Marriage in Absence!

The Nigerian Says:
when I saw the title of this email, I was very concerned that it will be another relationship question, the Nigerian was pleasantly surprised when this entity read the letter. I stress this again THIS IS NOT A DATING WEBSITE. ehe! okay read the letter below:

Good Morning Sir!

   Greetings from America! I am a nigerian by birth. I grew up in Nigeria and travelled to the States immediately after my secondary school education. I managed to maintain my relationships with my friends in Nigeria and we all still talk and skype. Unfortunately, I have not been able to travel home until last July.
    Last July, a friend that I've known since high school, invited us for her wedding in Nigeria. I took that as an opportunity for me to go home and have a reunion with my friends. I travelled home (The Nigerian deleted this part, the lady added the name of her location) I'm still confused about what I witnessed.
    We all arrived at the traditional wedding, expecting to see the groom. Rather, we saw the groom's family, but no groom. Apparently it was marriage in default.. There was no groom, not that he does not exist, I'm not very sure he does, but he was represented by his people.
    Maybe because of my long absence from Nigeria, I have come to see certain practices as strange. Please can the Nigerian, clarify what I witnessed?

Thanks
(again the Nigerian deleted her name)

The Nigerian says:

Dear confused girl,

Please against next time, do not write your full name. Secondly,the Nigerian should not be addressed as Sir or Ma, just The Nigerian, you don hear? ehe!.

I can understand your confusion, as to why the groom was missing. I have heard stories about families that don't have a son, marrying a girl into their homes and then inviting men to impregnate her. Apparently, any child born by that lady automatically belongs to the family. Is it strange? Maybe. Does it happen? Maybe!.

Let me tell you a story about a wedding the Nigerian attended. The bride should be in her mid 30's. I don't know whether it was desperation or just the fact that the groom lived abroad, but the man was not present during the wedding (Traditional marriage ceremony), instead, his picture was used. Let me paint this correctly for you: A large frame with the groom's picture, was placed under a canopy on a white plastic chair. When the bride was presented to the groom's family, his mother raised his pictures and they led the girl away, to her new home.

The Nigerian does not have anything against anybody's tradition, or the way anybody lives their life. But come o, why will a well to do, healthy, living, and abled bodied man, not attend his own wedding ceremony? Hopefully, your friend's story will end happily. That is all.

OK Bye!