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
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where a couple leaps over a broom to mark their unionRite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
🇺🇸 United StatesIndian Wedding Blessing
A modern poem often recited at weddings in the United States, falsely attributed to Native American traditions.Blessing · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSaber Arch
An arch of swords or sabers held over a couple as they exit their wedding ceremony.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreNude wedding
A ceremony where the couple or guests participate without clothing.Modern · The ceremony
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding
A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesSelf-uniting marriage
A wedding where the couple marries each other without a third-party officiant.Vow · The ceremony
🇺🇸 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 StatesUnity candle
A modern wedding ritual where a couple lights a central candle from two tapers to symbolize their union.Rite · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBridesmaid
A female attendant who supports the bride during a Western wedding ceremony.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 Las Vegas, United StatesLas Vegas weddings
Quick civil or religious ceremonies held in Las Vegas due to easy licensing and diverse venues.Setting · 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 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 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
🇺🇸 Bogalusa, United StatesThe Coke Plant
A restored 1930s Coca-Cola bottling plant in Louisiana that now hosts weddings and events.Setting · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United StatesSame-sex marriage in the Northern Mariana Islands
Legal recognition of same-sex unions in a U.S. territory that became a popular destination for international couples.Modern · The ceremony
🇺🇸 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 2 moreSame-sex marriage and Judaism
How different branches of Judaism handle the union of two people of the same sex.Modern · The ceremony
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMarriage commissioner
A civil official appointed to solemnize weddings outside of religious or standard court settings.Vow · The ceremony
🇺🇸 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
🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSame-sex marriage in Illinois
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in the US state since June 2014.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 Washington, United StatesSame-sex marriage in the District of Columbia
The legal union of two people regardless of gender in Washington, D.C., established in 2010.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, United StatesLatter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century
The practice of plural marriage among Latter-day Saints that drew intense government scrutiny and led to its abandonmentVow · 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
- 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
- Nude wedding: Peter Paul Rubens, Public domain, source
- Oaxacan wedding: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lavender marriage: Katharine Cornell and the Playwrights' Company; Vandamm Studio, photog, Public domain, source
- Mormon polygamy: Charles Weitfle, Public domain, source
- The Coke Plant: Ktkvtsh, CC0, source
- Same-sex marriage and Judaism: Ed and Eddie, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bridesmaid: Photographer not credited; relative or work for hire of relative., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Illinois: nathanmac87, CC BY 2.0, source
- Unity candle: Dvillasmil, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saber Arch: Rabe100, Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia: Nate Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Las Vegas weddings: Henrickson ( talk ) ( Uploads ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source