Wedding traditions of Europe
Rice and confetti, the veil and the white dress, Polish oczepiny, Greek koumbaro and the Irish handfast. 84 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
๐ฆ๐ฑ Albania 1๐ฆ๐ฉ Andorra 0๐ฆ๐น Austria 6๐ง๐พ Belarus 3๐ง๐ช Belgium 2๐ง๐ฆ Bosnia and Herzegovina 1๐ง๐ฌ Bulgaria 4๐ญ๐ท Croatia 2๐จ๐ฟ Czechia 0๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark 3๐ช๐ช Estonia 1๐ซ๐ฎ Finland 4๐ซ๐ท France 16๐ฉ๐ช Germany 13๐ฌ๐ท Greece 11๐ญ๐บ Hungary 3๐ฎ๐ธ Iceland 3๐ฎ๐ช Ireland 6๐ฎ๐น Italy 9๐ฝ๐ฐ Kosovo 0๐ฑ๐ป Latvia 2๐ฑ๐ฎ Liechtenstein 1๐ฑ๐น Lithuania 2๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg 0๐ฒ๐น Malta 1๐ฒ๐ฉ Moldova 0๐ฒ๐จ Monaco 0๐ฒ๐ช Montenegro 0๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands 3๐ฒ๐ฐ North Macedonia 2๐ณ๐ด Norway 3๐ต๐ฑ Poland 10๐ต๐น Portugal 4๐ท๐ด Romania 0๐ท๐บ Russia 9๐ธ๐ฒ San Marino 0๐ท๐ธ Serbia 3๐ธ๐ฐ Slovakia 0๐ธ๐ฎ Slovenia 1๐ช๐ธ Spain 7๐ธ๐ช Sweden 6๐จ๐ญ Switzerland 5๐บ๐ฆ Ukraine 5๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom 33๐ป๐ฆ Vatican City 0
Cities and towns
On the calendar
June, the Western wedding monthSeptember and October wedding peakShrovetide, the old Irish wedding time2/22 and other repeated datesLag BaOmer, weddings resumeMay, the month of brides in BrazilKrasnaya Gorka, the first wedding SundayPokrov, the autumn wedding seasonLentHoly Week and the TriduumAdventOrthodox Great Lent
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 1 moreGimmal ring
A betrothal ring with separate hoops that join to form the wedding band.Adornment ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ง United KingdomQuaichcuach
A shallow two-handled cup used in Scottish weddings to share a drink and symbolise union.Feast custom ยท The ceremony
๐ฎ๐น ItalyFescennine VersesFescennina carmina
Bawdy wedding songs from Ancient Rome that evolved into satire and comic drama.Performance ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฆ๐น Austria and 4 moreDirndl
The bodice, skirt and apron dress worn by brides in the German-speaking Alps.Attire ยท The ceremony
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lรกmh (Irish); pรฒsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic)
A pledge ceremony where a couple joins hands to make a binding marriage contract or engagement.Rite ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 1 moreLovespoonLlwy garu
A carved wooden spoon given as a romantic gift to show skill and intent.Adornment ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 5 moreGroomsman
A male attendant who supports the groom and assists guests at a wedding.Family role ยท Finding a match
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 3 moreBedding ceremony
The public ritual of placing the newlyweds in their marital bed to witness and seal the marriage.Rite ยท The ceremony
๐ฑ๐น Lithuania and 1 moreLithuanian wedding songsvestuvinฤs dainos
The polyphonic songs and weeping rituals that mark a Lithuanian bride's transition to her new family.Performance ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ง United KingdomBlackening
A messy pre-wedding prank where friends cover the couple in sticky substances and parade them through town.Play ยท The weeks before
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 1 moreWedding breakfast
The post-ceremony feast served to the couple and their guests in British English usage.Feast custom ยท The ceremony
๐ฌ๐ท Greece and 5 moreWedding ring
A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ง United KingdomKnobstick wedding
A forced marriage arranged by local authorities to shift the cost of a child onto the presumed father.Betrothal ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฎ๐ธ IcelandIcelandic weddings
A blend of church ceremony and multi-day feasting that marks the union of two people in Iceland.Feast custom ยท The ceremony
๐ฎ๐ช Galway, Ireland and 2 moreCladdagh ringFรกinne an Chladaigh
A traditional Irish ring featuring clasped hands, a heart, and a crown to symbolise friendship, love, and loyalty.Adornment ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ซ๐ท France and 1 moreAcrostic ring
A jewelled band where gemstone initials spell a secret romantic wordAdornment ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฎ๐น Sicily, ItalyFuitina
A Sicilian elopement custom used to force family consent for marriage through presumed sexual intercourse.Betrothal ยท The weeks before
๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom and 1 moreRรจiteach
A Scottish Gaelic betrothal ceremony where families negotiate marriage terms and celebrate with whisky.Betrothal ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ฌ๐ท Greece and 2 moreEngagement party
A gathering to announce a new engagement and introduce the two families before the wedding.Betrothal ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ท๐บ RussiaRussian wedding traditionsะ ัััะบะฐั ัะฒะฐะดัะฑะฐ
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ต๐ฑ Poland and 1 moreBadchenืึผืืื (badkhn)
The Ashkenazi Jewish wedding entertainer and master of ceremonies who guides the couple through ritual stages with song Performance ยท Engagement and betrothal
๐ซ๐ท Paris, FranceGlobe de mariรฉe
A glass bell jar used in France to hold the bride's bouquet and preserve family memories.Adornment ยท The weeks before
๐ช๐ธ Spain and 2 moreLas arrasLas arras matrimoniales
Thirteen coins exchanged by the couple to symbolize provision and trust in a Christian marriage.Rite ยท The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Russian wedding traditions: GeorgeLouis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Badchen: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Globe de mariรฉe: Alain Amet, CC BY 4.0, source
- Las arras: penny, CC BY 2.0, source
- Lovespoon: Btinsley785, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Groomsman: Jenny Mealing, CC BY 2.0, source
- Quaich: Robin-wood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bedding ceremony: Isaac Cruikshank, Public domain, source
- Lithuanian wedding songs: Gailฤ Paลกtukaitฤ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding breakfast: Arpingstone, Public domain, source
- Gimmal ring: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dirndl: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source
- Claddagh ring: Royalcladdagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Acrostic ring: Jlblackmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source