All wedding traditions
674 traditions so far, best known first. 108 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 1 moreMarriage in KoreaKorean marriage (결혼)
A look at how Korean weddings blend ancient Confucian rites with modern legal practices.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreNikahnikāḥ (Arabic: نِكَاح)
The Islamic marriage contract that establishes a binding union between two people.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 2 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven brocade cloth patterned with gold or silver threads for traditional weddings in Southeast Asia.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreMantilla
A lace or silk veil worn over the head and shoulders by women in Spain and Latin AmericaAttire · The weeks before
🇮🇱 IsraelMazel tovמזל טוב
The Jewish phrase said to congratulate someone on a happy occasion or good fortune.Blessing · 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
🇮🇩 IndonesiaBeskapꦧꦼꦱ꧀ꦏꦥ꧀
The formal black jacket worn by Javanese men during weddings and official ceremonies.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaKasavuകസാവ്
The white cotton and gold border attire worn by Malayalis for weddings and festivals.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaKanchipuram silk sari
The heavy silk bridal garment woven in Kanchipuram with contrasting borders and gold zari.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToe ring
A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony
🇳🇬 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
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник (Ukrainian), ручнік (Belarusian), ручник/рушник (Russian)
The embroidered linen cloth that marks life stages and guides the couple through the wedding ceremony in East Slavic culAdornment · The weeks before
🇲🇦 Imilchil, MoroccoImilchil Marriage FestivalAgdoud N'Oulmghenni
A Berber marriage festival in Morocco where tribes gather to arrange unions and celebrate with music and dance.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇺🇦 UkraineSong about the RushnykПісня про рушник (Pisnia pro rushnyk)
A Ukrainian song that celebrates the embroidered cloth used in weddings and family life.Performance · The ceremony
🇯🇵 JapanTamagushitamagushi (玉串)
A decorated sakaki branch offered to kami during Shinto wedding ceremonies and other rites.Rite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaMadisarமடிசார் (Madisar)
The nine-yard sari drape worn by Tamil Brahmin women during weddings and religious rites.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 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
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreZuria
The ankle-length dress with woven hem bands worn by Tigrinya and Amhara women for weddings and holidays.Attire · The weeks before
🇲🇲 MyanmarMarriage in Myanmar
A blend of Buddhist rites, astrological timing, and family negotiations that defines union across Myanmar's diverse ethnRite · 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
🇮🇳 Bhuj, India and 1 moreBandhani
A traditional Indian tie-dye method that creates intricate dot patterns by binding small sections of cloth before dyeingAttire · Engagement and betrothal
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreJokduri족두리
A traditional Korean coronet worn by women during weddings and other special occasions.Attire · The ceremony
🇩🇿 Algiers, AlgeriaKarakou
A fitted velvet jacket from Algiers, embroidered with gold and silver thread for weddings.Attire · The ceremony
🇿🇦 South AfricaUmemulo
The Zulu coming of age ceremony that marks a woman as ready for marriageRite · 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
🇮🇱 IsraelSeudat nissuinSeudat nissuin (סעודת נישואין)
The Jewish wedding meal blessed with wine and bread, followed by seven days of celebration.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, Mexico and 1 moreHuipilhuīpīlli
The traditional tunic worn by indigenous women in Mexico and Central America for weddings and daily life.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 IndiaOonjal
A decorated swing where the Tamil bride and groom sit to receive family blessings.Blessing · The ceremony
🇲🇰 Galičnik, North MacedoniaGaličnik Wedding FestivalГаличка свадба (Galička svadba)
A recreated traditional wedding in a North Macedonian village that turns a local rite into an annual festival.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAlpanaআলপনা (Bengali)
Rice flour floor paintings that bless homes and mark wedding celebrations in Bengal.Adornment · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreGimmal ring
A betrothal ring with separate hoops that join to form the wedding band.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 Iseyin, Nigeria and 2 moreAso okeAṣọ òkè
Hand-woven cloth worn by the Yoruba for weddings and formal gatheringsAttire · The ceremony
🇰🇿 KazakhstanBetasharбеташар
The lifting of the bride's veil by the groom's mother during a Kazakh wedding ceremonyRite · The ceremony
🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao); บายศรี (Thai)
The wrist-tying ceremony that calls the soul back to restore balance and good luck.Blessing · The ceremony
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelTu B'Avט״ו באב
A minor Jewish holiday in Israel that serves as a popular day for weddings and matchmaking.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United KingdomQuaichcuach
A shallow two-handled cup used in Scottish weddings to share a drink and symbolise union.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWedding customs in Ethiopia
A collection of diverse marriage rites across Ethiopian tribes and the Orthodox Christian community.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam
The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 3 moreAso ebiAsọ-Ẹbí
Matching outfits worn by groups to show solidarity at Yoruba weddings and other ceremoniesAttire · The weeks before
🇯🇵 Onomichi, JapanRibbon Chapelリボンチャペル
A glass-walled wedding venue in Onomichi with twin staircases that symbolize the bond of marriage.Setting · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaShankha
White conch shell bangles worn by Bengali Hindu married women as a symbol of their husband's well-being.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇧🇳 Brunei and 2 moreTengkolokتڠكولوق
A folded songket headcloth worn by Malay and Indonesian grooms at weddingsAttire · The ceremony
🇮🇷 Shiraz, Iran and 5 moreUlulation
A high-pitched trilling sound made by women to celebrate weddings and share good news across many cultures.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle dance performed across Turkey and surrounding regions at weddings.Performance · The ceremony
🇬🇭 Ghana and 2 moreKente clothnwentoma
Hand-woven silk and cotton strips from Ghana that mark weddings and graduationsAttire · The ceremony
🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWaist beads
Strands of glass or seed worn around the hips to mark womanhood and track body changes in West and North Africa.Adornment · 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
🇫🇯 FijiTabua
A polished sperm whale tooth exchanged as a gift in Fijian weddings and ceremonies.Gift 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.
- Gimmal ring: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Aso ebi: SUPREME LACE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Huipil: Gift in memory of Elizabeth Ege Freudenheim, No restrictions, source
- Betashar: Steve Evans, CC BY 2.0, source
- Quaich: Robin-wood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ribbon Chapel: メルビル, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tengkolok: Riski Syahputra, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shankha: Salil Kumar Mukherjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tabua: Hannes Grobe /AWI, CC BY 3.0, source
- Marriage in Myanmar: Thant Zin Myint, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Laavaan: Ashish 100, CC BY 2.0, source
- Aso oke: Wolf D., Public domain, source
- Galičnik Wedding Festival: IvanaKrstik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Imilchil Marriage Festival: Zakaria ElQotbi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Karakou: Bachounda, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tamagushi: Urashimataro, Public domain, source
- Baci: Dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Beskap: Kris, Photographer of the Press, Media and Information Bureau of the P, Public domain, source
- Zuria: Kurt Bauschardt, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Eastern Orthodox marriage: VitVit, CC BY 3.0, source
- Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
- Kanchipuram silk sari: McKay Savage, CC BY 2.0, source
- Halay: Post of Moldova, Public domain, source
- Kente cloth: ZSM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Waist beads: Amuzujoe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jokduri: derivative work: Caspian blue ( talk ) Korean_dance-Jinju_pogurakmu-01, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bandhani: RubyGoes, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gele: Royalesignature, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weddings in ancient Rome: Meister der Aldobrandinischen Hochzeit, Public domain, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Alpana: Tripan123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Umhlanga: Amada44, Public domain, source
- Mazel tov: Iwona Erskine-Kellie, CC BY 2.0, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mantilla: Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Marriage in Korea: Jérôme Banal ( Eden2004 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nikah: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source