All wedding traditions
650 traditions so far, best known first. 440 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and stage of the wedding.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreKoloКоло
A South Slavic circle dance performed at weddings and social gatherings across the Balkans.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic weddings
A blend of church ceremony and multi-day feasting that marks the union of two people in Iceland.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreSheva Brachotשבע ברכות
The seven blessings recited during Jewish weddings and the subsequent festive week.Blessing · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCountry dance
A social partner dance from England where couples follow a caller through repeated figures in long lines or squares.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 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
🇺🇸 United StatesStack cake
A layered Appalachian dessert made of crisp molasses cakes and dried apple filling.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇸 United StatesWedding cake topper
A small figurine placed on top of a wedding cake to represent the couple.Adornment · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇸 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
🇩🇪 GermanyGroßvatertanz
A traditional Saxon dance played at the end of wedding celebrations to mark the finale.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew)
A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding
A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreCollective wedding
A single ceremony where many couples exchange vows and become married at once.Modern · The ceremony
🇹🇭 ThailandKhanom Si Thuaiขนมสี่ถ้วย
A Thai wedding dessert of four sweet cups symbolizing harmony and lasting love.Feast custom · 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
🇺🇸 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
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreBulgarian wedding musicсватбарска музика
Fast-paced instrumental music played at Bulgarian weddings that blends folk, Romani, and Turkish styles.Performance · The ceremony
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreChinese wedding door games堵门游戏 (dǔmén yóuxì)
Challenges set by bridesmaids for the groom at the bride's home to prove his devotion.Play · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreWedding breakfast
The post-ceremony feast served to the couple and their guests in British English usage.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs
Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesRehearsal dinner
A pre-wedding meal held after the final practice to thank the wedding partyFeast 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
🇦🇲 Armenia and 1 moreKochariՔոչարի
A circle dance from the Armenian Highlands that marks weddings and community gatherings.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇷 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
🇭🇺 HungaryVőfély
The Hungarian wedding host who guides the couple through rites, speeches, and traditions.Family role · Finding a match
🇮🇶 Mosul, IraqWedding traditions in Iraq
The arranged courtship, religious rites and multi-day celebrations that mark marriage in Iraqi society.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreMoney dance
A reception ritual where guests give cash to the couple while dancing or showering them with notes.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇦 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
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreRèiteach
A Scottish Gaelic betrothal ceremony where families negotiate marriage terms and celebrate with whisky.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇬 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
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A Zoroastrian marriage ceremony featuring hand-fastening, rice sprinkling, and shared meals.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇪 SwedenKrokan
A multi-tiered almond pastry tower joined by caramel and decorated with marzipan roses, served at Swedish weddings.Feast custom · The wedding feast
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreWedding vow renewal ceremony
A service where a married couple repeats their marriage promises to reaffirm their commitment.Vow · After the wedding
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBou Bhatবউ ভাত
A feast hosted by the groom's family to welcome the bride into her new home.Feast custom · After the wedding
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 morePyebaek폐백
A Korean post-ceremony ritual where the couple bows to the groom's parents and shares symbolic foods.Blessing · After the wedding
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 moreKolachколач (kolach), калач (kalach), kołacz, colac, kalács
A braided or ring-shaped bread that marks weddings and major holidays across Eastern Europe.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 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
🇪🇬 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
🇻🇳 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
🇮🇳 IndiaTelugu Hindu weddingతెలుగు వివాహ వేడుక
A multi-day Telugu Hindu marriage marked by seven vows around fire and family rituals.Rite · 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
🇷🇺 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAiburo Bhaatআইবুড়ো ভাত
The final bachelor feast for the bride and groom before their Bengali weddingFeast custom · The weeks before
🇧🇩 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
🇷🇺 RussiaLoving cup
A large shared drinking vessel with two handles used in Christian rites and weddingsFeast custom · The wedding feast
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Korovai: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kolo: Sasa.mazinjanin, Public domain, source
- Sheva Brachot: מנחם יוסיפון, CC0, source
- Country dance: Engraving by William Hogarth, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Stack cake: thebittenword.com, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bachelorette party: Michael Vincent Photography for Bride's Night Out, Inc., CC BY 3.0, source
- Wedding cake topper: Andy Mabbett, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bachelor party: Derek Springer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Großvatertanz: traditional, Public domain, source
- Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Oaxacan wedding: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Collective wedding: Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Pará, Public domain, source
- Khanom Si Thuai: Siripitch Chaiyabutra, CC0, source
- Bridal shower: The McClouds, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cookie table: Chris Winters, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bulgarian wedding music: Allen Ruttenberg, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chinese wedding door games: elfgoh, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Wedding breakfast: Arpingstone, Public domain, source
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kochari: Hayordi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Traditional Ukrainian wedding: Пимоненко, Николай Корнильевич, Public domain, source
- Russian wedding traditions: GeorgeLouis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Krokan: Hansgustavsson, Public domain, source
- Pyebaek: halfGoku, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kolach: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Double Happiness: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Arab wedding: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
- Traditional Vietnamese wedding: Gabrielle M. Vassal, Public domain, source
- Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Aiburo Bhaat: Ranganm2021, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Loving cup: Rhodian at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source