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
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNikahnikāḥ (Arabic: نِكَاح)
The Islamic marriage contract that establishes a binding union between two people.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam
The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇨🇾 Cyprus and 2 moreMarriage in Cyprus
A destination for civil and religious weddings that allows interfaith couples to marry outside their home laws.Vow · 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
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSambolydning i Sverige
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Sweden since 2009.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSame-sex marriage in Switzerland
The legal recognition of marriage for same-sex couples following a national referendum.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 FrancePosthumous marriage in Francemariage posthume
A legal union with a deceased partner, authorized by the French President for serious reasons.Vow · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingvivaha (विवाह)
The traditional marriage ceremony for Hindus, centered on sacred fire and seven vows.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇬 EgyptNikah 'urfiنكاح العرفي
An unregistered Islamic contract that allows couples to marry without state recognition or public ceremony.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, IsraelSame-sex marriage in Israel
Legal recognition for same-sex couples through foreign or online marriages due to the absence of civil marriage in IsraeModern · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 ChinaJiaobeijiu交杯酒
The ancient Chinese rite of sharing wine from linked cups to seal a marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreKetubahכְּתוּבָּה
The Jewish marriage contract that outlines the groom's financial and personal obligations to the bride.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSame-sex marriage in Thailandสมรสเท่าเทียม (Somrot Thaothiam)
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that took effect in January 2025.Modern · The ceremony
🇲🇹 MaltaSame-sex marriage in MaltaŻwieġ bejn persuni tal-istess sess
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage and civil unions in Malta.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomFleet marriage
Secret weddings performed in London's Fleet Prison before the law required church ceremonies.Vow · The ceremony
🇹🇼 Taipei, TaiwanSame-sex marriage in Taiwan
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Taiwan, the first in Asia.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreYibbumייבום
A Jewish rite where a brother marries his childless deceased brother's widow to continue the family line.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 3 moreDowry system in Indiaदहेज (Hindi), ज़ेहर (Urdu)
The transfer of cash and goods from the bride's family to the groom that has become a source of financial strain and vioGift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇵🇹 Lisbon, PortugalSame-sex marriage in PortugalCasamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo
The legal recognition of marriage between two people of the same sex in Portugal.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreDower
A share of the husband's property set aside to secure a woman's life if he dies first.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 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
🇬🇧 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
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreInterfaith marriage in Judaismשִׁדּוּג חַלּוּץ (Shidug Chalutz) / אינטרפייט מריאז' (Interafeyt Mariyaz')
The union of a Jew and a non-Jew, viewed as void by traditional law but increasingly common in modern communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreProxy marriage
A union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.Vow · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCivil ceremony
A secular marriage rite performed by a government official at a licensed venue.Vow · The ceremony
🇵🇭 Philippines and 5 moreElopement
A secret marriage conducted without parental approval or public notice to bypass objections or legal barriers.Modern · The weeks before
🇫🇮 FinlandSame-sex marriage in Finlandsukupuolineutraali avioliitto
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that took effect in Finland on 1 March 2017.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇸 IcelandSame-sex marriage in Icelandsamkynja hjónaband
The legal union of two people regardless of gender, established in Iceland in 2010.Modern · The ceremony
🇺🇸 Hawaii, United StatesCommon-law marriage in the United States
A legal union formed by mutual consent and public presentation without a license or ceremony.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWedding ring
A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaSame-sex marriage in ArgentinaMatrimonio igualitario
The legal recognition of same-sex unions that made Argentina the first nation in Latin America to permit them.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United StatesSelf-uniting marriage
A wedding where the couple marries each other without a third-party officiant.Vow · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreDowry
A payment of wealth from the bride's family to the groom or his household at marriage.Gift custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇸 Madrid, SpainSame-sex marriage in SpainMatrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en España
The national law that legalized same-sex marriage and adoption rights for couples in Spain.Modern · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreInterfaith marriage
A union between spouses of different faiths, navigating legal and religious boundaries across the world.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreMisyar marriageزواج المسيار (zawāj al-misyār)
A Sunni Islamic contract where the wife waives cohabitation and financial support in exchange for a legal union.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreInterdenominational marriage
A wedding between two people of different denominations within the same religion.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLavender marriage
A heterosexual union formed to hide the queer identity of one or both partners and protect a public career.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South AfricaSame-sex marriage in South Africa
The legal recognition of same-sex unions established by the Civil Union Act of 2006.Modern · The ceremony
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSealing (Mormonism)
A temple ritual that binds couples and families together for eternity.Rite · The ceremony
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Denmarkægteskab mellem personer af samme køn
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Denmark since 2012, following a pioneering partnership law from 1989.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreMorganatic marriageEhe zur linken Hand
A union between people of unequal rank that bars the spouse and children from inheriting titles or throne rights.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇳 IndiaSaptapadiसप्तपदी (Saptapadī)
The seven steps or rounds around the sacred fire that complete a Hindu marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSame-sex marriage in Australia
The legal recognition of marriages between two people of the same gender in Australia.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis
The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · The ceremony
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Brazil
The nationwide legal recognition of same-sex unions following a 2013 judicial ruling.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, Netherlands and 5 moreSame-sex marriage
The legal union of two people of the same sex or gender, recognized in dozens of countries.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Same-sex marriage in Spain: FELGTB Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gais, Trans y Bisexuales, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Israel: דוד שי, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ketubah: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in Thailand: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Fleet marriage: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in Taiwan: Guy of taipei, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yibbum: School of Rembrandt, Public domain, source
- Dower: Pvasiliadis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Recognition of same-sex unions in South Korea: Nerd271, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Judaism: Rembrandt, Public domain, source
- Proxy marriage: Alejandro Cicarelli, Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in Iceland: Stanko Gruden/STA/Predsednik Republike Slovenije, CC0, source
- Lavender marriage: Katharine Cornell and the Playwrights' Company; Vandamm Studio, photog, Public domain, source
- Sealing (Mormonism): NewNameNoah, CC BY 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Denmark: PavelStotsko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Morganatic marriage: Sergei Lvovich Levitsky (1819 – 1898) and Rafail Sergeevich Levitsky (, Public domain, source
- Saptapadi: Bhumish143, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Australia: Mikeybear, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Brazil: Fabio Pozzebom/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br, source
- Same-sex marriage: Stefano Bolognini, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dowry: Vassili Vladimirovich Pukiryov, Public domain, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Nikah: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Dowry system in India: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Argentina: Víctor Buggé, CC BY 2.0, source
- Confarreatio: Agnete, CC BY 3.0, source