The weeks before

Invitations, the trousseau, the bridal shower, the bachelor night and the purifying baths.

The weeks before a wedding are a time of preparation: invitations, tailoring, shopping, cleaning the house, cooking and gathering family. Many cultures have rites in this period, from the bridal shower to purifying baths, and they are often held among women or among friends.

Invitations and gifts

Invitations range from printed cards to the traditional Indian practice of first inviting the deity Ganesha and then the family in person with sweets. In Ethiopia and many Arab families, relatives are invited verbally and in person. In parts of China, the groom's family sends cakes and tea to relatives. The trousseau is assembled, and in India and Pakistan a shopping trip for gold, cloth and gifts may take weeks.

Showers, stag nights and baths

Western brides may have a hen party and a bridal shower, and grooms a bachelor party or stag night. In Morocco and the Levant the bride visits the hammam with female relatives for a ritual bath. In Hindu tradition haldi and oil are applied. In Scotland the bride's friends may have a kitchen tea, and in Poland the panieński, the maiden evening, is held before the wedding.

What is changing

Pre-wedding events have expanded, with engagement shoots, destination bachelorette trips and multi-day celebrations. Many families now plan with shared online documents. Others scale back because of cost and keep only the core rite.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on The weeks before (stage of the wedding). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreDia dos Namorados Brazil's June 12 celebration of romance, held on the eve of Saint Anthony's feast day.Betrothal · The weeks before

🇰🇷 South KoreaBlack DayBlack Day (Korean: 블랙데이) A South Korean day for singles to gather and eat black bean noodles after missing Valentine's and White Day gifts.Feast custom · The weeks before 🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreZaffaزفّة A lively musical procession that marks the start of wedding festivities in Arab culture.Performance · The weeks before

🇮🇳 IndiaOppanaഒപ്പന A circle dance and song tradition of the Mappila Muslim community in Kerala weddingsPerformance · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇧 United KingdomGift registry A public wish list managed by retailers to coordinate wedding gifts and prevent duplicates.Feast custom · The weeks before

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali) Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · The weeks before

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreKenduri A communal feast and prayer gathering held by Javanese and Malay communities to mark life events.Feast custom · The weeks before

🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha) A symbolic Hindu wedding uniting the holy basil plant with a stone representing Vishnu.Rite · The weeks before

🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAiburo Bhaatআইবুড়ো ভাত The final bachelor feast for the bride and groom before their Bengali weddingFeast custom · The weeks before 🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding A Zoroastrian marriage ceremony featuring hand-fastening, rice sprinkling, and shared meals.Rite · Engagement and betrothal 🇨🇦 CanadaStag and doe A Canadian fundraiser where guests pay to help the couple cover wedding costs.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇷🇺 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

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match

🇺🇦 UkraineTraditional Ukrainian weddingТрадиційне українське весілля A multi-day sequence of folk rites, bread baking and church vows that marks the transition from maidenhood to married liRite · Finding a match

🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreEngagement party A gathering to announce a new engagement and introduce the two families before the wedding.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal 🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before

🇻🇳 VietnamTraditional Vietnamese weddingLễ cưới truyền thống Việt Nam The multi-stage ceremony of betrothal, engagement and union that marks a marriage in Vietnam.Attire · Finding a match

🇺🇸 Austin, United States and 5 moreBachelorette party A pre-wedding gathering for the bride-to-be and her female friends, known as a hen party in many Commonwealth nations.Performance · The weeks before 🇮🇱 IsraelKallahYarchei Kallah (Hebrew: ירחי כלה) A biannual gathering for Torah study and marriage law held by Babylonian Jewish scholars in Adar and Elul.Betrothal · The weeks before

🇺🇸 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

🇨🇳 China and 3 moreDouble Happiness双喜 (shuāngxǐ) The red calligraphy symbol made of two joy characters that marks Chinese wedding celebrations.Adornment · The weeks before

🇺🇸 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 🇺🇸 United StatesRehearsal dinner A pre-wedding meal held after the final practice to thank the wedding partyFeast custom · The weeks before

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreArab weddingزفاف or فرح or عرس A series of family-centered rites and processions that mark marriage across the Arab world.Rite · Finding a match 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreWedding music The songs and instruments that mark the arrival of the couple and set the mood for the celebration.Performance · The weeks before 🇭🇺 HungaryVőfély The Hungarian wedding host who guides the couple through rites, speeches, and traditions.Family role · Finding a match 🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · Finding a match

🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 1 moreIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران A multi-stage ceremony rooted in Zoroastrianism and Islam that binds families through courtship, feasts, and sacred vowsRite · Finding a match

🇸🇿 EswatiniUmtsimbauntsimba A multi-day Swazi wedding procession where the bride joins her husband's family through ritualised stages.Rite · Finding a match 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreRèiteach A Scottish Gaelic betrothal ceremony where families negotiate marriage terms and celebrate with whisky.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal

🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର) The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal

🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali Muslim weddingবাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে A multi-day Bengali Muslim marriage blending Islamic rites with local folk traditions.Rite · The weeks before

🇮🇳 IndiaMehndi The henna body art applied to brides and guests before a South Asian wedding ceremony.Adornment · The weeks before

🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreKhata A ceremonial scarf offered to show respect and welcome at weddings and other gatherings in Tibet and Nepal.Adornment · Reception, dance and gifts

🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAyie The Luo bride price ceremony where the mother accepts payment and agrees to the marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 7 moreVechornytsiвечорниці A Ukrainian courtship gathering where young people meet, dance and practice matchmaking rituals before the wedding seasoBetrothal · The weeks before

🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreTuroń A horned effigy that visits homes during Carnival to wish for fertility and collect gifts.Blessing · The weeks before

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Umtsimba: Cat7624, CC0, source
Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mehndi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Korovai: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
Kenduri: Andreasprasetya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Aiburo Bhaat: Ranganm2021, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tulasi Vivah: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
Oppana: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Black Day: by 아침꿀물 at Flickr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chaklong wedding: Chiring chandan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
Traditional Ukrainian wedding: Пимоненко, Николай Корнильевич, Public domain, source
Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
Traditional Vietnamese wedding: Gabrielle M. Vassal, Public domain, source
Bachelorette party: Michael Vincent Photography for Bride's Night Out, Inc., CC BY 3.0, source
Bachelor party: Derek Springer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Double Happiness: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
Bridal shower: The McClouds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Arab wedding: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
Khata: Wiki-uk, CC BY 3.0, source
Ayie: SteveRwanda, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Vechornytsi: Гейслер, Кристиан Готфрид Генрих, Public domain, source
Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source