Wedding traditions of Berlin
In Germany the Standesamt makes the marriage, and a Polterabend with broken china brings luck the night before.
German law recognises the civil ceremony at the Standesamt; a church wedding is an additional ceremony. Berlin couples marry in town hall registry offices, castles, museums and a wide choice of unusual venues.
A wedding here
A civil ceremony at the registry office comes first, often followed by a church wedding or a party on another day. The bride and groom may saw a log together, a custom of a first shared task.
Polterabend
The evening before, guests smash porcelain at the door of the couple's home, and the couple sweep it up together to show they can work as a team. Glass is never broken, as that is held to bring bad luck.
Wedding customs of Berlin
PolterabendThe evening of broken porcelain.
Same-sex marriage in GermanyLegal since October 2017, as of 2026.
Wedding dressBoth white and coloured dresses appear.Also part of it, and being written: Wedding (German weddings and the civil requirement.).
A wedding trail idea for Berlin
- Rotes Rathaus area registry Berlin's civil marriage offices in several districts.
- Schloss Charlottenburg A historic venue for ceremonies and photographs.
- Kurfurstendamm bridal shops A stretch of bridal and formal wear.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Germany: This image is a work by Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons user C.Suthorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dirndl: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source
- Wedding dress: Statens historiska museer, CC BY 2.5, source