Wedding traditions with money and envelopes
Money is part of nearly every wedding.
Money is part of nearly every wedding. It is pinned to the dress, sprayed on dancers, tucked in an envelope, collected on a dance or handed to a family in a negotiation. How it is given, who sees it and what is said about it shows a lot about a community.
Envelopes and gifts
Chinese and Vietnamese guests give red envelopes, hongbao or li xi, with amounts that have lucky numbers, avoiding four. Koreans give envelopes to the couple, and Japanese guests give goshugi, in a special envelope with a knot, in crisp new notes and amounts in odd numbers. In India a shagun envelope is given, often with a one-rupee coin added, and in the Gulf and Jewish weddings, guests also give cash.
Dances, sprays and who pays
At Philippine and Polish weddings, guests pin cash to the bride or pay for a dance, and at Nigerian weddings, spraying notes is common. In Greece the couple may have money pinned to their clothes. In many places the bride's family or the groom pays, or both, and weddings are a heavy cost. Registries and honeymoon funds are an alternative, and some couples ask for a donation to charity instead.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Money and envelopes (symbol). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaithil Vivahमैथिल विवाह
The arranged Hindu marriage of Maithils in the Mithila region, guided by Vedic texts and local customs.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇿🇦 South AfricaUmemulo
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🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreBride price
Wealth paid by the groom or his family to the bride or her kin to formalize a union.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match
🇬🇧 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
🇭🇺 HungaryVőfély
The Hungarian wedding host who guides the couple through rites, speeches, and traditions.Family role · Finding a match
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanAzerbaijani wedding traditionsAzərbaycanın toy adətləri
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A Canadian fundraiser where guests pay to help the couple cover wedding costs.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Azerbaijani wedding traditions: Azim Azimzadeh, Public domain, source