10 Wedding Traditions from around the world!

It’s time to discover! My curious nature made me want to share with you some wedding traditions from around the world. We know some of our own traditions like: the bouquet toss, the garter, the rice toss, the wedding ring passed to the left hand etc… Others have been forgotten and I feel like telling you that it’s sometimes so much better!
These customs are certainly familiar to you and maybe you don’t see your wedding without applying them? But have you ever thought that in the 4 corners of the world weddings are celebrated completely differently?
Today we are completely rethinking the codes of marriage: We want modernity without abandoning tradition… We often look for a symbolism to our union beyond the religious rites. Sometimes we borrow a tradition from another country because it makes sense to us. Besides, weddings with a travel theme are still very popular!
So, I propose you a world tour of wedding traditions to inspire you… Or simply to satisfy your curiosity ! Let’s go !

In China, we get married in red !

Forget the traditional white dress in tulle or with pretty lace. In China, white is the color of death and mourning. So you might as well say that at a wedding it would be frowned upon. Red on the other hand is the most symbolic and important color in China. It symbolizes love, wealth, vitality, happiness and luck! Only that. It is in red that we celebrate all the Chinese religious or private holidays like the birth of a child. However, in recent years, some Chinese brides borrow the Western tradition by dressing in a beautiful white dress. Even if they are often weddings with expatriates, it is a bit contradictory.

One breaks a glass with his foot after the nuptial blessing in Israel

MAZEL TOV ! At the end of the religious ceremony, the groom breaks a glass wrapped in a napkin with his right foot. The guests then all shout “Mazel Tov” together to wish the couple good luck. This act is extremely symbolic as it represents the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It indicates that even in moments of joy, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the pain of the Jewish people in the past are remembered.

We improvise ourselves as woodcutters in Germany for our wedding!

In the tradition, the couple saws a tree trunk until it splits in two. The tree represents the balance of the marriage and by sawing it together they must coordinate, show strength and endurance. This act symbolizes their ability to overcome future obstacles in life together and the strength of their union. I find this rather original and certainly very tiring!

In Morocco, the bride changes her outfit 7 times!

Here is a tradition that will make people envious! You don’t choose 1 dress but 7! As queen of the day, the tradition wants the bride to wear 7 dresses called “caftan” representing the 7 ethnic regions of Morocco. The colors, fabrics and/or patterns will of course be different. The Moroccan bride will always be accompanied by her negafa who is similar to the role of a bridesmaid . It is she who will help her during all her fittings and change of dresses on the D-day.

The bride is taken to Russia

The bride’s parents or close friends kidnap the bride during the reception and the groom has to find her. In order to do so, he will have to overcome a series of challenges or dares imposed by the bride’s family. If he can’t find her in time, he will have to pay a ransom such as jewelry to get her back.

At a wedding in Canada, we kiss as soon as we toast

This tradition is very funny because as soon as the guests toast, the bride and groom must kiss. It is also customary for the person toasting the bride and groom to kiss the person to the right. We imagine that sometimes it is an advantage for the one who appreciates the person on his right. I think this is one of my favorite wedding traditions of this little world tour…

In England, we borrow, wear blue, old and new

Here is a tradition that may be familiar to you. Especially if you’re a fan of American romantic comedies, you must have seen it. Yes, because even if the origin is very British, the United States have appropriated it well. The custom is for the bride to wear something new, something old, something blue and something borrowed: “Something blue, something borrowed, something new & something old”. This can be the dress, jewelry and other accessories.
The 4 objects symbolize the future happiness and the wedding day. In theory, the new object represents the future and the future: symbol of a new life. The old object represents the past and life before the wedding. The color blue symbolizes wisdom, longevity and fidelity. Finally, the borrowed object usually comes from a woman who is happy in her marriage and her life as a couple.

Beware of the number of tickets given to the bride and groom in Japan

Here is a custom that surprised me while inspecting my little backpacker’s guide during my trip to Japan. The guests are welcomed at the reception place by the family of the bride and groom and it is at this moment that they give an envelope filled with tickets for the bride and groom. This envelope is the wedding gift of the guests. But be careful, it is necessary that the number of tickets is odd. Even numbers bring bad luck because they can be divided.

In the United States, you destroy your wedding dress!

So, it’s more a trend than a tradition but as it is more and more frequent I wanted to add it! The famous “Trash the dress”. If you don’t know what to do with your dress after the wedding, this is also a solution. It’s about doing an original photo session a few days after the wedding by putting your dress back on one last time. The principle is simple: paint job, photos in the sea or in an old dilapidated barn, but your dress will not come out unscathed! To have fun, keep a last memory and close the loop!

A good French onion soup!

I wanted to add a French tradition that has been a bit forgotten and that you may not know. The famous onion soup at the end of the meal! Ummmm, it’s a little less glamorous than the previous customs but it’s no less French for that. The tradition is that at the end of the evening the bride and groom leave the reception for their wedding night in a secret location. Afterwards, guests will go looking for them and will come to wake them up in the night to serve them an onion soup in a chamber pot to share a convivial moment!