WEDDING CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS

Wedding Customs from Around the World

Wedding Customs around the world vary from countries & differing cultures - Here are a few of them
Even though the ceremonies & customs can be so different the prevalent theme of Good Luck, Fertility & Happiness for the couple - whatever creed is all we really wish for the Newly-weds

Japan

In Japan purple is the color of love and brides may choose to wear an elaborately embroidered silk kimono covered in purple iris-flowers
Weddings are traditionally either Shinto, during which the natural spirits, the kami, are called upon to bless the couple, or it might be a Buddhist ceremony during which two strings of beads are interwoven, symbolizing the joining of two families into one
Japanese grooms wear black kimonos to their wedding ceremony

China

The traditional wedding gown in China is bright red, symbolizing luck for the new couple. Chinese bridal gowns are traditionally adorned with elaborate golden phoenixes, chrysanthemums and peonies, symbols of wealth and good fortune
The groom traditionally wears a black silk coat over a robe embroidered with a dragon
Loud firecrackers at a Chinese wedding are used to scare off evil spirits

Korea

A couple getting married in Korea might incorporate ducks or geese into their wedding ceremony
Both ducks and geese mate for life and represent faithfulness
In Korea it is traditional for a fortune-teller, known as a kung-hap, to look into the couple's future before they are married in order to see if they will live harmoniously together

Malaysia

A traditional groom, getting married in Malaysia, might send children bearing wedding presents to his future bride.These wedding gifts include elaborately displayed trays of food with origami flowers and cranes, which are made out of money
At the wedding reception, it is a Korean marriage custom, for each guest to receive an artistically decorated hard-boiled egg, which represents fertility

Thailand

Before wedding bells can be heard in Thailand, the couple getting married prepares food for the monks - In return, the monks will give the bride and groom a blessing  
Wedding ceremonies in Thailand usually include only relatives and close friends of the couple

Vietnam

On the morning of a wedding in Vietnam, the groom's mother visits the bride's family and offers them two gifts. The first is a special plant, that represents respect, and the second is pink chalk, which is the color of happiness
On his wedding day, as the groom heads to collect his bride, he picks up friends and family along his way. They arrive at his future wife's house bearing wedding presents of jewelry, clothing and money

In India and other countries with a Hindu culture it is considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other for several days before the wedding. As part of the marriage ceremony the bride's parents wash the couple's feet with milk and water as a symbol of purifying them for the journey of their new life together
As part of the ceremony the couple hold in their hands grains of rice and oats and green leaves, signifying wealth, good health and happiness

INDIA

Sweets, eggs, and money are woven into to wedding themes of India. They symbolize, respectively, a sweet life, feretility, and prosperity. The Hindu wedding ceremony includes customary rituals to ward off evil spirits. After the wedding vows have been exchanged the groom's father or brother showers flower petals on the newlyweds

Traditional Indian brides wear pink and red saris on their wedding day, adorning themselves extravagantly with as much jewelry as possible. Henna staining, a customary art form, is still practiced by Indian brides to be. On the eve of her wedding vows, following a traditional ceremonial cleansing, the bride-to-be will have her hands and feet painted with henna, in beautiful paisley or medallion patterns

PAKISTAN

Traditional Pakistani marriage celebrations last for four days

Day 1 - The bride and groom's families each dress in yellow, and celebrate the upcoming nuptials separately. The betrothed couple will not see each other from this day until the ceremony

Day 2 - The second day is reserved for a big celebration called Mendi that includes dancing and singing ancient songs. On this day, the groom's family delivers the wedding dress to the bride's family, and then her family takes the groom's wedding attire to his family
The bride-to-be receives a traditional henna staining of her hands and feet. This traditional Muslim art form involves intricate designs to create beautiful symbolic patterns

Day 3 - The wedding rites and ceremony in Pakistan take places on the third day. The Pakistani bride and groom who continue their traditions wear garments of red
The bride's gown is very elaborate, as are her veil and jewelry. Men wear a distinctive traditional turban
After wedding vows are exchanged, the Holy Koran is held over the new bride's head as she joins her husband's family
The official paperwork is signed in the presence of an Islamic priest and the guests

Day 4 - On the fourth day, the couple hosts their first dinner as husband and wife
The groom's family invites all of the guests to their home for a feast

South Africa

Bright festive colors, song, dance, and music are vital elements of many African wedding ceremonies

After the bridal procession into the church, a prayer of dedication will precede the wedding ceremony - After the exchange of vows, a unity candle will be lit. The couple will then be pronounced man and wife, and blessed by the priest
The twelve symbols of life important in African culture may be administered as part of the wedding ceremony - These are wine, wheat, pepper, salt, bitter herbs, water, a pot and spoon, a broom, honey, a spear, a shield, and a copy of the Bible or the Koran. Each one represents a different aspect of the love and strength which unites two families
The wedding feast which follows the ceremony is traditionally known as the Karamu

In South Africa, to mark the start of the newlyweds life together, the bride's and groom's parents would traditionally carry a fire from their hearths in their homes to the home of the new couple, where a new fire would be lit

EGYPT

Just before the marriage vows begin there is a musical wedding march called the Zaffa - There is traditional Egyptian music, belly dancers, drums horns and performers with flaming swords
Traditionally, Egyptians believed that the ring finger has the 'vein amoris', the vein of love, which runs straight to the heart

Morocco

As in other Muslim countries, a traditional Moroccan wedding ceremony lasts from four to seven days
On her wedding day, it is a Moroccan wedding custom for the bride to have a ceremonial purification milk bath before a ritual henna painting (Beberiska) of her hands and feet
Originally, this purification and painting was the wedding ceremony in Arab lands some 200 years ago
Before she is dressed in her wedding dress, another woman arranges her hair, applies her make-up and puts on her jewelry - The bride also wears an elaborate headpiece with a veil
Once the couples wedding vows have been exchanged, and before the newlywed Moroccan bride becomes the mistress of her new home, she walks around the outside of her house three times