Wedding traditions with gold and jewellery
Gold is the wedding metal.
Gold is the wedding metal. It does not tarnish, it can be melted and reworked, and it is a store of value for a bride who may own little else. In many cultures a bride's gold is her own security and her family's pride.
Gold as security
In India a bride's gold, from the mangalsutra to a full set of necklace, bangles and earrings, is part of her stridhan, a woman's property. In the Arab world and North Africa, gold in the mahr and the shabka, the gift from the groom's family, is a settlement in her name. In Turkey guests pin gold coins to the bride at the henna night or the wedding, and in Egypt the shabka is a set of jewellery. Berber and Bedouin brides wear silver as a portable asset.
Weight and worry
The price of gold is a concern for families, and in India and the Gulf the cost of a wedding can rise and fall with it. Some governments and communities have capped weights or asked for smaller gifts. Recycled gold and gold from certified mines are choices for those who are concerned about the environment.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Gold and jewellery (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇳🇪 In-Gall, Niger and 2 moreGuérewol
A week-long courtship dance where Wodaabe men display their beauty to win the attention of marriageable women.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyWeddings in ancient Rome
The religious ceremonies and attire that marked a union in the city of Rome before the rise of Christianity.Rite · The weeks before
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 2 moreGeleGèlè
The towering Yoruba head tie that crowns the bride and marks her status on the wedding day.Attire · The weeks before
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreMizmarمزمار (mizmār)
A loud double reed instrument played at weddings and festivals across Egypt and the Levant.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇳🇬 NigeriaLefe
The presentation of gifts from the groom to the bride in Hausa weddings.Gift custom · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs
Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreBerberisca dresskeswa-el-kbira (الكسوة الكبيرة)
The gold-embroidered wedding gown of Moroccan Jews, rooted in Spanish royal style.Attire · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions
Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAnand Karajਅਨੰਦ ਕਾਰਜ
The Sikh wedding rite where the couple circles the Guru Granth Sahib to four hymns of union.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding
The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWedding veil
A cloth covering the head or face worn by brides and grooms to mark marriage.Attire · The ceremony
🇩🇪 GermanyLandshut WeddingLandshuter Hochzeit
A four-year historical pageant in Bavaria re-enacting the 1475 royal marriage of George and Hedwig.Setting · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Patiala, IndiaParanda
A silk thread hair ornament worn by Punjabi women during weddings and festivals.Adornment · The weeks before
🇮🇹 Viterbo, ItalyMacchina di Santa Rosa
The annual procession in Viterbo where men carry a towering structure to honor their patron saint.Blessing · Procession and arrival
🇧🇷 Recife, BrazilFrevo
A fast, acrobatic dance and musical style from Recife that turns Carnival street parades into a display of agility.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇹 Siena, ItalyMarch of the PalioMarcia del Palio
The brass anthem played during the historical parade before Siena's horse race.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇹🇳 Tunis, TunisiaTunisian jebbaجبة
A loose traditional tunic worn by Tunisian men and women for weddings and festivals.Attire · Procession and arrival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mizmar: dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Landshut Wedding: Oktobersonne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guérewol: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tunisian jebba: Touzrimounir, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lefe: Useendk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Frevo: Prefeitura de Olinda, CC BY 2.0, source
- Macchina di Santa Rosa: Amras Carnesîr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paranda: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Wedding veil: David Ring, CC0, source