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.
🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Orthodox marriage
The Byzantine Rite ceremony where a priest crowns the couple to seal their union in Christ.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇪 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
🇬🇧 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
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇧 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
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreWedding cord
A satin loop placed around the couple to symbolize their lifelong union in Catholic weddings.Rite · The ceremony
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHumanist wedding
A non-religious marriage ceremony led by a trained humanist officiant, celebrated in many countries worldwide.Rite · The ceremony
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreLas arrasLas arras matrimoniales
Thirteen coins exchanged by the couple to symbolize provision and trust in a Christian marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyMarriage of the Sea ceremonySposalizio del Mare
The annual ritual where Venice symbolically marries the Adriatic Sea with a golden ring.Rite · The ceremony
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 moreŚmigus-Dyngus
The Easter Monday water splashing and willow whipping tradition of Central EuropeRite · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreLenten veilFastentuch
A large painted or embroidered canvas that covers the altar during Lent to create a period of visual penance.Rite · The weeks before
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.