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German Tradition

French Tradition

Russia Tradition

Chinese Tradition

Pakistan Tradition

Customary Engagement Etiquette in Indonesia

An Indonesian engagement could easily last for many years. During this time, ceremonial gift giving takes place between the bride and groom's families to strengthen their familiarity.

Indonesian Wedding Ceremony

An Indonesian wedding program is a very important event. Everyone that is even slightly acquainted with the bride and groom may be invited, and this could mean thousands of guests. The majority of invited guests do not attend the actual ceremony, but it is considered rude to be invited to the wedding reception, to share in the joy of the newlyweds, and to not attend.

Wedding Reception Celebration

There is often an elaborate processional into the reception site, which consists of a long chain of flowers. Professional dancers perform traditional Indonesian dances, while family and guests await the arrival of the newlyweds.

It is customary for the traditional Indonesian bride and groom to greet each guest in a long receiving line, before the reception festivities can begin.

Wedding Customs in Spain

Spain is a nation of many regions, most of which were once independent countries, so wedding customs sometimes vary from area to area.

Traditionally, the groom gives a watch to the bride's father when his proposal is accepted.

Though some brides still uphold custom by embroidering their groom's wedding shirt, today's Spanish brides generally choose white wedding dresses for themselves rather than the black lace or silk gowns that were once popular. No matter what color the dress, lacey mantillas secured with combs often complete the ensemble. In Andalucia (Andalusia), a few brides wear a frilled, flamenco style dress in homage to the distinctive regional dance. Flower selections vary from region to region. In Seville (Sevilla), where richly-scented orange trees abound, brides wear orange blossom wreaths or carry generous bouquets to represent the promise and fulfillment of the orange tree. Brides in Andalusia prefer pink and white rose garlands, while Castillian brides wear white flowers.

Because dining late is a Mediterranean custom, wedding ceremonies often aren't scheduled until evening. According to tradition, the bride's father escorts his daughter to the church after having ensured that the groom has not seen her the night before the ceremony. The groom's mother walks down the aisle with her son.

Spanish wedding ceremonies are marked by an exchange of 13 gold coins in a special purse or box. Details of this custom vary from source to source, but even today it is readily possible to buy reproduction coins to honor the tradition. Whether gold or imitation, these coins are blessed by the officiating priest. They are said to represent Jesus Christ and his apostles, so they not only have a religious connotation but also a practical one since they represent a dowry, a pledge of the new groom's willingness to support his wife.

The bride and bridegroom exchange wedding rings as well. These are worn on the ring fingers of their right hands.

As they emerge from the church, the newlyweds are often greeted with firecrackers. Once the reception begins, the festivities continue into the night with dining and dancing. The wedding dance is called "sequidillas manchegas." Guests who dance with the bride, traditionally give her money, but pieces of the groom's tie and/or the bride's garter may also be auctioned off for good luck.

Though the Spanish bride throws her bouquet to whomever will be next to marry, she also hands out pins with a flower motif to unmarried ladies who attach them to their clothing upside down. The hope is the pins will be lost during the dancing, and therefore indicate the lady will soon marry. Other favors for wedding guests are cigars for the gentlemen and something nicely scented for the ladies.

Area delicacies are always on the reception menu. Paella, a delicious seafood and rice stew, is popular along the coast while sangria, a red wine punch, is found at most Spanish gatherings. The wedding sponge cake is rich with fruit and almonds.

Whatever your heritage, consider adopting a custom or two from the rich culture of Spanish weddings.

German Wedding Traditions !

Some German wedding customs are similar to ours in the United States, such as the vehicle procession following the wedding where vehicles honk their horns to wish the couple a happy future. Other traditions are unique to German culture. In Germany, the bride and groom preparing for marriage are in for a real treat because their nuptials will be lasting not one, but three days!

Thursday kicks off the nuptials when the couple gathers with friends and family for the civil ceremony. On friday, the real fun begins as the couple is visited for the "Polterabend", or wedding-eve party, by friends and neighbors. The celebration entails the smashing of plates and other breakables as a sign of good luck. It is believed that by doing so, the bride and groom will abstain from breaking any household after they are married. It is noted that the bride and groom must also clean up the mess.

Saturday's entertainment includes the actual religious wedding ceremony, wherein the couple is actually united in marriage. However, before the bride and groom may leave the celebration, the guests hold them hostage. The payment to be released is a promise by the groom of a party or money. Other customs include making chaos for the bride and groom on their first night as a married couple. Friends play the wedding ceremony joke of taking apart the couple's bed. Log sawing is also a custom in some German villages to test the new marriage relationship. After the wedding, a log is positioned between two sawhorses. The bride and groom together must saw the log. Supposedly, this is an indication of how the couple will handle joint chores throughout their married lives. Also, interestedly enough, Germans wear their matching wedding bands on their right hands. As with any country, Germany has its share of interesting marriage rituals.

Custom for French brides– and hopefully their fiancés –

 though whether bathing grew from a desire for cleanliness or ritual purification is unclear. Certainly, richly scented flowers have always played an important part in French weddings. Their aroma contributes to the overall beauty of the service, and the traditional romantic language of flowers adds to the message of love and joy. However, there was a time when the fashion for orange blossoms outstripped the seasonal supply, and some brides resorted to orange blossoms made of wax.

While Anne of Brittany is widely credited with wearing the first white wedding dress, it was Queen Victoria's friend and contemporary, the Empress Eugénie, who made white the color of choice in France. Today's French bride wears a chic, flattering wedding gown, but regional costumes were once popular. In Brittany for example, brides yearned for elaborately skirted dresses of white and purple velvet and gold cloth.

The charming village custom of the groom to be escorting his fiancée and the wedding party to the church for the ceremony has survived. In Brittany, children block the road with ribbons that must be cut by the bride. The groom has to remove briars that have been placed across the road by those who demand and receive payment for these obstacles.

Once the guests have gathered at the church, the groom and his mother precede the rest of the wedding party down the aisle.

Near the end of the ceremony, a protective square of silk, called a "carré," is held over the heads of the bride and groom as they are blessed by the priest. This same silk will wrap their children when they are baptized.

Like couples almost everywhere, French newlyweds can expect their guests to fling something at them as they leave the church. Depending on local custom, guests might throw grains such as wheat or rice for fertility or even gift the bride with loaves of bread. Elsewhere, guests toss almond dragées or coins at the couple who walk over aromatic laurel leaves strewn outside the door of the church.

Toasts of "health" or "santé" to the bride and groom hark back to actual toast. Even today, a piece of bread may be placed in a traditional two-handled cup along with wines from two different vineyards. This represents the couple's union, and after they drink the wine, they eat the bread, a symbol of life.

The French often hire a professional champagne opener for weddings. This expert uses a saber, a Napoleonic cavalry-style sword, to whack open bottles of celebratory champagne.

The croquembouche has been the traditional French wedding cake since the 1600s. This "mouth cruncher" is a golden dream consisting of a pyramid of creampuffs covered with hard-crack sugar and then spun, lightly caramelized sugar. The concept originated from an earlier time when guests would stack little cakes and call for the newlyweds to kiss over the stack without disturbing it.

Dancing is a popular pastime at French weddings. In Brittany, the traditional dance is the "rond" in which people join hands and dance in a circle.

Bridal garters and bouquets have been tossed at French weddings for hundreds of years. Originally, it is suspected the garter was hurled in the faces of drunken guests, but flowers have always been thrown to whomever will be next to marry.

French wedding guests have long believed in extending their participation in the festivities to the wedding night. They purposefully disturb the new couple with loud noises and drunken songs in return for another drink or two with the bride and groom. This practice is called variously "chiverie" or "charivari." French settlers brought the chiverie to North America where it became known as a "shivaree."

When the celebrations wind down, someone may head to the kitchen to prepare a strengthening onion soup as a morning after pick-me-up. .

Marriage in Russia

When a traditional Orthodox couple get married in Russia, they are crowned as royalty for the day. The bride and groom must stand on a special carpet as they recite their marriage vows, but first they race each other to it. Whoever reaches the carpet first will, presumably, be the head of the household

France has always been a crossroads of Europe, so it should be no surprise that French wedding customs are a rich mix of customs from other cultures together with those nurtured in the most romantic country in the world.

During the Middle Ages, the prospective Breton groom left a hawthorn branch for his sweetheart as a signal she was his chosen bride. Hawthorn has been used as a herbal remedy for heart problems for centuries. Other grooms used the village tailor as a go between who arranged things with the girl and her parents.

Confirming an engagement with a gift of jewelry is an ancient custom, but diamond jewelry first caught the attention of fashionistas at the court of King Charles VII when he gave diamonds to the notorious Agnès Sorel rather than to his wife, thereby proving himself the true son of his father, Charles the Mad.

French brides to be receive the credit for the idea of the trousseau, originally a collection of clothing and household linens stored in a hope chest or elaborately carved armoire.

This armoire was destined to become a central piece of furniture in the household of the newlyweds. Some sources go further and suggest the concept of the trousseau contributed to the development of the bridal showers we hold today.

Since regular bathing was not possible without elaborate plumbing, a pre-wedding bath became a necessary

Wedding Customs in Italy

Italian wedding customs have trickled down though time since the days of the Romans. But Italy's rich history also gives Italians a generous contribution of both home grown wedding customs and those bequeathed from settlers/invaders from ancient Greece, France, Germany, Spain and North Africa. Throw in Italy's mountainous geography, which divides the country into distinct regions, and you have a banquet of wedding customs to enjoy.

A traditional Italian proposal begins with a romantic serenade. Since the Middle Ages, grooms have presented their brides to be with engagement rings to solidify the solemn agreement to marry. As incomes increased, so did the interest in diamond rings, though to this day, a bride who cherishes the customs of the past will not wear any gold jewelry on her wedding day until after the ceremony.

Brides to be and their families gathered a "dote" or dowry of household goods and clothing in hope or marriage chests. This was often augmented with money or property.

Red is the Color of Weddings in China  
Red is central to the wedding theme of China. It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions. The bride's wedding down is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom's homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.

Before the Chinese Wedding Day

Before her wedding celebration, a Chinese bride traditionally goes into seclusion with her closest friends. This Chinese custom gives the bride-to-be some time to symbolically mourn the loss of her friends and family.

Some time before the couple are married, the groom's family carries wedding gifts in red baskets and boxes to the bride's house. One of the baskets will contain "uang susu" or 'milk money'. Others will contain personal things for the bride, so that on her wedding day all of her personal belongings will be in the groom's house. The bride takes the gifts to another room where they are sorted through.

Three days before the wedding day, women from the bride's family reciprocate, bearing gifts -- including some 'returns'-- in red wrappings to the groom's family.

             The Day of the Wedding Ceremony

Wedding anniversaries in China, are carefully chosen according to astrological signs. It is also customary for couples to be married on the half-hour or their wedding day rather than at the top of the hour. In this way, the couple begins their new lives together on an 'upswing', while the hands of the clock are moving up, rather than down.

On the morning of his wedding day, the groom is symbolically dressed by his parents. The groom arrives at the house of his bride on the way to the wedding chapel. He brings gifts of cash, wrapped in red tissue, to give to his bride's friends, in exchange for 'letting her go'. In some families, the wedding couple serves tea to both sets of parents while kneeling in front of them. a symbolic gesture of asking for permission. The bride and groom then leave for the wedding site together.

                            Chinese Marriage Ceremony and Wedding Reception

The wedding ceremony is usually attended only by the couples' immediate families. Just after the ceremony and before the wedding reception, the bride who honors tradition will serve tea to her in-laws in a formal ceremony. The couple will usually go to a professional studio for wedding pictures before they proceed to their reception

Pakistan Wadding Tradition

First Day of the Celebration

On the first day, the bride and groom's families each dress in yellow, and celebrate the upcoming nuptials separately. The betrothed couple will not see each other from this day until the ceremony.

Second Day of the Celebration

The second day is reserved for a big celebration called Mendi that includes dancing and singing ancient songs.


On this day, the groom's family delivers the wedding dress to the bride's family, and then her family takes the groom's wedding attire to his family.

The bride's family string hundreds of colored lights over and around their home, creating an ostentatious announcement of their daughter's forthcoming marriage.  dries overnight.

of her hands and feet. This traditional Muslim art form invokes intricately designs to create beautiful symbolic patterns. The bride-to-be is waited on by her family while the henna stain dries overnight.

Third Day is the Marriage Ceremony

The wedding rites and ceremony in Pakistan take places on the third day. The Pakistani bride and groom who continue their traditions wear garments of red. The bride's gown is very elaborate, as are her veil and jewelry. Men wear a distinctive traditional turban. After wedding vows are exchanged, the Holy Koran is held over the new bride's head as she joins her husband's family. The official paperwork is signed in the presence of an Islamic priest and the guests.

Fourth and Final Day of Wedding Program in Pakistan

On the fourth day, the couple hosts their first dinner as husband and wife. The groom's family invites all .                                                                 GO TO TOP