henna ceremony. The gold for the throne. Regional variations follow — a Fassi bride wears a specific embroidered velvet kaftan; a Marrakchia bride wears a different silhouette. Each change takes place behind a curtain. Each re-entrance is a reveal.

The amariya is the bride's sedan chair — an ornate, canopied platform carried by four men. The bride sits elevated above the guests while the bearers rotate slowly so everyone can see. In traditional weddings, the amariya circled the room three times. In modern hotel weddings, the circuit has shortened, but the tradition persists.

The henna night is the bride's last evening before the wedding. Her hands and feet are decorated with intricate henna patterns by a hennaya — a specialist. The patterns are regional: Fassi designs are geometric and dense; Saharan designs are bold and graphic; Marrakchi designs blend both. The henna must be dark by morning — a dark stain means the marriage will be strong.

The hammam visit precedes the henna. The bride goes with her closest female relatives and friends for a ceremonial purification. Milk, rose water, and ghassoul clay are used. It is tender, communal, and among the last rituals performed before the bride enters her new family.

The cost of a Moroccan wedding varies enormously — from 50,000 dirhams for a modest celebration to over 1,000,000 dirhams for an elite Casablanca production. The average falls around 150,000 to 300,000 dirhams. Many families save for years. Some go into debt.

Explore the full interactive module — with the seven-outfit sequence, regional variations, and the full cost breakdown — at Dancing with Lions: https://www.dancingwiththelions.com/data/wedding-atlas