Weddings are filled with time-honored traditions that have existed for centuries. While plenty of modern couples put their own unique spin on their big day, when engaged duos embrace long-standing customs, the affair is infused with a sense of history, meaning, and familiarity, linking the pair to their family lineage, their culture, and those who tied the knot before them. It’s also said that following certain wedding traditions brings eternal happiness and good fortune to the newlyweds, which is the ultimate goal of any wedding celebration.
01. Norway: Wearing a Crown to Deflect Evil Spirits
One wedding tradition that Norwegian brides follow is sporting a crown to ward off evil spirits. The tiara in question is usually an ornate diadem made of silver and gold that is decorated with small charms. Whenever the bride moves, the charms create a tinkling sound that is supposed to scare off the spirits.
02. Mexico: Draping a Lasso Around the Couple’s Shoulders
During a Mexican wedding ceremony, when the pair exchanges vows, “el lazo,” or lasso (often a string of rope) is draped around their shoulders in the shape of a figure eight. Not only does “el lazo” represent the union of the couple, but its shape also resembles the infinity sign, which signifies how long they’re hoping the marriage will last.
03. Armenia: Balancing Bread on the Couple’s Shoulders
With this ritual, when a newly married Armenian couple enters their wedding reception—typically at the groom’s house—they break a plate for good luck. Then, the mother of the groom gives them lavash flatbread and honey. They eat spoonfuls of the honey to symbolize happiness, and they balance the bread on their shoulders to counteract evil spirits.
04. Congo: Concealing a Smile on the Wedding Day
While most soon-to-be spouses brim with excitement leading up to and on their big day, Congolese couples have to keep their happiness in check. Throughout the entirety of their wedding day, from the ceremony to the reception, the two are not allowed to crack a smile, as grinning is evidence that they aren’t serious about marriage.
05. China: Shooting the Bride With a Bow and Arrow
In China, a prospective husband shoots his bride with a bow and (head-less) arrow several times. After collecting the arrows, he breaks each of them during the ceremony to ensure their love lasts forever.
06. China: Carrying the Bride
A Chinese bride’s family hires a “good luck” woman to take care of the soon-to-be Mrs. when she travels from her home to her groom’s in an elaborately decorated sedan chair. The bride also has attendants shield her with parasols and toss rice at the chair to grant health and prosperity.
07. Ethiopia: Hosting the Melse
On the day after an Ethiopian duo’s wedding, the bride’s family usually hosts the Melse, which only close friends and family attend. For the event, the bride and groom wear habesha outfits with a Kaba, an Ethiopian embroidered cape, and head jewelry.
08. France: Cutting a Heart into a White Sheet
In contemporary French ceremonies, the newlyweds often walk through a cut-out heart that’s carved into a white sheet. This ritual has evolved from a tradition in small French villages, in which children obstructed the bride’s path down the aisle with white ribbons, which forced her to cross through them. The purpose was to represent the bride overcoming any challenges that might come her way in her marriage.
09. Hawaii: Blowing the Pū
Blowing the pū (a conch shell horn) has been a part of Hawaiian culture since ancient times. Hawaiian weddings also embrace this concept, with the officiant either sounding the horn at the start of the ceremony or after the newlyweds share their first kiss.
10. Greece: Shaving the Groom
Taking the term “groomsman” literally, a Greek groom’s best man, or “koumparos,” becomes his barber on his wedding day. Before the groom changes into his ceremony attire, his pal pulls out a razor and shaves the man of honor’s face to demonstrate the trust between them.
11. Guatemala: Breaking a Bell
When Guatemalan newlyweds arrive at the reception, it’s a tradition that the mother of the groom breaks a white ceramic bell filled with grains, such as rice and flour, to bring prosperity to the couple.
12. Brazil: Incorporating Natural Elements
Wedding ceremonies in Brazil conventionally incorporate rituals that revolve around the natural elements of sand, water, or fire—each enhances the couple’s future marriage in some way. To enact this tradition, couples might blend two different containers of sand into the same vessel, signifying their joint union.
13. Japan: Wearing a White Tsunokakushi
On her wedding day, a Japanese bride celebrating a traditional Shinto ceremony wears white from head to toe, including makeup, a kimono, and a hood, called a “tsunokakushi.” White denotes her maiden status, and the hood hides the so-called “horns of jealousy” she may feel toward her mother-in-law.
14. Libya: Sporting a Harisa
While some Libyan brides wear traditional wedding dresses on their big day, many don a harisa, a garment made of white silk that’s embroidered in silver and gold. The woman of the hour often pairs the outfit with gold jewelry and a matching veil.
15. Lebanon: Playing Music and Dancing Before the Ceremony
In Lebanon, the wedding celebration, known as the Zaffe, gets off to a rowdy start at both the bride’s and groom’s homes, thanks to music, belly dancing, and shouting from the couple’s friends and family and occasionally professional dancers and musicians. Eventually, everyone ends up at the bride’s house, where guests shower the couple with blessings and flower petals once they leave for the ceremony.
16. Germany: Shattering Porcelain
Guests at German weddings traditionally throw porcelain dishes on the ground to ward off any evil spirits. Afterward, the couple cleans up the broken pieces, learning the lesson of “Polterabend,” which asserts that as long as the two work together, they can face any challenge.
17. Norway: Serving Kransekake
It’s typical at Norwegian weddings to serve a towering cake, called a “kransekake.” This special dessert has rings of iced almond cake that forms a cone shape with a wine bottle placed in the hollow middle.
18. Czech Republic: Placing a Baby on the Couple’s Bed
Before a Czech couple ties the knot, an infant is placed on their bed to enhance their fertility. Once they wed, guests shower them with rice, peas, or lentils to further promote fertility.
19. Nigeria: Cracking Kola Nuts
In Nigeria, many tribes signal the start of the traditional event by breaking the kola nut. After blessing the bitter fruit, they crack the symbolic food into pieces—the more pieces that are broken off, the more prosperity the host and guests will receive.
20.Russia: Sharing Karavay
Newly married Russian couples share a wedding sweetbread, called “karavay.” The treat is decorated with wheat for prosperity and interlocking rings for faithfulness. Whoever takes the biggest bite without using their hands is considered the head of the family.
21. India: Stealing the Groom’s Shoes
Closeup of Groom’s Pink Embroidered Kurta and Pants With White Shoes Lined With Black
Photo by Caroline Lima Photography
On the day of the wedding, in a lighthearted ritual, called “Joota Chupai,” an Indian bride’s sisters and female cousins hide the groom’s shoes. To safely return them to the groom, the bride’s female relatives often negotiate with him. This tradition brings laughter and blessings to the couple.
22. China: Playing Wedding Door Games
Bride in Traditional Red Dress With Floral Detail Seated and Looking at Groom in Black Tuxedo
Photo by Jen Huang
In this humorous, playful tradition, Chinese bridesmaids challenge the groom (and sometimes his groomsmen) on the morning of the wedding day by putting him through a series of tests, which are called “wedding door games,” to prove that he’s worthy of the bride. Afterward, he must pay each one with envelopes of money.
