Wedding traditions of North America
Something old, something new, jumping the broom, the Navajo wedding basket and the Mexican lazo. 51 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
Cities and towns
On the calendar
June, the Western wedding monthSeptember and October wedding peak2/22 and other repeated datesLag BaOmer, weddings resumeTu B'Av as a wedding dateThe dry season wedding months in Latin AmericaLentHoly Week and the TriduumFriday the 13thThe Counting of the OmerThe Three Weeks and the Nine DaysTisha B'Av
🇲🇽 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
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreLa víbora de la mar
A wedding game where the couple stands on chairs while guests form a snake to test their unity.Play · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, United States and 1 moreCookie table
A display of assorted homemade cookies served alongside the wedding cake at a reception.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇸 United StatesRehearsal dinner
A pre-wedding meal held after the final practice to thank the wedding partyFeast custom · The weeks before
🇺🇸 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 States and 5 moreBridesmaid
A female attendant who supports the bride during a Western wedding ceremony.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreInterracial marriage
A union between spouses of different races or racialized ethnicities, now legal in most nations.Modern
🇺🇸 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 5 moreBridal shower
A pre-wedding gift-giving party hosted for the bride by her friends and family.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada and 2 moreMarriage à la façon du pays
The customary union between European fur traders and Indigenous women in North AmericaBetrothal · Finding a match
🇺🇸 Las Vegas, United States and 5 moreBachelor party
A final celebration for the groom before his wedding, with names and customs varying by region.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 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 5 moreSealing (Mormonism)
A temple ritual that binds couples and families together for eternity.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePostnuptial agreement
A contract signed after marriage to plan for divorce or death.Vow · After the wedding
🇺🇸 United StatesCovenant marriage
A stricter legal marriage contract in three US states that limits divorce grounds and requires counseling.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCommon-law marriage
A union recognized by law because a couple lives together as spouses, without a formal ceremony or license.Vow · After the wedding
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreHope chest
A wooden chest where a bride collects linens and gifts before her wedding.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesSame-sex marriage in tribal nations
Legal recognition of same-sex unions within the sovereign jurisdictions of Native American tribes in the United States.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sealing (Mormonism): NewNameNoah, CC BY 4.0, source
- Huipil: Gift in memory of Elizabeth Ege Freudenheim, No restrictions, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cookie table: Chris Winters, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lavender marriage: Katharine Cornell and the Playwrights' Company; Vandamm Studio, photog, Public domain, source
- Bachelor party: Derek Springer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Interracial marriage: Xavier Lejeune, CC BY 4.0, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bridal shower: The McClouds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hope chest: Poul Friis Nybo, Public domain, source