The same wedding idea in 15 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
Families often search through relatives, community networks and matrimonial websites, and may compare horoscopes (kundli) before a first meeting. Many couples meet a few times and then decide, and increasingly the couple make the first move themselves.
Read: Arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinentThe rishta process starts with a family visit to the prospective bride's home for tea. Families often prefer matches inside their wider kin, and cousin marriage is common; a nikah requires the free consent of both parties.
Arranged marriage, being writtenIn the past, Hmong and other highland peoples gathered at the Sapa love market, where young people meet with songs and the khene pipe. Elsewhere in Vietnam, a formal visit to ask for the bride, the dam ngo, is made by the groom's family.
Sa Pa, being writtenOmiai, a formal introduction arranged by family or a go-between, once accounted for most marriages and still exists, now alongside matchmaking agencies and events. The couple meets, often over tea or a meal, and either may decline.
Omiai, being writtenMatchmaking firms, family introductions called seon and blind-date meetings are common. Wedding agencies and genealogies are used by some families, and the engagement is marked by gifts called ham.
Read: MatchmakingParents gather in public parks, such as Shanghai's People's Park marriage market, to post notes on their grown children's age, job and salary. Online dating and village matchmakers sit alongside the old practice.
Read: Marriage marketIn the traditional pattern the groom's family sends elders to the bride's home to ask for her hand, a visit called elchi. The answer is rarely given on the first visit, and a formal engagement, nishan, follows.
Culture of Azerbaijan, being writtenThe shadchan arranges introductions among Orthodox Jewish communities, a process called shidduch, in which the pair meet a limited number of times and then decide. Dating events, apps and the Tu B'Av holiday also encourage meetings.
Shidduch, being writtenAt the Imilchil Marriage Festival in the Atlas Mountains, which takes place each autumn, young people from Berber tribes meet at a gathering of music and dancing, and may choose to become engaged. It is also a trade fair and a meeting of families.
Imilchil Marriage Festival, being writtenWodaabe Fulani men dress and paint their faces in the Gerewol, a dance in which young women choose among them. The event is a courtship ritual and a way to meet people from other clans.
Gerewol, being writtenFamilies come together for the asking and the lobola talks that follow, and the couple's own choice matters in most communities today. The older practice of ukuthwalwa, the forced abduction of girls, is illegal and is treated as a serious crime.
Ukuthwala, being writtenThe Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, each September in County Clare, grew from the old tradition of farmers travelling to the spa town to find a spouse. Today it is a music festival with a matchmaker, dances and visitors from many countries.
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, being writtenMost couples meet themselves, through friends, work, faith groups and dating apps, and then involve their families. In several immigrant communities, family introductions and matrimonial events continue to play a role.
Online dating, being writtenCouples usually find each other, though at the Festas Juninas small matchmaking rituals, such as Saint Anthony's love charms (simpatias), are played in fun. Saint Anthony is the saint to whom unmarried women pray.
Saint Anthony of Padua, being writtenIndo-Fijian families still help arrange many marriages, while iTaukei families follow custom for a formal request, presenting a whale's tooth, the tabua, to the bride's family. Both traditions mix the individual's choice with the support of the extended family.
Read: TabuaWritten by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.