Newly added
The latest wedding traditions to join EveryShaadi. More arrive every day.
🇮🇳 IndiaGana
A sacred red thread tied to wrists for protection during wedding rituals in parts of India.Adornment · The weeks before
🇲🇹 MaltaSame-sex marriage in MaltaŻwieġ bejn persuni tal-istess sess
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage and civil unions in Malta.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక
A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaSame-sex marriage in ArgentinaMatrimonio igualitario
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that made Argentina the first nation in Latin America to permit them.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 FranceGarter toss
The groom removes the bride's garter and tosses it to unmarried men at the reception.Play · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 IndiaGauna
The ceremony that marks the start of conjugal life in northern Indian Hindu marriages.Rite · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaMeitei weddingLuhongba (ꯂꯨꯍꯣꯡꯕ)
The traditional union of the Meitei people, marked by clan exogamy and specific courtship rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇰🇷 South KoreaHwarot활옷
The embroidered Korean gown worn by brides during the pyebaek ceremony.Attire · Reception, dance and gifts
🇸🇸 South Sudan and 1 moreGhost marriage in South Sudan
A union where a living brother stands in for a deceased groom to secure lineage and wealth.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match
🇺🇸 United StatesPre-Cana
The Catholic Church course that helps engaged couples prepare for the sacrament of marriage.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreBread and salt
A traditional welcome offering of bread and salt to guests or newlyweds in Slavic, Baltic, and Balkan cultures.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaLagan Geetલગ્નગીત
Traditional Gujarati wedding songs sung by family and professional performers during ceremonies.Performance · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreLehenga
A long skirt worn as the base of a bridal outfit across the Indian subcontinent.Attire · The ceremony
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanSame-sex marriage in Japan同性結婚 (dōsei kekkon)
The legal battle and local partnership systems for same-sex couples in JapanModern
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
The turmeric ceremony that prepares the Bengali bride and groom for marriageRite · The weeks before
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreKoloКоло
A South Slavic circle dance performed at weddings and social gatherings across the Balkans.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 Delhi, India and 1 moreBaraat
The groom's wedding procession through the streets to the bride's home or venue.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding
The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇱 IsraelErusinאירוסין
The first stage of a Jewish marriage that consecrates the bride to the groom.Betrothal · 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
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreBride price
Wealth paid by the groom or his family to the bride or her kin to formalize a union.Gift custom · 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
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMarriage proposal
The moment one partner asks the other to marry them and marks the start of an engagement.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇬 Singapore and 3 moreMatchmaking
The practice of pairing two people for marriage through an intermediary or system.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreDirndl
The bodice, skirt and apron dress worn by brides in the German-speaking Alps.Attire · The ceremony
🇰🇷 South KoreaBlack DayBlack Day (Korean: 블랙데이)
A South Korean day for singles to gather and eat black bean noodles after missing Valentine's and White Day gifts.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇲🇦 MoroccoAhidusⴰⵃⵉⴷⵓⵙ (aḥidous)
A collective Berber dance from Morocco performed in circles or lines to celebrate unity and victory.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇱 IsraelMazel tovמזל טוב
The Jewish phrase said to congratulate someone on a happy occasion or good fortune.Blessing · The ceremony
🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreCsárdás
A Hungarian folk dance that begins slowly and ends with a fast spin.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreHuipilhuīpīlli
The traditional tunic worn by indigenous women in Mexico and Central America for weddings and daily life.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaShamianaশামিয়ানা (Bengali), شامیانہ (Urdu)
A South Asian ceremonial tent with removable walls used for wedding feasts and outdoor gatherings.Setting · The wedding feast
🇮🇳 IndiaOppanaഒപ്പന
A circle dance and song tradition of the Mappila Muslim community in Kerala weddingsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇿 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
🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreDia dos Namorados
Brazil's June 12 celebration of romance, held on the eve of Saint Anthony's feast day.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam
The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyWeddings in ancient Rome
The religious ceremonies and attire that marked a union in the city of Rome before the rise of Christianity.Rite · The weeks before
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan and 1 moreKyz kuu
A horse race where a man chases a woman to win a kiss or faces her whip if he failsPlay · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGèlè
The towering Yoruba head tie that crowns the bride and marks her status on the wedding day.Attire · The weeks before
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreZuria
The ankle-length dress with woven hem bands worn by Tigrinya and Amhara women for weddings and holidays.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToe ring
A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony
🇦🇹 Vienna, Austria and 2 moreViennese waltzWiener Walzer
The fast rotary ballroom dance that originated in Austria and defines the traditional waltz.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 2 moreKransekakekransekage
A towering almond ring cake central to Scandinavian wedding and holiday traditions.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaPalang pintu
The martial arts and poetry test that allows the groom to enter the bride's home in Betawi weddings.Rite · The weeks before
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWedding customs in Ethiopia
A collection of diverse marriage rites across Ethiopian tribes and the Orthodox Christian community.Rite · Finding a match
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle dance performed across Turkey and surrounding regions at weddings.Performance · The ceremony
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreRed Thread of Fate姻緣紅線
An invisible cord that links destined lovers across time and distance.Blessing
🇮🇩 IndonesiaUlosᯥᯞᯘᯬ᯲
The hand-woven textile that binds Batak couples in marriage and symbolizes warmth.Attire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Garter toss: MorningTea, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Argentina: Víctor Buggé, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gana: William J Sisti, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Halay: Post of Moldova, Public domain, source
- Palang pintu: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kransekake: Kjetil Ree, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Viennese waltz: Sigismund von Dobschütz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zuria: Kurt Bauschardt, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kyz kuu: SSGT JEREMY T. LOCK, Public domain, source
- Kazakh wedding ceremony: jerome taylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ahidus: Fotograaf / photographer: Drs. F.M. (Frits) Cowan (1931 - 2010), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shamiana: Badri Seshadri, CC BY 2.0, source
- Black Day: by 아침꿀물 at Flickr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Huipil: Gift in memory of Elizabeth Ege Freudenheim, No restrictions, source
- Csárdás: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mazel tov: Iwona Erskine-Kellie, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dirndl: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- Marriage proposal: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jewish wedding: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source
- Erusin: LGJMS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaklong wedding: Chiring chandan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baraat: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pnglife/, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kolo: Sasa.mazinjanin, Public domain, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Japan: User:Jedi Friend, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lehenga: Iwaqarhashmi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lagan Geet: Sevageet, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bread and salt: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Pre-Cana: Jebulon, CC0, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Hwarot: Unknown author, No restrictions, source
- Meitei wedding: Dabu Leichombam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source