Wedding traditions of Europe
Rice and confetti, the veil and the white dress, Polish oczepiny, Greek koumbaro and the Irish handfast. 143 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇦🇱 Albania 1🇦🇩 Andorra 1🇦🇹 Austria 9🇧🇾 Belarus 7🇧🇪 Belgium 2🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2🇧🇬 Bulgaria 7🇭🇷 Croatia 4🇨🇿 Czechia 2🇩🇰 Denmark 7🇪🇪 Estonia 1🇫🇮 Finland 5🇫🇷 France 25🇩🇪 Germany 25🇬🇷 Greece 16🇭🇺 Hungary 5🇮🇸 Iceland 5🇮🇪 Ireland 15🇮🇹 Italy 14🇽🇰 Kosovo 0🇱🇻 Latvia 3🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 2🇱🇹 Lithuania 3🇱🇺 Luxembourg 1🇲🇹 Malta 1🇲🇩 Moldova 2🇲🇨 Monaco 1🇲🇪 Montenegro 1🇳🇱 Netherlands 10🇲🇰 North Macedonia 5🇳🇴 Norway 7🇵🇱 Poland 17🇵🇹 Portugal 6🇷🇴 Romania 4🇷🇺 Russia 17🇸🇲 San Marino 0🇷🇸 Serbia 7🇸🇰 Slovakia 2🇸🇮 Slovenia 2🇪🇸 Spain 11🇸🇪 Sweden 8🇨🇭 Switzerland 5🇺🇦 Ukraine 11🇬🇧 United Kingdom 60🇻🇦 Vatican City 0
Cities and towns
London 4Rome 4Hamburg 3Vienna 3Amsterdam 2Athens 2Barcelona 2Berlin 2Copenhagen 2Dublin 2Galway 2Hanover 2Kraków 2Lisbon 2Madrid 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
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyRecognition of same-sex unions in ItalyRiconoscimento delle unioni tra persone dello stesso sesso in Italia
The legal framework that grants same-sex couples rights and protections in Italy.Modern
🇫🇷 FranceCivil solidarity pactPacte civil de solidarité (PACS)
A French civil union contract that offers legal rights to couples without the full status of marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇹 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
🇪🇸 Madrid, SpainSame-sex marriage in SpainMatrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en España
The national law that legalized same-sex marriage and adoption rights for couples in Spain.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanySame-sex marriage in GermanyEhe für alle
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Germany since 2017.Modern
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSambolydning i Sverige
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Sweden since 2009.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 FrancePosthumous marriage in Francemariage posthume
A legal union with a deceased partner, authorized by the French President for serious reasons.Vow · The ceremony
🇫🇮 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
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomFleet marriage
Secret weddings performed in London's Fleet Prison before the law required church ceremonies.Vow · 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
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreProxy marriage
A union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.Vow · 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
🇮🇸 IcelandSame-sex marriage in Icelandsamkynja hjónaband
The legal union of two people regardless of gender, established in Iceland in 2010.Modern · The ceremony
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSame-sex marriage in Switzerland
The legal recognition of marriage for same-sex couples following a national referendum.Modern · 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
🇫🇮 FinlandSame-sex marriage in Finlandsukupuolineutraali avioliitto
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that took effect in Finland on 1 March 2017.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCivil ceremony
A secular marriage rite performed by a government official at a licensed venue.Vow · The ceremony
🇵🇹 Lisbon, PortugalSame-sex marriage in PortugalCasamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo
The legal recognition of marriage between two people of the same sex in Portugal.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 1 morePosthumous marriage in Germany
A legal rite that joined a living woman to a deceased soldier for state benefits.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇹 ItalyFede ring
A clasped-hands ring that symbolizes betrothal and faithfulness in marriage traditions.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Denmarkægteskab mellem personer af samme køn
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Denmark since 2012, following a pioneering partnership law from 1989.Modern · 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
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreMorganatic marriageEhe zur linken Hand
A union between people of unequal rank that bars the spouse and children from inheriting titles or throne rights.Vow · 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
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAdelphopoiesis
A historical Eastern Christian ceremony uniting two people of the same sex in a recognized spiritual bond.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇪 Podgorica, MontenegroRecognition of same-sex unions in MontenegroŽivotno partnerstvo
Legal recognition for same-sex couples in Montenegro through life partnerships.Modern
🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceSame-sex marriage in GreeceΟμοφυλοφιλικός γάμος (Omofylofilikos gamos)
The legal recognition of marriage between two people of the same sex, effective since February 2024.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇮 SloveniaSame-sex marriage in SloveniaZakonska zveza istospolnih partnerjev
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that evolved from limited partnerships to full marriage rights.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 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
🇦🇩 AndorraSame-sex marriage in AndorraMatrimoni entre persones del mateix sexe
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Pyrenean principality since 2023.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaSame-sex marriage in Austria
Civil marriage and partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples in AustriaVow · The ceremony
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandSchulze Registers
The surviving records of secret marriages performed by a Lutheran minister in 19th century Dublin.Vow · The ceremony
🇲🇨 Monaco, MonacoRecognition of same-sex unions in Monacocontrat de vie commune; union civile
Legal frameworks for same-sex couples in Monaco, from cohabitation agreements to ongoing civil union debates.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇸 SpainRoyal Pragmatic on MarriageReal Pragmática
A Spanish law requiring parental permission for marriage to enforce social class boundaries.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇸 A Coruña, Spain and 2 moreFirst same-sex marriage in Spain
The 1901 union of two women in Galicia that preceded legal recognition by over a centuryModern · The ceremony
🇫🇷 France and 4 moreMore danicodansk skik
A Medieval Scandinavian marriage custom allowing polygyny and secular unions outside church control.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the three island groups since 2017.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreGet of Cleves
A disputed 1766 Jewish divorce document that sparked international rabbinic debate over mental competence.Vow · After the wedding
🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaCivil partnership in Latviacivilā partnerība
The legal framework for same-sex couples in Latvia that grants most marital rights without adoption or inheritance.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreCivil partnership in the United Kingdom
A legal union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples in the UK, offering rights equal to marriage.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇱🇮 Vaduz, LiechtensteinSame-sex marriage in Liechtenstein
The civil union that grants equal marital rights to all couples in the Alpine principality.Modern · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Same-sex marriage in Spain: FELGTB Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gais, Trans y Bisexuales, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Germany: This image is a work by Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons user C.Suthorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Greece: Mzimu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Banns of marriage: After William Hemsley, CC0, source
- Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy: G.dallorto, Attribution, source
- Fleet marriage: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Proxy marriage: Alejandro Cicarelli, Public domain, source
- First same-sex marriage in Spain: Jglamela, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- More danico: Edward Burne-Jones, Public domain, source
- Dower: Pvasiliadis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Iceland: Stanko Gruden/STA/Predsednik Republike Slovenije, CC0, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Denmark: PavelStotsko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Morganatic marriage: Sergei Lvovich Levitsky (1819 – 1898) and Rafail Sergeevich Levitsky (, Public domain, source
- Herem of Rabbeinu Gershom: Nixnubix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage: Stefano Bolognini, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Confarreatio: Agnete, CC BY 3.0, source
- Fede ring: Anonymous ( Europe ) Unknown author, Public domain, source