When we talk about weddings, most of us discuss the bride and groom taking their rings on a symbolic train to their new home after the wedding ceremony. However, there are many unusual wedding traditions that can be witnessed in countries all over the world.
If you have a heritage from these countries, you can also adapt these traditions to showcase your culture. You should also talk to your wedding coordinator if you need your wedding to conform to these traditions.
If you want to learn more about the different unusual wedding traditions from other parts of the globe, read more below:
Sweden
In Sweden, brides don’t usually wear a veil to their wedding. Instead, Swedish brides choose to wear a beautiful flower crown as a headpiece, which uses a sprig of myrtle as it symbolizes love.
Many rustic or outdoor weddings choose to follow this trend, not knowing it’s a tradition from Sweden. To achieve this look, you need to talk to your florists regarding design and flower options. Thankfully, wedding suppliers like Bouqs wedding services have a wide range of flowers you can choose from to create a beautiful wedding crown.
India
There are many different wedding traditions followed at Indian weddings. In fact, couples have observed these traditions from time immemorial up until today.
The wedding traditions followed in some parts of India are quite similar to those observed in Western countries. A virgin must wear a sari before her wedding. On her head, she has an opulent headdress made of silk. And, at the end of the day, most families claim that the bride will look like a princess because of her innocence. As for the men, while the kurta has been the traditional piece of clothing for grooms, sherwanis like the ones right here have been extremely popular for grooms in the modern era.
Another unusual wedding tradition in the country is putting a henna tattoo on the bride during her wedding day. The henna tattoo has intricate details, and it has been the country’s tradition for more than 5,000 years. It’s believed that the darker the henna tattoo, the stronger her marriage will be.
Germany
There is a lovely tradition of putting up a bride’s tree for couples who wed during the Christmas season in Germany. A bride’s tree is a Christmas tree that uses 12 specific ornaments that symbolizes their happiness and journey through married life. The newlywed couple typically receives these ornaments as wedding gifts.
Spain
Nowadays, many brides choose not to wear a white wedding gown. Modern brides choose a black wedding gown because of its non-traditional look and its impact and elegance. However, in Spain, wearing a black wedding gown is already a tradition.
In Spain, brides wear a mantilla, which is a black lace veil and gown. The black blanket draped over her head and shoulders symbolize her devotion to her husband.
China
Since teas originated from China thousands of years ago, tea ceremonies typically occur before the actual wedding ceremony for many Chinese couples. Historically, the bride serves tea to her family and her soon-to-be in-laws before and after the wedding.
Serving tea symbolizes the bond that both families will share. It’s also a special moment where both families give their blessing to the couple. Additionally, this act honors both families before the ceremony.
The tea has two lotus seeds and two red dates. Each family member will take a sip of the tea and then gives the couple an envelope. The envelope typically contains money, jewelry, or a token.
Jewish Wedding
For Jewish couples, the norm is for the groom to break a glass at the end of his wedding ceremony. As the groom is doing this, the wedding guests will congratulate him with the words “Siman Tov!” or “Mazel Tov!”
Families associate various meanings with this tradition. Some people view this as a note to the destruction of the first temple of Jerusalem. Others also believe that the message behind the act means that marriage can be fragile as glass. The act of shattering the glass would mean that the couple won’t let their relationship be broken quickly.
Depending on your cultural heritage, wedding traditions have many symbols and meanings. In addition to the countries mentioned above, there are plenty of wedding traditions in the US alone, like eating the cake and throwing the bridal bouquet.
If your ancestors also belong to different cultures, it would also be fun and memorable to incorporate these unusual wedding traditions in your wedding.
Feature Image by Jonathan Borba from Pexels
