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
🇺🇸 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
🇲🇽 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
🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSevillanas
A traditional Andalusian folk dance performed by couples at weddings and local festivals in Spain.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceLoutrophorosλουτροφόρος
An ancient Greek vessel that carried water for a bride's bath or marked an unmarried death.Attire · The weeks before
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, IndiaBhangra
A vigorous Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of a dhol drum during harvest celebrations.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam
The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇨🇺 Havana, Cuba and 5 moreConga line
A long processing line dance that links dancers in single file to a rhythmic drum beat.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreNikah halalaنکاح حلالہ
A second marriage required for a woman to remarry her first husband after triple talaq.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaMadisarமடிசார் (Madisar)
The nine-yard sari drape worn by Tamil Brahmin women during weddings and religious rites.Attire · The ceremony
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 2 moreKransekakekransekage
A towering almond ring cake central to Scandinavian wedding and holiday traditions.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 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
🇺🇦 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToe ring
A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam
The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 2 moreOwanbeÓwàńbẹ̀
The extravagant Yoruba celebration where music, fashion, and money spraying mark life's milestones.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreʻIe tōga
Prestige woven mats exchanged at Samoan weddings to honor family ties and chiefly status.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇩 IndonesiaUlosᯥᯞᯘᯬ᯲
The hand-woven textile that binds Batak couples in marriage and symbolizes warmth.Attire · 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
🇮🇳 IndiaGauna
The ceremony that marks the start of conjugal life in northern Indian Hindu marriages.Rite · After the wedding
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇳 Lucknow, IndiaBabulबाबुल
The Hindi term for father that marks the emotional farewell of a bride leaving her home.Performance · The eve
🇮🇳 IndiaVadhu PraveshaBou Boron
The ritual welcoming the bride into her husband's home with blessings and symbolic acts.Blessing · After the wedding
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding
A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 4 moreAgunahעֲגוּנָה (Agunah)
A Jewish woman trapped in a marriage because her husband has not granted a religious divorce document known as a get.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs
Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · 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
🇨🇳 ChinaHonggaitou紅蓋頭
The red bridal veil worn by Han Chinese brides to cover their faces before the wedding night.Attire · Procession and arrival
🇧🇩 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
🇮🇷 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
🇮🇶 Mosul, IraqWedding traditions in Iraq
The arranged courtship, religious rites and multi-day celebrations that mark marriage in Iraqi society.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇳🇬 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
🇺🇸 United StatesNavajo wedding ceremony
A Navajo marriage ritual centred on harmony, family union, and nature inside a Hogan.Rite · The eve
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpithalamium
A poem or song written to celebrate a bride as she goes to her wedding chamber.Performance · The eve
🇩🇪 Hamburg, Germany and 1 morePosthumous marriage in Germany
A legal rite that joined a living woman to a deceased soldier for state benefits.Vow · After the wedding
🇺🇸 United StatesGroom's cake
A second dessert served at the wedding reception or rehearsal dinner to reflect the groom's tastes.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingvivaha (विवाह)
The traditional marriage ceremony for Hindus, centered on sacred fire and seven vows.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 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
🇮🇳 IndiaMeitei weddingLuhongba (ꯂꯨꯍꯣꯡꯕ)
The traditional union of the Meitei people, marked by clan exogamy and specific courtship rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇨🇳 ChinaFengguan xiapei凤冠霞帔
The traditional Han Chinese wedding ensemble of a phoenix crown and embroidered robes worn by brides in the Ming and QinAttire · The ceremony
🇰🇷 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
🇧🇳 BruneiBrunei Malay wedding
The sequence of ceremonies that mark the engagement and marriage of Brunei Malays.Rite · Finding a match
🇵🇱 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
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreHausa traditional marriage
The Islamic marriage rites of the Hausa people in Northern Nigeria and Niger.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇪 Galway, Ireland and 2 moreCladdagh ringFáinne an Chladaigh
A traditional Irish ring featuring clasped hands, a heart, and a crown to symbolise friendship, love, and loyalty.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Slave marriages in the United States: An 1899 illustration of a broomstick wedding. Schomburg Center for Res, Public domain, source
- Huipil: Gift in memory of Elizabeth Ege Freudenheim, No restrictions, source
- Hausa traditional marriage: Bembety, CC0, source
- Claddagh ring: Royalcladdagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Loutrophoros: Picture taken by Marcus Cyron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sevillanas: Anual, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Conga line: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Derek J. Hu, Public domain, source
- Alta: Shounak Ray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Stack cake: thebittenword.com, CC BY 2.0, source
- Oaxacan wedding: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Country dance: Engraving by William Hogarth, CC BY 4.0, source
- Honggaitou: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kransekake: Kjetil Ree, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Traditional Ukrainian wedding: Пимоненко, Николай Корнильевич, Public domain, source
- Igbo traditional marriage: Olugold, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navajo wedding ceremony: Neeta Lind, CC BY 2.0, source
- Epithalamium: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Fengguan xiapei: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Pyebaek: halfGoku, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kolach: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- ʻIe tōga: Sarah Kelemen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Meitei wedding: Dabu Leichombam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Groom's cake: Derek Key, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source