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.
🇬🇪 Georgia and 1 moreTamadaთამადა
The toastmaster who leads the Georgian supra and sets the rhythm of a wedding feast.Feast custom · The wedding feast
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreKazakh wedding ceremonyҮйлену тойы (Üilenu toiy)
The multi-stage Kazakh marriage process featuring the face-revealing feast and the Islamic religious contract.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMandapaमण्डप (maṇḍapa)
The pillared pavilion that serves as the stage for Hindu wedding rituals and temple gatherings.Setting · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomQuaichcuach
A shallow two-handled cup used in Scottish weddings to share a drink and symbolise union.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇱 IsraelSeudat nissuinSeudat nissuin (סעודת נישואין)
The Jewish wedding meal blessed with wine and bread, followed by seven days of celebration.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreJewish wedding
The ceremony and laws that bind a couple in Jewish marriage, from the canopy to the glass.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding
The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding
The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇮🇱 IsraelKallahYarchei Kallah (Hebrew: ירחי כלה)
A biannual gathering for Torah study and marriage law held by Babylonian Jewish scholars in Adar and Elul.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding
A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding
The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match
🇸🇿 EswatiniUmtsimbauntsimba
A multi-day Swazi wedding procession where the bride joins her husband's family through ritualised stages.Rite · Finding a match
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian), кравай (Bulgarian)
A large round braided bread shared at weddings to bless the couple and unite the community.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match
🇱🇹 Lithuania and 1 moreLithuanian wedding songsvestuvinės dainos
The polyphonic songs and weeping rituals that mark a Lithuanian bride's transition to her new family.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSheva Brachotשבע ברכות
The seven blessings recited during Jewish weddings and the subsequent festive week.Blessing · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreWedding vow renewal ceremony
A service where a married couple repeats their marriage promises to reaffirm their commitment.Vow · After the wedding
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or فرح or عرس
A series of family-centered rites and processions that mark marriage across the Arab world.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక
A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali Muslim weddingবাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে
A multi-day Bengali Muslim marriage blending Islamic rites with local folk traditions.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs
Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 1 moreIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران
A multi-stage ceremony rooted in Zoroastrianism and Islam that binds families through courtship, feasts, and sacred vowsRite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇦 UkraineTraditional Ukrainian weddingТрадиційне українське весілля
A multi-day sequence of folk rites, bread baking and church vows that marks the transition from maidenhood to married liRite · Finding a match
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreCollective wedding
A single ceremony where many couples exchange vows and become married at once.Modern · The ceremony
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A Zoroastrian marriage ceremony featuring hand-fastening, rice sprinkling, and shared meals.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandWedding of the Weddings
A Polish annual gathering for couples who chose alcohol-free wedding receptions.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ (Yajña)
A sacred fire ritual central to Hindu weddings and other rites of passageRite · The ceremony
🇩🇪 GermanyLandshut WeddingLandshuter Hochzeit
A four-year historical pageant in Bavaria re-enacting the 1475 royal marriage of George and Hedwig.Setting · Engagement and betrothal
🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
The instrumental dance music played by Ashkenazi Jewish musicians at weddings in Eastern Europe and beyondPerformance · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelBirkat Hamazonבִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן (Birkat Hamazon)
The Hebrew blessings recited after a Jewish meal to thank God for the food and the land.Blessing · After the wedding
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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