🇺🇸 Wedding traditions of the United States
88 traditions from the United States, best known first, across 27 cities and towns.
Marriage in the United States is a legal contract regulated by individual states rather than federal law. Couples typically choose between civil ceremonies and religious rites, with customs varying widely across different cultural communities. The institution has evolved significantly through legal changes regarding age, interracial unions, and same-sex partnerships.
In the United States, marriage is primarily a legal status defined by state statutes rather than a single national code. Couples may marry in civil settings or through religious institutions, depending on personal preference and community tradition. The practice reflects a diverse population where customs from many backgrounds coexist within a framework of individual rights and local regulations.
A typical wedding
Most couples begin by selecting an officiant who can legally solemnize their union. This person might be a judge, a clergy member, or an ordained minister. Many people also hold engagement parties before the main event. The ceremony itself often includes vows, ring exchanges, and readings chosen by the couple. Reception traditions vary greatly. Some gatherings feature formal dinners and dancing, while others are more casual. Food choices range from buffet styles to plated meals. Entertainment often includes live bands or DJs. Guests usually attend in semi-formal attire unless specified otherwise. The celebration serves as a public declaration of the partnership.
Law and registration
Each state sets its own rules for who may marry and at what age. Generally, individuals must be eighteen years old to marry without parental consent. Nebraska requires partners to be nineteen, while Mississippi sets the age at twenty-one. Puerto Rico also mandates that partners be twenty-one. Some states allow minors to marry with judicial or parental approval. The Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. Alabama removed such language from its constitution in 2000. Same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in 2015 following a Supreme Court decision. Divorce laws vary by state and handle property division and child custody.
Wedding season
There is no single official wedding season across the country due to its geographic size. However, late spring through early autumn sees the highest number of ceremonies. This period offers favorable weather in most regions. September and October are particularly popular months. Winter weddings occur but are less common outside of resort areas. Some families avoid certain times of year for religious reasons or holiday conflicts. Urban centers see events throughout the year regardless of season. Couples often book venues one to two years in advance during peak times.
Gifts and money
Guests typically provide gifts from a registry created by the couple. These registries list items the couple needs for their new home. Cash gifts are also common and often given in envelopes at the reception. Some guests contribute to honeymoon funds or charitable donations instead. The couple usually pays for the majority of the wedding costs themselves. In some traditional families, the bride's family might cover specific expenses like the reception venue. Modern trends show couples paying for more elements of their own celebrations. Gifts are opened privately or not at all in favor of direct contributions.
Communities
American weddings reflect the nation's diverse cultural heritage. Jewish ceremonies often include breaking a glass underfoot. Christian services frequently take place in churches with hymns and sermons. Muslim weddings involve a contract signing and separate gatherings for men and women. Hindu ceremonies may last several days and include rituals around a sacred fire. Indigenous communities incorporate traditional songs, dances, and clothing. Latino weddings often feature large family involvement and lively music. Each group maintains distinct customs while participating in the broader legal framework of the country.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Marriage in the United States", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryShaadi rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
A wedding in the United States, stage by stage
The customs written up so far, in the order a wedding unfolds.
Cities, towns and villages of the United States
🇰🇷 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
🇰🇷 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 moreToe ring
A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNikahnikāḥ (Arabic: نِكَاح)
The Islamic marriage contract that establishes a binding union between two people.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 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
🇺🇸 Hawaii, United StatesCommon-law marriage in the United States
A legal union formed by mutual consent and public presentation without a license or ceremony.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesSelf-uniting marriage
A wedding where the couple marries each other without a third-party officiant.Vow · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesIndian Wedding Blessing
A modern poem often recited at weddings in the United States, falsely attributed to Native American traditions.Blessing · The ceremony
🇬🇧 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
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreInterfaith marriage in Judaismשִׁדּוּג חַלּוּץ (Shidug Chalutz) / אינטרפייט מריאז' (Interafeyt Mariyaz')
The union of a Jew and a non-Jew, viewed as void by traditional law but increasingly common in modern communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 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
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreNude wedding
A ceremony where the couple or guests participate without clothing.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreDower
A share of the husband's property set aside to secure a woman's life if he dies first.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreBulgarian wedding musicсватбарска музика
Fast-paced instrumental music played at Bulgarian weddings that blends folk, Romani, and Turkish styles.Performance · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreChuppahחֻפָּה (ḥuppā)
The four-poster canopy that marks the Jewish wedding ceremony and symbolizes the couple's new home.Setting · 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
🇵🇱 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 5 moreGroomsman
A male attendant who supports the groom and assists guests at a wedding.Family role · Finding a match
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWedding ring
A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCivil ceremony
A secular marriage rite performed by a government official at a licensed venue.Vow · The ceremony
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreDouble Happiness双喜 (shuāngxǐ)
The red calligraphy symbol made of two joy characters that marks Chinese wedding celebrations.Adornment · The weeks before
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBridesmaid
A female attendant who supports the bride during a Western wedding ceremony.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesUnity candle
A modern wedding ritual where a couple lights a central candle from two tapers to symbolize their union.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSaber Arch
An arch of swords or sabers held over a couple as they exit their wedding ceremony.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 4 moreSindoorसिंदूर (Hindi)
The vermilion powder a Hindu husband applies to his wife's hair parting to mark her marriage.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 Las Vegas, United StatesLas Vegas weddings
Quick civil or religious ceremonies held in Las Vegas due to easy licensing and diverse venues.Setting · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreInterfaith marriage
A union between spouses of different faiths, navigating legal and religious boundaries across the world.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLavender marriage
A heterosexual union formed to hide the queer identity of one or both partners and protect a public career.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇾 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis
The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · The ceremony
🇳🇱 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
🇺🇸 Bogalusa, United StatesThe Coke Plant
A restored 1930s Coca-Cola bottling plant in Louisiana that now hosts weddings and events.Setting · The ceremony
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMarriage commissioner
A civil official appointed to solemnize weddings outside of religious or standard court settings.Vow · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesSame-sex marriage in the Northern Mariana Islands
Legal recognition of same-sex unions in a U.S. territory that became a popular destination for international couples.Modern · The ceremony
🇦🇺 Australia and 5 moreCelebrancy
A profession of secular officiants who create personalised life ceremonies for people outside traditional religious or sModern · The weeks before
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreSame-sex marriage and Judaism
How different branches of Judaism handle the union of two people of the same sex.Modern · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreLieberman clause
A ketubah provision for rabbinic arbitration to prevent a woman from being unable to remarry.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreKlezmerקלעזמער
The instrumental wedding music of Ashkenazi Jews, blending Eastern European and Jewish ritual melodies.Performance · 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
🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, United StatesLatter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century
The practice of plural marriage among Latter-day Saints that drew intense government scrutiny and led to its abandonmentVow · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jewish wedding: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Nikah: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Judaism: Rembrandt, Public domain, source
- Klezmer: Syrena Records (Warsaw), Public domain, source
- Proxy marriage: Alejandro Cicarelli, Public domain, source
- Klezmer: Unknown artist identified as "M.D.", Public domain, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source
- Dower: Pvasiliadis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lavender marriage: Katharine Cornell and the Playwrights' Company; Vandamm Studio, photog, Public domain, source
- Mystery of Crowning: Shakko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sealing (Mormonism): NewNameNoah, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mormon polygamy: Charles Weitfle, Public domain, source
- The Coke Plant: Ktkvtsh, CC0, source
- Bulgarian wedding music: Allen Ruttenberg, CC BY 2.0, source
- Same-sex marriage and Judaism: Ed and Eddie, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Same-sex marriage: Stefano Bolognini, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chuppah: me, Public domain, source
- Las arras: penny, CC BY 2.0, source
- Badchen: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Groomsman: Jenny Mealing, CC BY 2.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Double Happiness: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sindoor: Masum-al-hasan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Blessing ceremony: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saber Arch: Rabe100, Public domain, source
- Las Vegas weddings: Henrickson ( talk ) ( Uploads ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source