A wedding is also a legal and moral act.
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A wedding is also a legal and moral act. In some places the couple speak vows, in some they walk around a fire, in some a contract is signed and read, and in nearly all someone watches and signs. Marriage is registered by the state in most countries, sometimes in a civil office and sometimes through a faith leader authorised to do it. The laws differ, so the safe rule is to ask the local registry before the day.
Christian weddings in much of the world use spoken vows ("to have and to hold"), and the Western civil ceremony has borrowed the form. Hindu weddings use the saptapadi, the seven steps taken together round the sacred fire, with a promise at each step. Sikh couples walk four times round the Guru Granth Sahib in the lavan. In a Jewish wedding, the groom's declaration and the giving of a ring under the chuppah make the marriage, and in a Muslim nikah the offer and acceptance are spoken before witnesses.
Many marriages are made by a contract. The Jewish ketubah, which records the husband's obligations, and the Muslim nikah contract, which records the mahr and may add conditions, are signed by witnesses. Civil registers do the same job. Couples may add personal clauses, and in several Muslim-majority countries brides can include conditions in the nikah contract about work, study or residence. Prenuptial agreements are used in many countries.
Two witnesses are the norm in civil law, in Islamic law and in the Orthodox church, where the koumbaro is both witness and sponsor. Best men and maids of honour sign registers in Britain and the United States. In Hindu rites the fire is the witness, and in Sikh rites the scripture is. Registers record the date, the names and the officiant, so the marriage can be proved later.
Marriage law covers the minimum age, consent, who may marry, and whether religious ceremonies have legal effect. Child marriage is illegal in most countries and condemned as a human-rights violation. As of 2026, same-sex marriage is legal in many countries across Europe, the Americas, Oceania and parts of Asia and Africa, and not in most others, so couples should check the law of the country where they marry and of the country where they will live. Laws change, and this is a quickly moving area.
Hindu couples take the saptapadi, seven steps round the sacred fire, which completes the marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955. Marriages can also be registered under the Special Marriage Act 1954, which lets people of different faiths marry without conversion.
Read: SaptapadiMuslim marriage is made by the nikah, with a kazi, a witness for each side and a signed nikahnama that records the mahr. Couples can add conditions in the nikahnama and the marriage must be registered.
Nikah, being writtenCouples may hold a Buddhist rite and the water-pouring ceremony, rod nam sang, at which guests pour water over their joined hands. The legal marriage is registered at the district office.
Culture of Thailand, being writtenMany Japanese couples hold a Shinto ceremony with san-san-kudo, three cups of sake exchanged in turn, but legal marriage is made by filing a form at the municipal office. As of 2026, same-sex marriage is not yet recognised nationally, though several courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional.
San-san-kudo, being writtenA marriage is registered at a civil affairs office, and the red marriage certificate is exchanged for the ceremony. The formal bows to heaven and earth, to the parents and to each other are the traditional spoken part.
Chinese marriage, being writtenIn the Armenian Apostolic rite the priest blesses the rings, the couple are crowned and a cross is placed over them with prayers. The couple may drink wine and take bread and salt as a blessing.
Culture of Armenia, being written
SaptapadiThe seven steps of a Hindu wedding.
KetubahThe Jewish marriage contract.
Anand KarajThe Sikh wedding ceremony.
Sheva BrachotThe Jewish seven blessings.
Same-sex marriageThe legal position around the world.Also part of it, and being written: Nikah (The Islamic marriage contract.), San-san-kudo (Three sips of sake.), Civil marriage (Marriage by the state.).
Not in most countries, where a civil registration is enough. In some countries a religious ceremony is legally valid, and in a few it is the only route, so check local law.
Usually any adult of sound mind, often two of them. Some countries and faiths have more specific rules.
In many places yes, in a civil or interfaith ceremony. Religious rites may use set words, and the officiant can say what is allowed.
No. As of 2026, it is legal in a growing number of countries, but not in most of the world. Laws are changing, and couples should check carefully.
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.
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in KoreaKorean marriage (결혼)
A look at how Korean weddings blend ancient Confucian rites with modern legal practices.Rite · Finding a match
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreBlessing ceremony of the Unification ChurchHoly Marriage Blessing Ceremony (축복결혼식)
A large-scale marriage rededication or new union ceremony that engrafts couples into a sinless lineage.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaithil Vivahमैथिल विवाह
The arranged Hindu marriage of Maithils in the Mithila region, guided by Vedic texts and local customs.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNikahnikāḥ (Arabic: نِكَاح)
The Islamic marriage contract that establishes a binding union between two people.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 3 moreBlessing ceremony
The large-scale marriage rite of the Unification Church where couples are matched and blessed by their leaders.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesSlave marriages in the United States
The unions formed by enslaved African Americans before and after the abolition of slavery in the US.Rite · The ceremony
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 3 moreWimpelווימפל
A linen sash made from a baby boy's circumcision cloth that binds the Torah scroll.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic)
A pledge ceremony where a couple joins hands to make a binding marriage contract or engagement.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 IsraelErusinאירוסין
The first stage of a Jewish marriage that consecrates the bride to the groom.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreBedding ceremony
The public ritual of placing the newlyweds in their marital bed to witness and seal the marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreKetubahכְּתוּבָּה
The Jewish marriage contract that outlines the groom's financial and personal obligations to the bride.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCare cloth
A linen or silk cloth held over the heads of a bride and groom during a Christian wedding blessing.Attire · The ceremony
🇫🇷 FrancePosthumous marriage in Francemariage posthume
A legal union with a deceased partner, authorized by the French President for serious reasons.Vow · The ceremony
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoruwa ceremony
The Sinhalese wedding ritual performed on a carved wooden platform with betel leaves and milk rice.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingvivaha (विवाह)
The traditional marriage ceremony for Hindus, centered on sacred fire and seven vows.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBadchenבּדחן (badkhn)
The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreQuaker wedding
A silent ceremony where Friends witness each other's vows without clergy or rigid rituals.Rite · The weeks before
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreProxy marriage
A union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.Vow · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where a couple leaps over a broom to mark their unionRite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 Lucknow, IndiaBabulबाबुल
The Hindi term for father that marks the emotional farewell of a bride leaving her home.Performance · The eve
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAnand Karajਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ
The Sikh wedding rite where the couple circles the Guru Granth Sahib to four hymns of union.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreCollective wedding
A single ceremony where many couples exchange vows and become married at once.Modern · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 4 moreAgunahעֲגוּנָה (Agunah)
A Jewish woman trapped in a marriage because her husband has not granted a religious divorce document known as a get.Vow · After the wedding
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreGhost marriage冥婚 (mínghūn)
A union arranged for deceased individuals to ensure harmony in the afterlife and care in this one.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇫🇮 Finland and 5 moreBanns of marriagekuulutukset avioliittoon (Finnish)
The public announcement of an impending marriage in church or town hall to allow for legal objections.Vow · The weeks before
🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreMystery of Crowning
The crowning ritual in Eastern Christian weddings that marks the couple as king and queen.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSealing (Mormonism)
A temple ritual that binds couples and families together for eternity.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil
A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · The ceremony
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Brazil
The nationwide legal recognition of same-sex unions following a 2013 judicial ruling.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands and 5 moreSame-sex marriage
The legal union of two people of the same sex or gender, recognized in dozens of countries.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreInterdenominational marriage
A wedding between two people of different denominations within the same religion.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandWedding of the Weddings
A Polish annual gathering for couples who chose alcohol-free wedding receptions.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCommon-law marriage
A union recognized by law because a couple lives together as spouses, without a formal ceremony or license.Vow · After the wedding
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreGet of Cleves
A disputed 1766 Jewish divorce document that sparked international rabbinic debate over mental competence.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreLieberman clause
A ketubah provision for rabbinic arbitration to prevent a woman from being unable to remarry.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 IsraelGetגט
The Aramaic divorce document that frees a Jewish woman to remarryVow · After the wedding
🇵🇭 Cebu, PhilippinesCourtship in the Philippines
A traditional Filipino courtship marked by serenade, service, and family involvement.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 morePantunڤنتون
A Malayic oral poetry form used in wedding greetings and daily communication to express ideas through rhyme.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.