All wedding traditions
611 traditions so far, best known first. 386 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
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 3 moreBlessing ceremony
The large-scale marriage rite of the Unification Church where couples are matched and blessed by their leaders.Rite · The ceremony
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreBlessing ceremony of the Unification ChurchHoly Marriage Blessing Ceremony (축복결혼식)
A large-scale marriage rededication or new union ceremony that engrafts couples into a sinless lineage.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇱 MaliWeddings in Mali
Multi-day Malian wedding traditions blending Islamic rites, civil law, and local customs with bazin attire.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 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
🇸🇿 Ludzidzini Royal Village, Eswatini and 1 moreUmhlanga
The annual Swazi and Zulu gathering where young women cut reeds to preserve chastity and offer tribute labour.Rite · The eve
🇲🇲 MyanmarMarriage in Myanmar
A blend of Buddhist rites, astrological timing, and family negotiations that defines union across Myanmar's diverse ethnRite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLaavaanਲਾਵਾਂ ਫੇਰੇ (Lavan)
The four sacred hymns sung during the Anand Karaj that guide a Sikh couple through spiritual stages of married life.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam
The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Jakarta, IndonesiaPalang pintu
The martial arts and poetry test that allows the groom to enter the bride's home in Betawi weddings.Rite · The weeks before
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreKazakh wedding ceremonyҮйлену тойы (Üilenu toiy)
The multi-stage Kazakh marriage process featuring the face-revealing feast and the Islamic religious contract.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in KoreaKorean marriage (결혼)
A look at how Korean weddings blend ancient Confucian rites with modern legal practices.Rite · Finding a match
🇰🇿 KazakhstanBetasharбеташар
The lifting of the bride's veil by the groom's mother during a Kazakh wedding ceremonyRite · The ceremony
🇿🇦 South AfricaUmemulo
The Zulu coming of age ceremony that marks a woman as ready for marriageRite · 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
🇮🇹 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
🇮🇳 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
🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Orthodox marriage
The Byzantine Rite ceremony where a priest crowns the couple to seal their union in Christ.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWedding customs in Ethiopia
A collection of diverse marriage rites across Ethiopian tribes and the Orthodox Christian community.Rite · Finding a match
🇯🇵 JapanTamagushitamagushi (玉串)
A decorated sakaki branch offered to kami during Shinto wedding ceremonies and other rites.Rite · The ceremony
🇳🇪 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSvayamvaraस्वयंवर (svayaṃvara)
A ceremony where a bride selects her husband from assembled suitors or through a public contest.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreJewish wedding
The ceremony and laws that bind a couple in Jewish marriage, from the canopy to the glass.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreHandfastingceangal na lámh (Irish); pòsadh-bliadhna (Scottish Gaelic)
A pledge ceremony where a couple joins hands to make a binding marriage contract or engagement.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ
The turmeric ceremony that prepares the Bengali bride and groom for marriageRite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMayian
The turmeric paste ceremony held the day before Punjabi weddings in India and Pakistan.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaChaklong wedding
The traditional Ahom marriage system involving rice powder mandalas and ancestral rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇸🇩 Khartoum, SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ (Arabic)
A Sudanese inauguration ritual where the groom is symbolically crowned as a king.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreMangalsutraमङ्गलसूत्रम् (maṅgalasūtram)
The sacred necklace tied around the bride's neck to mark her marriage.Adornment · The ceremony
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · 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
🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding
The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚 (Shinzen kekkon)
A Shinto purification ritual featuring sake sharing and kimono attire held at a shrine or venue.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Lombok, IndonesiaMerariq
A Sasak ritual in Lombok where the groom takes the bride to his home with family consent.Rite · The weeks before
🇨🇳 ChinaJiaobeijiu交杯酒
The ancient Chinese rite of sharing wine from linked cups to seal a marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreWedding cord
A satin loop placed around the couple to symbolize their lifelong union in Catholic weddings.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreBedding ceremony
The public ritual of placing the newlyweds in their marital bed to witness and seal the marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇱🇰 Sri LankaPoruwa ceremony
The Sinhalese wedding ritual performed on a carved wooden platform with betel leaves and milk rice.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaVaramalaवरमाला (Varamālā)
The exchange of flower garlands that marks mutual acceptance in a Hindu wedding.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreQuaker wedding
A silent ceremony where Friends witness each other's vows without clergy or rigid rituals.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaGauna
The ceremony that marks the start of conjugal life in northern Indian Hindu marriages.Rite · After the wedding
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where a couple leaps over a broom to mark their unionRite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 IndiaVadhu PraveshaBou Boron
The ritual welcoming the bride into her husband's home with blessings and symbolic acts.Blessing · After the wedding
🇮🇳 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
🇳🇬 NigeriaIgbo traditional marriageIgba Nkwu
The multi-stage Igbo marriage process that formalizes a union through family negotiations and the wine-carrying ceremonyRite · 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
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian wedding traditionsРусская свадьба
A multi-day celebration blending Orthodox crowning, ransom games, and lively toasting in Russia.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalIhiईही (Nepal Bhasa)
A pre-puberty rite where Newar girls in Nepal are symbolically married to a deity or fruit.Betrothal · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jewish wedding: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Umtsimba: Cat7624, CC0, source
- Weddings in Mali: HawaG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Svayamvara: Nandalal Bose, Public domain, source
- Shinto wedding: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding cord: Phil! Gold, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Marriage in Korea: Jérôme Banal ( Eden2004 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Betashar: Steve Evans, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bedding ceremony: Isaac Cruikshank, Public domain, source
- Guérewol: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Umhlanga: Amada44, Public domain, source
- Marriage in Myanmar: Thant Zin Myint, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Poruwa ceremony: A Derivative Work by MediaJet ,, CC BY 2.0, source
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Palang pintu: Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kazakh wedding ceremony: jerome taylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Varamala: Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alta: Shounak Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tamagushi: Urashimataro, Public domain, source
- Eastern Orthodox marriage: VitVit, CC BY 3.0, source
- Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaklong wedding: Chiring chandan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Traditional Ukrainian wedding: Пимоненко, Николай Корнильевич, Public domain, source
- Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Russian wedding traditions: GeorgeLouis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mayian: Rakzika, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Tulasi Vivah: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Jirtig: Alzain Mohammed, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ihi: Dirghaman Chitrakar, Public domain, source
- Blessing ceremony: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mangalsutra: Ackroydman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source