Wedding Traditions Around The Globe

Our traditions came from other countries? Whether you funny dad gifts want to get in touch with your roots, or just embrace part of another culture, you’re sure to have fun with these customs from around the globe!

Italy

The night before the wedding, an Italian bride stays at her parent’s house and wears green for good luck. She will not wear any gold on her wedding day aside from her ring as that is bad luck. In addition to something borrowed, something new and something blue, the bride will also wear something she received as a gift. In some regions of Italy, the bride and groom cut a log together with a double-handed saw as a show of how they will work together in their marriage. During the reception, guests will often bang their glasses with spoons to encourage the bride and groom to kiss. At the end, the bride and groom say thank you to their guests with ‘bomboniere,’ which is a present with confetti (sugared almonds) and printed ribbons. This is a symbol of family life; the number of confetti should be an odd number, 5 or 7 for good luck. A lot of times, the wedding party and closest guests will parade down the street from the church after the wedding.

Mexico

Before leaving for the ceremony, the bride’s mother traditionally will offer a prayer with the bride; sometimes both parents participate. Mariachis are responsible for most of the music at the wedding and reception, but sometimes an organ is still used for the bride’s walk down the aisle. The bridegroom presents 13 gold coins to the bride as a symbol of his unquestionable trust and confidence (placing all of his goods in her care). To symbolize unity during the ceremony, a designated person will place a figure-eight loop of rosary beads around the bride and groom to be worn throughout the service. For the first dance, guests surround the bride and groom in a heart shaped crowd.

Germany

Listen up, ladies! In Germany, BOTH the men and the women wear engagement rings on their left hand (why didn’t that tradition cross over here??) After the wedding they wear the wedding ring on their right hand. The night before the wedding, the bride and groom smash china plates at a party to scare off evil spirits. They then clean everything up together to show how well they work together. Oftentimes the women will replace a veil with a flowery headband and ribbons, instead. They may wear a tiara and if they do choose to wear a veil, it never covers their face. The bride and groom are married first in the registry office and then enter the church and walk down the aisle together. It isn’t typical for there to be bridesmaids, groomsmen or a flower girl. Usually the bride and groom only need a witness at the registry office, and then their family and friends at the wedding ceremony.

Japan

The traditional wedding ceremony is usually very private and formal, taking place at a shrine with only close family present. Of course, a lot of couples opt for the more non traditional ceremony with a lot more people; some still have a ceremony in front of a shrine, but inside the hotel where the reception and festivities are. A Shinto priest performs the ceremony, the couple is purified and drinks sake before reading words of commitment. The ‘san-san-kudo’ sake ceremony is part of the wedding vows and symbolizes the union of two people and two families. The wedding ceremony ends with symbolic offerings to kami (Shinto gods), typically small tree twigs called ‘sakaki.’ Guests are expected to give money at the reception in small, beautifully decorated packets to help pay for the cost. Throughout the reception, the bride and even sometimes the groom will change clothes several times to symbolize their preparedness to return to everyday life.

Russia

A couple will apply at the wedding registry office, ZAGS, several months in advance. They will then think about their decision and go back for their official marriage certificate on their wedding day. Traditionally, the wedding rings are provided by the groom and are worn on the right hand. Engagement rings are a recent addition to Russian weddings that were introduced with Western customs. On the wedding day, the bride’s parents pretend to steal her away and ask the groom for a ransom. Groom will give bride’s father funny dad gifts, He will pay some symbolic monetary value or jewelry, get back his bride, and then they head to ZAGS for their official registration ceremony. After that, they go to a beautiful location for pictures followed by greeting their guests and celebrating together. And of course, there must be plenty of liquor and food, because a traditional Russian wedding lasts at least two days!

Ireland

“Marry in May and rue the day,” or “Marry in April if you can, joy for maiden and for man!” Wedding dresses for the traditional Irish bride were not white, but blue (still symbolizing purity); although nowadays the blue dress is more rare to see. Brides used to carry horseshoes to bring good luck to the ceremony and the rest of the marriage. Since those are heavy and a little inconvenient, they now place items to represent a horseshoe in their hair, bouquet, embellished on their dress, etc. During the ceremony, the bride and groom literally tie the knot! Rope, cord or ribbon is tied around the couple’s clasped hands in bright colors (or those matching the wedding theme). Another superstitious Irish tradition is to give guests small bells at the ceremony to help ward off evil spirits. If you don’t want to risk all of your guests ringing bells at the same time and annoying you more than warding off spirits, you can wear a bracelet, anklet or small personal charm with bells.

Hawaii

I know what you’re thinking, Hawaii as a destination wedding is nothing new; but I’m not talking about your average beach ceremony! On a recent vacation, I attended a luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise and their venue is absolutely gorgeous! They have 30 acres of botanical and cultural gardens located near the Wailua River on Kuaui, where they also provide river boat tours. In the garden, you’ll find an Easter Island head, Japanese garden island, tropical orchard, peacocks, and a small lagoon with a floating platform in the center.

Or! You could choose to have your ceremony at the Fern Grotto, which is just a short boat ride up the Wailua River and a short walk through lush trees and ferns. Many tourists visit this spot, but you can have a private wedding complete with romantic Hawaiian music along the way, and the Hawaiian wedding song performed at the Fern Grotto by local musicians.

After the ceremony, you can return (or stay if you choose the lagoon) to the Smith family property for a wonderful luau! They have several imu ovens (underground) where they roast the Kalua pig. You will also be served a variety of side dishes, teriyaki beef, chicken, fish, and traditional Hawaiian poi! The luau is followed by songs and dances from Polynesian culture and other cultures that influenced Hawaiian traditions.

The Smith family offers several different wedding packages for each location, Fern Grotto and the garden’s lagoon. Fern Grotto packages range from $850 – $2,250 and all include a variety of wedding boat departure times, boat ride for 18 passengers, souvenir wedding certificate, wedding license, and different photo and video packages. Each package increases in benefits starting with the simple ceremony, leis, minister and solo musician for the Basic Package, then the Superior and Deluxe packages, and finally the Evening Candle and Torchlight Package includes musician and hula dancer, wedding cake, non-alcoholic champagne and glasses, and edited photos and DVD of the ceremony. The Tropical Paradise location provides the Plumeria or Hibiscus Wedding Package. The Plumeria includes a minister and two leis while the Hibiscus adds a bouquet and professional photographs. Both packages include up to 10 guests, wedding certificate, wedding license, and additional photos or DVD for an extra cost.

Smith’s Tropical Paradise is a wonderful place for not only a destination wedding, but a unique and cultural ceremony with traditional Hawaiian entertainment!

We all know there are many things that go into planning a wedding.  I’ve discussed where to start, how to pick your favorites, and given countless other pieces of advice, but nothing can really prepare you for everything that you will need to keep up with.  Only you can make sure things get done how you want them and when you want them, so let’s talk about getting organized.  Some of you may be experts at organizing, but for those of you that are already feeling the pressure or would like to have everything as organized as possible this is the post for you.Start by purchasing a planner, maybe even two.  Keep a pocket planner with you for appointments and a bigger planner at home in an area of your house that you will look at daily.  You could also purchase a large calendar to write due dates of payments on or your personal timeline of when you would like to book certain things for your wedding.