First off, the term ghetto does not refer to a location, but to a new culture trend that incorporates a multitude of ethnicities, backgrounds, income levels, and attitudes. Ghetto weddings are for those who don’t take themselves too seriously.

For example, if you are were to attend a wedding in which the groom’s party were dressed up in gold lamé, sequined, and outrageously colorful Elvis costumes complete with wigs and sunglasses, you might say that you have invited to a “ghetto wedding”.  Ghetto parties have become increasingly popular through high schools and colleges around the country. The term ghetto applies to all races and cultures and has no relationship to the traditional definition of the term. To put it simply, ghetto is not where you live; it’s how you live. It personifies and exhibits popular trends and behaviors derived from the hip-hop culture, such as outrageous clothing, makeup, and lots of bling or anything that can be considered over-the-top or ostentatious.

According to the Internet and some Ghetto-Wedding websites, some humorous clues that you’ve been invited to a ghetto wedding include:

One of the members of the party had on sunglasses
There were more than 40 people in the wedding party
The vocalist didn’t know the words to the songs
The groomsmen had his tux leg rolled up
The couple’s first dance was to a song by Puff Daddy or Lil’ Kim

Of course, these are some of the most popular generalizations that serve as amusing indications of exactly what a ghetto wedding may be. Often likened to hillbilly or redneck humor, many couples who decide to throw a ghetto wedding are liberally and literally poking fun at today’s trends and fads as a way to provide an amusing and humorous look at the behaviors of a multitude of cultures.

Mainstream teens, adults, and even seniors now enjoy hip-hop culture trends, and younger generations consider ghetto parties and ghetto weddings a way to publicly engage in outrageous or ostentatious behavior that flaunts the limits of traditional expectations and expected patterns of behavior.

So whether you want to offer Kool-Aid in the reception punch bowl, or wear a Santa Claus wedding down or get married at a car show, couples around the country are breaking away from traditions of generations past and learning how to express themselves with humor and entertainment, even when it comes to exchanging their wedding vows.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 21st, 2008 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Themed Weddings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.