As anti-government protesters in Haiti's capital blocked principal roads and clashed with police last year, Stanley Joseph and Daphne Gerard (below) used the city's winding and potholed backroads to make it to church for their wedding, decked out in all their finery.
Left: Bride Johanne Jean breastfeeds her son at a hotel paid for by her Haitian cousin who lives in the U.S,. Right: A milk bottle is chilled in an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne.
Protestant churchgoing communities also favor marriage, especially if a couple is expecting a child. Some religious schools will only accept pupils if their parents can provide a marriage certificate.
"Often the reverend himself puts pressure on the couple, saying it is the will of God, which you cannot disobey," said Haitian ethnologist Isaac Ducléon.
Plasaj does not grant rights such as child support in the event of separation, or a share of a partner's estate if they die.
"I fell pregnant and, as we are both churchgoers, we decided to get married," said Johanne Jean, 38, who wed one month after giving birth, nursing her baby throughout the day.
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She wed in church, mainly to please her parents. But the theme of the wedding decoration was 'rastafari,' reflecting the culture of the dreadlocked groom.
Zikiki, 38, wore a red, black, green and gold scarf over his white suit and surprised his bride as she arrived in church by belting out the jazz song "What a Wonderful World."
Like all but the wealthiest Haitians, they chose not to spend any money on a grand reception or honeymoon.
"Instead, that same evening we went out to a nightclub," said Zikiki, "and we had a lot of fun together."
Valerie Baeriswyl is one of the winners of the 2019 Yannis Behrakis Photojournalism Grants and worked on this story, documenting wedding days in Haiti, over the course of several years.
PHOTO EDITING GABRIELLE FONSECA JOHNSON; WRITING SARAH MARSH, TEXT EDITING ROSALBA O'BRIEN; LAYOUT JULIA DALRYMPLE