Ever wonder what other wedding traditions there are outside of the United States? While some are similar, others couldn’t be more different. Some U.S. traditions that are well known include the bride wearing a white wedding dress, the tossing of the bouquet, and gifts being brought to the reception.

In this blog, I’ll share the many different wedding rituals that are celebrated around the world.

Wedding Traditions From Around the World

There are some countries that practice wedding traditions similar to American traditions. In Italy, bachelors take the bride’s garter and attach it to their hats, which is similar to when the groom takes off the bride’s garter and throws it to the single men at weddings in the U.S. In China, brides wear three different dresses: 1) a form fitting red dress called a qipao or a cheongsam; 2) a white wedding dress much like the ones that are worn in weddings in the U.S.; and 3) a cocktail dress of any color.

Another culture’s wedding tradition that corresponds to a U.S. tradition is Japan. Japanese guests bring cash as gifts to the couple, which is becoming a lot more popular in the U.S.

Many wedding traditions differ from those in the United States. In Greece, brides write the names of all their single female friends on the bottom of their shoes and the names that rub off symbolize future brides. In France, instead of a regular wedding cake, a wedding reception would have a cake made out of cream puffs. Another place outside of the United States that has diverse wedding rituals is Zulu, which is located in South Africa. In Zulu, the groom’s family slaughters a cow for the bride, and she inserts money into the cow’s stomach to symbolize her becoming part of the family.

Royal weddings in the United Kingdom have bridesmaids that are all younger than age 21. Tunisian weddings, which take place in the northern part of Africa differ from American weddings because they have a seven-day celebration. The first day is celebrated by the bride’s female friends and family who come to her new home to decorate and assemble her new clothes. Other days are spent having henna parties, and the groom gifts the bride with jewelry. The last day the couple sits in chairs, at their ceremony, that resemble thrones.

There are so many diverse ways to celebrate a wedding. Everywhere around the world has special wedding traditions, whether they are similar or not.

By Sarah Stahl
Intern with Events by Lexi