Couples have always married across the lines of faith, caste, ethnicity and, increasingly, gender, and the wedding has to find a form that honours both sides.
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Couples have always married across the lines of faith, caste, ethnicity and, increasingly, gender, and the wedding has to find a form that honours both sides. This page describes how weddings cross those lines and what the law says in a few countries. Legal positions here are as of 2026 and are simplified: laws change, and anyone planning a wedding should check current law with the registrar or a lawyer.
Many couples hold two ceremonies, one in each tradition, or a single blended ceremony with a minister, imam, rabbi or priest from each side, or a civil ceremony with readings. Some religions allow it more easily than others: the Catholic Church allows mixed marriages with permission, and many Jewish rabbis and Muslim scholars place limits on who may marry. In many Muslim-majority countries, the law treats the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man differently from that of a Muslim man to a woman of the book, and conversion may be required, so check current law. In Israel, there is no civil marriage inside the country, so interfaith couples often marry in Cyprus or elsewhere, and the state registers marriages performed abroad.
In India, the Special Marriage Act of 1954 provides a civil route for people of different religions or castes to marry, with a notice period, and the law does not bar inter-caste marriage. Social pressure remains strong in many places, and cases of violence against couples have been reported, so campaigners and some state governments run support schemes. Elsewhere, interethnic and interracial marriage was banned in the United States until the Supreme Court's decision in Loving v. Virginia in 1967, and in South Africa until 1985, and many families still negotiate between two cultures through blended customs.
As of 2026, same-sex marriage is legal in a large and growing number of countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, Switzerland, Mexico, Greece and Thailand, among others, with the route by law or by court ruling. Some countries offer civil unions rather than marriage, and many, including most of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, do not recognise it, and in some it is a crime. In India the Supreme Court in 2023 declined to create a right to marry, and in Japan courts have criticised the ban while the law has not changed, so check current law because rulings are still evolving.
Couples often pick elements from each side: a Hindu fire ritual and a Western exchange of rings, a chuppah and a mandap, a nikah and a first dance. The best approach is to talk to both families early, ask which parts are essential, and explain what each part means to the guests, with a short programme. For same-sex couples, many traditions are being adapted, with both partners walking in, a new vocabulary of the groom and groom or bride and bride, and in some faiths, blessings or rites by welcoming congregations.
The Special Marriage Act, 1954 allows two adults of different religions or castes to marry in a civil registration, with a 30-day public notice. Many couples hold a religious ceremony too, and same-sex marriage is not recognised as of 2026, following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision.
Special Marriage Act, 1954, being writtenThe marriage law of 1974 states that a marriage is valid if conducted according to the religion of the couple, which makes interfaith marriages hard to register in the country, and many couples marry abroad or convert. Same-sex marriage is not recognised, so check current law.
Read: Interfaith marriageThailand passed a marriage equality law that took effect in January 2025, making it the first Southeast Asian country to allow same-sex marriage. Couples may register at district offices, and many hold a Buddhist blessing alongside it.
Read: Same-sex marriage in ThailandIn 2019 Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, following a constitutional court ruling and then a law. Couples register at household registration offices, and the wedding style follows the families' own traditions.
Read: Same-sex marriage in TaiwanSame-sex marriage is not legal nationally as of 2026, although several high courts have said that the lack of it is unconstitutional, and many cities offer partnership certificates. Interfaith and international weddings are common and are registered in the civil office.
Same-sex marriage in Japan, being writtenWeddings in Georgia and Armenia are mostly Orthodox, with civil registration required, and mixed Christian and Muslim marriages occur in border regions such as Azerbaijan. Same-sex marriage is not recognised in these countries, so check current law.
Culture of Georgia, being written
Interfaith marriageMarriage across religions.
Same-sex marriageThe legal and cultural picture worldwide.Also part of it, and being written: Special Marriage Act, 1954 (India's civil marriage law.), Loving v. Virginia (The US ruling on interracial marriage.), Civil union (A legal partnership short of marriage.), Obergefell v. Hodges (The 2015 US ruling.), Intermarriage (Marriage between groups.), Civil marriage (The state wedding.).
Usually yes, through a civil ceremony or, with permission, in a religious one. Some countries and faiths place limits, so check the law and ask your officiant.
No. As of 2026 it is legal in a large and growing number of countries, but not in most of the world, and laws are changing, so check current law for your country.
A legal partnership that gives some or most of the rights of marriage, offered in some countries instead of or before marriage. The rights differ, so read the local rules.
Choose a few meaningful rites from each side, explain them in a short programme, and involve both families in the planning. Two short ceremonies often work better than one long one.
Yes, under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and personal laws, there is no legal bar. Social opposition is still common, and couples may seek help from support groups.
Written 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.
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNikahnikāḥ (Arabic: نِكَاح)
The Islamic marriage contract that establishes a binding union between two people.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreNikah halalaنکاح حلالہ
A second marriage required for a woman to remarry her first husband after triple talaq.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaBride buying in India
The forced purchase of women from impoverished regions for arranged marriages in Northern India.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaArabikalyanam
A temporary marriage arrangement between Arabian men and women in Kerala that has been linked to exploitation.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreWatta sattaوٹّا سٹّا / شغار
A reciprocal marriage arrangement where two families swap brides to bind households and manage domestic tensions.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇿🇦 South AfricaUkuthwalwa
A South African practice of abducting a woman for marriage, now largely illegal and contested.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇬🇧 United KingdomKnobstick wedding
A forced marriage arranged by local authorities to shift the cost of a child onto the presumed father.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreMisyar marriageزواج المسيار (zawāj al-misyār)
A Sunni Islamic contract where the wife waives cohabitation and financial support in exchange for a legal union.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreVaniونى (Urdu)
A forced child marriage used as compensation to settle tribal disputes in Pakistan.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAyie
The Luo bride price ceremony where the mother accepts payment and agrees to the marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇳 GuineaPolygamy in Guinea
A polygynous marriage structure regulated by Guinean family law since 2019.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaKandyan marriage
The traditional union rites of Sri Lanka's Buddhist Kandyan community, defined by residence and inheritance.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇾🇪 YemenPolygamy in Yemen
A legal practice allowing Muslim men to marry up to four wives under specific conditions.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇹🇩 ChadPolygamy in Chad
A legally recognized marriage structure where one husband has multiple wives across Chadian communities.Family role
🇹🇷 TurkeyPolygamy in Turkey
The practice of having multiple spouses, banned by law since the mid-twentieth century.Gift custom
🇱🇾 LibyaPolygamy in Libya
The practice of men marrying multiple wives within Libyan law and custom.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇧🇩 BangladeshPolygamy in Bangladesh
The practice of men taking multiple wives, regulated by different laws for Muslims and Hindus.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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