This event is a blend of our cultures — Kenyan Kikuyu and Filipino. We realised that both of our cultures have a pre-wedding ceremony where the families (and in our case, we also choose to invite our chosen families) meet each other.
On June 9, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 9:30 PM at Narra Hill in Tagaytay, the two sides come together. The groom's family formally meets the bride's family; the bride's family receives them; and the long tradition of asking, blessing, and welcoming is observed in two voices at once.
Filipino courtship tradition
A Filipino courtship pre-wedding tradition where the groom's family meets the bride's family, and the groom formally asks the bride's family for the bride's hand in marriage. It is a symbol of respect, love, and unity — the moment two families decide they are becoming one.
The groom's family arrives with offerings — fruit, sweets, or wine — and the bride's family receives them with food and warmth.
The groom and his family kneel, in some traditions, to ask formally for the bride's hand. The bride's parents grant their blessing.
What begins as a formal asking becomes a shared meal where the families talk, laugh, and plan together — the first night of the rest of their joined lives.
Kikuyu (Kenyan) dowry tradition
A traditional dowry negotiation and payment ceremony where the groom's family formally visits the bride's home to ask for her hand in marriage, strengthening ties between the two families. The ceremony involves, among others, negotiating the number of livestock (goats / cows) to be paid, paying penalties for "breaking the pot," and finding the bride among veiled women.
The groom's party arrives and is met at the gate — a ritual of asking permission to enter, often with song, dance, and the giving of small tokens to the bride's family.
The two families negotiate, in the open and in good humour, the number of goats and cows that mark the union. The negotiation is theatre as much as it is record — a public account of the bride's worth to both families.
A symbolic penalty — if any aspect of tradition is overlooked or any party arrives late, a small penalty (the "breaking the pot") is paid. It is a gentle reminder that tradition has weight.
Several women, veiled, are presented to the groom. He must find his bride among them — a ritual of recognition. When he picks correctly, the families erupt; when he picks wrong, the families erupt louder.
Day-one dress code is earth-toned smart casual — linens, soft cottons, anything that breathes in the Tagaytay air. Cultural wear is warmly encouraged: a barong, a kitenge, a terno, a lesso. If your closet holds a piece of your heritage, this is the evening to let it speak.
Arrive with an open heart and expect food, laughter, and a fair amount of theatre. Bring nothing else — your presence is the gift. The two families will do the rest, and by the end of the evening you will, we hope, feel like part of both.
As the rites wind down, family members gather to pray for the couple's future, their children to come, and blessings over the union.
Prepared prayers from
And then we close together — the Lord's Prayer, voiced in three languages at once.
Read by Kate
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Read by George
Ama namin, sumasalangit Ka, sambahin ang ngalan Mo. Mapasaamin ang kaharian Mo, sundin ang loob Mo, dito sa lupa para nang sa langit. Bigyan Mo kami ngayon ng aming kakanin sa araw-araw, at patawarin Mo kami sa aming mga sala, para nang pagpapatawad namin sa nagkakasala sa amin. At huwag Mo kaming ipahintulot sa tukso, at iadya Mo kami sa lahat ng masama. Sapagkat sa Iyo ang kaharian, at ang kapangyarihan, at ang kaluwalhatian, magpakailanman. Amen.
Read by Zoë
Baba yetu uliye mbinguni, jina lako litukuzwe. Ufalme wako uje, mapenzi yako yatimizwe, hapa duniani kama huko mbinguni. Utupe leo riziki yetu. Utusamehe makosa yetu, kama sisi tunavyowasamehe waliotukosea. Usitutie majaribuni, lakini utuokoe na yule mwovu. Kwa kuwa ufalme ni wako, na nguvu, na utukufu, hata milele. Amina.
by Wanjambi_Ruhia Cultural Group
A Kikuyu cultural performance honouring the meeting of clans.
Muratina
Kenyan honey-brew, served in calabashes
Lambanog
Filipino coconut spirit, served in shot glasses
A Kenyan brew and a Filipino one, side by side — the families part for the night with one drink in each hand.
RSVP for the family night
A blend of the Kenyan Ruracio (dowry meeting) and the Filipino Pamamanhikan (the groom's family asking for the bride). The wedding-day RSVP covers the ceremony; this one shapes the seating, the food, and the welcome for our family night.
Doors open at 4:00 PM. The two families meet, the rites unfold, and we end by 9:30 PM — so we can all rest before the wedding the next day.