Wedding traditions of Europe
Rice and confetti, the veil and the white dress, Polish oczepiny, Greek koumbaro and the Irish handfast. 206 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇦🇱 Albania 5🇦🇩 Andorra 1🇦🇹 Austria 12🇧🇾 Belarus 9🇧🇪 Belgium 5🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2🇧🇬 Bulgaria 13🇭🇷 Croatia 8🇨🇿 Czechia 4🇩🇰 Denmark 10🇪🇪 Estonia 2🇫🇮 Finland 9🇫🇷 France 30🇩🇪 Germany 31🇬🇷 Greece 23🇭🇺 Hungary 10🇮🇸 Iceland 5🇮🇪 Ireland 17🇮🇹 Italy 21🇽🇰 Kosovo 3🇱🇻 Latvia 3🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 2🇱🇹 Lithuania 4🇱🇺 Luxembourg 1🇲🇹 Malta 1🇲🇩 Moldova 6🇲🇨 Monaco 1🇲🇪 Montenegro 1🇳🇱 Netherlands 15🇲🇰 North Macedonia 9🇳🇴 Norway 9🇵🇱 Poland 26🇵🇹 Portugal 6🇷🇴 Romania 13🇷🇺 Russia 22🇸🇲 San Marino 0🇷🇸 Serbia 12🇸🇰 Slovakia 6🇸🇮 Slovenia 2🇪🇸 Spain 15🇸🇪 Sweden 11🇨🇭 Switzerland 6🇺🇦 Ukraine 19🇬🇧 United Kingdom 78🇻🇦 Vatican City 0
Cities and towns
London 7Rome 5Berlin 4Kraków 4Vienna 4Crete 3Hamburg 3Madrid 3Amsterdam 2Athens 2Barcelona 2Bern 2Budapest 2Copenhagen 2Dublin 2Edinburgh 2Galway 2Hanover 2
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
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 3 moreWimpelווימפל
A linen sash made from a baby boy's circumcision cloth that binds the Torah scroll.Adornment · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United KingdomGift registry
A public wish list managed by retailers to coordinate wedding gifts and prevent duplicates.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник (Ukrainian), ручнік (Belarusian), ручник/рушник (Russian)
The embroidered linen cloth that marks life stages and guides the couple through the wedding ceremony in East Slavic culAdornment · The weeks before
🇬🇷 Crete, GreecePentozaliΠεντοζάλης
The vigorous Cretan war dance of high jumps and improvisation that marks the wedding procession.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇪 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
🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomLuckenbooth brooch
A Scottish heart-shaped silver token of love and protection worn at weddings.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United KingdomPage boy
A young male member of the bridal party who manages the bride's train or carries the wedding rings.Family role · 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
🇫🇷 Paris, FranceGlobe de mariée
A glass bell jar used in France to hold the bride's bouquet and preserve family memories.Adornment · The weeks before
🇬🇧 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
🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew)
A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreGroomsman
A male attendant who supports the groom and assists guests at a wedding.Family role · Finding a match
🇫🇮 Finland and 5 moreBanns of marriagekuulutukset avioliittoon (Finnish)
The public announcement of an impending marriage in church or town hall to allow for legal objections.Vow · The weeks before
🇷🇺 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
🇭🇺 HungaryVőfély
The Hungarian wedding host who guides the couple through rites, speeches, and traditions.Family role · Finding a match
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreMoney dance
A reception ritual where guests give cash to the couple while dancing or showering them with notes.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSame-sex marriage in Switzerland
The legal recognition of marriage for same-sex couples following a national referendum.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany and 5 morePolterabend
The German pre-wedding evening where guests smash porcelain to bring luck to the couple.Blessing · The eve
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCare cloth
A linen or silk cloth held over the heads of a bride and groom during a Christian wedding blessing.Attire · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMarriage bond
A financial guarantee posted to prove a couple was legally free to marry before the ceremony took place.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreEngagement party
A gathering to announce a new engagement and introduce the two families before the wedding.Betrothal · 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 Kingdom and 1 moreRèiteach
A Scottish Gaelic betrothal ceremony where families negotiate marriage terms and celebrate with whisky.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇱 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
🇳🇱 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
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandWedding of the Weddings
A Polish annual gathering for couples who chose alcohol-free wedding receptions.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreCălușariCălușarii
A traditional Romanian spring dance and male society known for acrobatic leaps and ritual healing.Performance · The weeks before
🇳🇴 NorwayEsbat
A monthly Wiccan gathering held around the moon phases for ritual and communityBlessing · The ceremony
🇪🇸 SpainRoyal Pragmatic on MarriageReal Pragmática
A Spanish law requiring parental permission for marriage to enforce social class boundaries.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇹 Rome, Italy and 1 moreContubernium
A recognized union between slaves or a slave and a free person in ancient RomeBetrothal · After the wedding
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreGet of Cleves
A disputed 1766 Jewish divorce document that sparked international rabbinic debate over mental competence.Vow · After the wedding
🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreHerem of Rabbeinu GershomḤerem de-Rabbeinu Gershom
Medieval ordinances that banned polygyny and forced divorce for Ashkenazi Jews.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇪 Galway, Ireland and 1 moreMarriage stone
A carved stone bearing the initials and date of a newly married couple, placed on a building to mark their union.Adornment · After the wedding
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 3 moreMartenitsaмартеница
White and red yarn charms worn in the Balkans to welcome spring and wish for good health.Adornment · The weeks before
🇬🇧 Newquay, United KingdomTroyl
A Cornish barn dance or social gathering featuring music, song, and communal dancing.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇷 Kythnos, GreeceBalosΜπάλος της Κύθνου
A vigorous paired folk dance from the Greek island of Kythnos featuring continuous back-to-back turns.Performance · The wedding feast
🇬🇷 Crete, GreeceSoustaΣούστα
A Greek courtship dance performed at weddings to display romance and agility.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreRadonitsaРа́доница (Russian), Прóводи (Ukrainian), Ра́даўніца (Belarusian)
The Orthodox memorial day that lifts fasting restrictions and officially opens the wedding season.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 morePodruga
A second wife brought into the home to bear children when the first marriage is childless.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇰 Denmark and 5 moreWidow conservationÄnkekonservering
A Protestant custom where a new vicar married his predecessor's widow to secure her support.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United Kingdom and 5 moreScottish country dance
A social group dance where couples trace progressive patterns to traditional Scottish musicPerformance · Reception, dance and gifts
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Balos: DNK GR, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Page boy: Joe Cheng, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bedding ceremony: Isaac Cruikshank, Public domain, source
- Globe de mariée: Alain Amet, CC BY 4.0, source
- Scottish country dance: © James F. Perry, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Luckenbooth brooch: Walker14806, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Contubernium: Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0, source
- Herem of Rabbeinu Gershom: Nixnubix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Widow conservation: Keith Ruffles, CC BY 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage: Stefano Bolognini, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sousta: psyberartist, CC BY 2.0, source
- Radonitsa: Perohanych, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Groomsman: Jenny Mealing, CC BY 2.0, source
- Banns of marriage: After William Hemsley, CC0, source
- Bread and salt: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Marriage stone: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Care cloth: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Wimpel: Wikipedia Loves Art participant " The_Grotto ", CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Martenitsa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Confarreatio: Agnete, CC BY 3.0, source
- Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Proxy marriage: Alejandro Cicarelli, Public domain, source
- Badchen: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source