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
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreGroomsman
A male attendant who supports the groom and assists guests at a wedding.Family role · Finding a match
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCivil ceremony
A secular marriage rite performed by a government official at a licensed venue.Vow · The ceremony
🇬🇧 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
🇵🇹 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
🇸🇪 SwedenKrokan
A multi-tiered almond pastry tower joined by caramel and decorated with marzipan roses, served at Swedish weddings.Feast custom · The wedding feast
🇮🇹 Sicily, ItalyFuitina
A Sicilian elopement custom used to force family consent for marriage through presumed sexual intercourse.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇬🇷 GreeceLipothymiarikosΛιποθυμιάρικος (Horos tis Nifis)
A Greek wedding dance where men mimic a fainting bride in the early morning hours.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreWedding dress
The ceremonial garment worn by the bride during her marriage rite.Attire · The ceremony
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreKoloКоло
A South Slavic circle dance performed at weddings and social gatherings across the Balkans.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreWedding March (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's C major piece from 1842, used as a recessional at Western weddings.Performance · After the wedding
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 Edinburgh, United KingdomLuckenbooth brooch
A Scottish heart-shaped silver token of love and protection worn at weddings.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United KingdomPage boy
A young male member of the bridal party who manages the bride's train or carries the wedding rings.Family role · The ceremony
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWedding ring
A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreEngagement party
A gathering to announce a new engagement and introduce the two families before the wedding.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreAcrostic ring
A jewelled band where gemstone initials spell a secret romantic wordAdornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreBridal ChorusTreulich geführt
The Wagner opera march played for the bride's entrance at Western weddings.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇮🇸 IcelandSame-sex marriage in Icelandsamkynja hjónaband
The legal union of two people regardless of gender, established in Iceland in 2010.Modern · The ceremony
🇮🇹 ItalyConfarreatio
The ancient Roman patrician marriage rite marked by sharing a sacred emmer cake.Rite · The ceremony
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreLovespoonLlwy garu
A carved wooden spoon given as a romantic gift to show skill and intent.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 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
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpithalamium
A poem or song written to celebrate a bride as she goes to her wedding chamber.Performance · The eve
🇧🇬 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
🇬🇧 United KingdomKnobstick wedding
A forced marriage arranged by local authorities to shift the cost of a child onto the presumed father.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomFleet marriage
Secret weddings performed in London's Fleet Prison before the law required church ceremonies.Vow · 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
🇸🇰 SlovakiaMamko Moja
A Slovak Roma wedding song about a bride's longing for marriagePerformance · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Hanover, Germany and 5 moreBridal crownBrautkrone
A headdress worn by brides in Central and Northern Europe to symbolize purity and status.Attire · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreWedding superstitions
Traditional beliefs about luck and omens that shape wedding rituals across culturesAttire · The weeks before
🇲🇹 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
🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany and 5 morePolterabend
The German pre-wedding evening where guests smash porcelain to bring luck to the couple.Blessing · The eve
🇷🇴 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
🇷🇺 RussiaLoving cup
A large shared drinking vessel with two handles used in Christian rites and weddingsFeast custom · The wedding feast
🇫🇷 Paris, FranceGlobe de mariée
A glass bell jar used in France to hold the bride's bouquet and preserve family memories.Adornment · The weeks before
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSame-sex marriage in Switzerland
The legal recognition of marriage for same-sex couples following a national referendum.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian), кравай (Bulgarian)
A large round braided bread shared at weddings to bless the couple and unite the community.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomBlackening
A messy pre-wedding prank where friends cover the couple in sticky substances and parade them through town.Play · The weeks before
🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 1 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки
The annual celebration where people wear embroidered shirts to show national unity and identitySetting
🇳🇱 NetherlandsKnottekistje
A silver Frisian box that replaced a knotted cloth as the token of engagement.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanySame-sex marriage in GermanyEhe für alle
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Germany since 2017.Modern
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreBridal bouquet
The handheld flower arrangement carried by the bride during her wedding ceremony.Attire · The ceremony
🇫🇷 FrancePosthumous marriage in Francemariage posthume
A legal union with a deceased partner, authorized by the French President for serious reasons.Vow · The ceremony
🇩🇪 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
🇮🇹 ItalyFede ring
A clasped-hands ring that symbolizes betrothal and faithfulness in marriage traditions.Adornment · 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
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 Germany: This image is a work by Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons user C.Suthorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bridal crown: Daderot, CC0, source
- Page boy: Joe Cheng, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bedding ceremony: Isaac Cruikshank, Public domain, source
- Globe de mariée: Alain Amet, CC BY 4.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Fleet marriage: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Dower: Pvasiliadis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fede ring: Anonymous ( Europe ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Groomsman: Jenny Mealing, CC BY 2.0, source
- Luckenbooth brooch: Walker14806, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Loving cup: Rhodian at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in Iceland: Stanko Gruden/STA/Predsednik Republike Slovenije, CC0, source
- Bridal Chorus: Pierre Petit, Public domain, source
- Vyshyvanka Day: Vasily Andreevich Tropinin, Public domain, source
- Bulgarian wedding music: Allen Ruttenberg, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wedding breakfast: Arpingstone, Public domain, source
- Country dance: Engraving by William Hogarth, CC BY 4.0, source
- Knottekistje: mwibawa, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Wedding cord: Phil! Gold, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bread and salt: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Kolo: Sasa.mazinjanin, Public domain, source
- Lovespoon: Btinsley785, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Epithalamium: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, source
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Krokan: Hansgustavsson, Public domain, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Acrostic ring: Jlblackmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding superstitions: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Wedding dress: Statens historiska museer, CC BY 2.5, source
- Confarreatio: Agnete, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bridal bouquet: James Vick's Sons (Rochester, N.Y.); Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed, No restrictions, source
- Engagement party: Melissa Gupta, CC BY-SA 2.0, source