Wedding traditions around the world...

Wedding traditions and customs vary from one country to another, but each one is special and celebrates the marriage bond of the newly weds.

UNITED STATES- Groom's Cake

The groom's cake was originally a fruitcake which was placed beside the bride's cake and later cut and boxed for the guests to take home. There was a superstition that a lady who slept with a slice of the groom's cake under her pillow would dream of her future husband. Today, groom's cakes can be any type of cake; they are often chocolate cakes or cakes shaped/designed to some theme in the groom's life. It seems that today the groom's cake tradition is strongest in the US.

BELGIUM - Wearing White, Giving Flowers, and Throwing Rice

In Belgium, the bride always, or almost always, wears a white dress. The man comes to the house of the bride and give her her bouquet of flowers (also in white or other light colors). They go to the church and the man is inside when the father of the bride brings her to her future husband. And at the end, when they come out, the family throws rice on them.

BRAZIL- Important Details of the Wedding Ceremony

A wedding ceremony in Brazil has many important details. For example, the bridegroom can't see the bride wearing her wedding dress before the ceremony. The bride has to use something old, something new, and something that is borrowed. One more detail is that the rings should be engraved: the name of the bridegroom on the bride's ring and vice-versa.

CHINA- Exchanging Handkerchiefs for Good Luck

In China, every new couple needs to go to a park to have a video made before the evening party starts. If a new couple meets in a park, the bride and bridegroom should exchange a new handkerchief and wish each other good luck. It has to be red and have a picture of mandarin ducks. Because ducks always stay together, it means they will stay together. They have this custom so they share happiness and congratulate each other. Traditionally, the more happiness you share, the more good luck you get.

COLOMBIA- The Candle Ceremony

There is a traditional custom in Colombian Christian weddings. After the ring ceremony, the groom and the bride each has to light a candle. This custom has a special meaning. Each lighted candle represents the life of each one. After that, they light another candle together and put out the first candle of each one, leaving only the one that they lit as a couple. This bright candle means that now they are the same body and they are going to share every moment of their lives.

EASTERN EUROPE- Asking the Girl's Father for Permission

The engagement is an event previous to the wedding. One month before the wedding, the groom asks the girl's father for permission to take the girl out of her family house. He goes to her house early in the morning with a band, if he can afford the expense. All the neighbors come to see the new bride and to tell her something nice.

GERMANY- Polterabend-The Evening with Lots of Broken Porcelain

Some days before the wedding, friends and relatives bring old porcelain and kitchenware to throw on the ground in front of bride and groom. This is supposed to grant them a happy, lucky life; that's why this evening event is called Polterabend--the evening with lots of broken porcelain. The German proverb--Scherben bringen Glück--which can be translated as "Broken crockery brings you luck." is derived from this custom. The Polterabend often develops into an informal and casual party.

INDIA- A Marriage of Two Families, Not Just Two People.

In the Sikh faith (East Indian) some weddings are arranged and others are love marriages. When a couple are to be wed it is considered a marriage of two families not just two people. The bride traditionally wears red (white signifies death in their culture) and the groom wears a traditional cream colored long coat called an etchkin with a red turban. The father of the bride joins the bride to the groom by handing her one end of a cloth that is held by the groom. The groom leads the bride 4 times around our holy book with the help of the bride's brothers and cousins. After the fourth round the couple are considered married. Priests give blessings and advise the couple on how to live and love in their new lives together. The couple are two bodies with one soul...

JAPAN- A Wine Ceremony Symbolizes Dedication

A Shinto wedding has a typical ceremony. A couple drinks Japanese rice wine in front of a priest. First, the bride drinks the wine from a small cup. Next, the bride passes the cup to the groom and he also drinks the wine from the cup. They try to drink wine three times. This ceremony means that they promise to be dedicated each other.

MEXICO- A Bouquet for the Virgin Mary

In Mexico at a Catholic wedding ceremony, the bride offers her bouquet to the Virgin Mary and leaves it at the foot of the statue in order to thank her and ask her for a good life and for her blessing. This is a solemn moment at the end of the ceremony. After that, she meets her groom and they receive the priest's blessing and that means the ceremony is finished.

SAUDI ARABIA- New Clothes for the Bride and Groom

In Saudi Arabia, when men and women want to get married, they prefer to buy new clothes and throw out old ones. They say this is a new life, so the couple need new clothes.

PUERTO RICO- Promises to Love and Take Care of Each Other

The most important and unforgettable event of someone's life is marriage. In Puerto Rico and other latin countries, the groom has to promise his bride to love her his whole life and to take her forever. The bride also has to repeat the same commandments. This moment is really beautiful.

So, if you know any other wedding tradition for a country not listed on this article, please let us know so we can share with our readers.