Wedding Traditions from Around the World

If you plan on photographing weddings for a living, sooner than later you will be hired to cover a wedding in which ancient, non-Western traditions and customs will differ from the Judeo-Christian traditions and customs with which most of us are familiar. Rooted in the time of our ancestors, many of these traditions and customs have morphed over the decades and centuries into more modern forms. 

With the rise of intercultural, interethnic and interfaith marriages during the course of the last century, many of these traditions have been merged into new hybrid traditions, to meet the religious or cultural standards of the families of modern brides and grooms. We decided to focus our research on some of the purer traditions of wedding ceremonies from the various cultures on which we touch below. They may not be readily familiar to the modern wedding couple. 

In this spirit and with the idea of modernism and progress in mind, we decided to put together a brief overview of some of the more traditional practices with which you should be familiar when photographing a wedding that, for many photographers, is representative of a different culture. 

African Wedding Traditions and Customs

Due to the number of nations and tribes native to the continent of Africa, it’s impossible to delve into the specifics of every tribal custom you’re going to run into, but nonetheless, there are a few customs and traditions that are commonly found in many African subcultures, and some aren’t all that different from the ones we’re more familiar with in the United States.

Though white gowns are synonymous with brides on this side of the pond, purple and gold—the colors of African royalty—are the colors of the day at many African weddings. You’re also likely to see jewelry and decorations made of seashells, which represent beauty, according to African lore.

Before the main wedding ceremony, a smaller ceremony is held in which elders are honored, along with prayers in the memory of those who’ve since departed. At this time the groom will seek permission from the bride’s mother to marry her daughter while offering gifts to her father to symbolize his ability to support his new bride financially.

When walking down the aisle, the couple’s hands might be bound together with long blades of grass or a vine, while others simply walk down the aisle holding hands. During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom might also taste four foods, typically a lemon (sour), cayenne pepper (hot), honey (sweet) and vinegar (bitter), which represent the phases of a marriage and life in general. Don’t be surprised if the sound of drums accompanies the couple before, during and after the wedding ceremony.

One custom you might encounter at an African-American wedding is called “jumping the broom,” in which the newlyweds leap over a gaily decorated broom, a custom that harkens back to the time of slavery. Traditionally, jumping the broom was always done in the presence of witnesses as a public, ceremonial declaration to other members of the community that a couple chose to become as close to married as was allowed at the time. After 1865, most African-American families abandoned the broom-jumping tradition altogether. The practice did survive in some communities, however, and made something of a comeback after the publication of Alex Haley’s best-selling book, Roots.

A rather colorful custom can be found at Moroccan weddings, at which the bridesmaids paint designs on the bride’s hands and feet with henna before she dons her wedding gown. Colors also have much meaning at Moroccan weddings, and as such it’s not unusual to have “yellow weddings” (yellow scares away evil spirits) or “green weddings,” which portend a marriage filled with luck. At the end of Moroccan weddings it’s also traditional to shower the departing newlyweds with figs and raisins, and when bride arrives at her new home, she’ll often circle it three times to symbolically claim it as a home of her own.

Japanese Wedding Traditions and Customs

Though Japanese weddings are based mostly on national tradition, they invariably incorporate Shinto, Christian or Buddhist traditions into the ceremony, which takes place at a family shrine, or more commonly these days, at a shrine at the hotel or catering hall where the ceremony and reception will take place.

While the Western custom of exchanging rings has become increasingly popular over the years, one custom you will almost always encounter is called San-san-ku-do, a ceremony in which the couple take three sips of sake from three separate cups: a small cup, medium cup and larger cup, in that order.

As for ceremonial garb, Japanese brides often wear a headpiece called a tsuno-kakushi,or “horn cover,” which is a veil that hides the bride’s “horns of jealousy,” and the groom wears a long kimono-like over-garment.

In the case of traditional Shinto weddings, the ceremony is most often lead by a Shinto priest or priestess, and is confined to the immediate families of the bride and groom and the couple’s matchmakers, also known as “go-betweens.” In addition to the three-cup tsuno-kakushi ceremony, the bride, groom and go-betweens each take turns placing sprigs of a sacred sakaki tree onto a small altar as offerings to the deities.

Chinese Wedding Traditions and Customs

Chinese weddings are chock-full of colorful customs, beginning with the groom performing a series of stunts or tricks conjured up by the bridesmaids to prove his worthiness to take a bride. Once he’s proved his worth, the groom often hands out red envelopes filled with cash to each of the bridesmaids to ensure their approval. At this time, the bride shows up at the groom’s home accompanied by the sound of firecrackers and gongs, where she often jumps over a small pile of burning coals, which keeps evil spirits at bay.

The wedding date is determined by the couple’s astrological signs and birthdays, and typically begins on the half-hour as a measure of prosperity. Outdoor ceremonies are often marked by the presence of paper parasols and painted silk fans. A tea ceremony in which the bride (and these days the bride and groom) serve tea to her new in-laws. The color red, which represents prosperity, and the Chinese character xi, which represents double happiness, are both visible everywhere as signs of a happy, prosperous future.

During the course of the day or evening, the bride will change into a different outfit for the ceremonies, the reception, and farewell sendoff of the guests. Included among the accessories of the bride’s outfits is a bridal headpiece, a crown made of kingfisher feathers, pearls and a red veil. As for the groom, he typically wears a blue dragon robe, a black silk coat and a black headpiece with red tassels.

And don’t miss the wedding cake, which consists of multiple layers and a small ladder that represents the couple’s joint climb to success.

The ceremony concludes with the tossing of dates and chestnuts at the bride, which she tries to catch in her skirt. Dates represent girls and chestnuts represent boys, and according to legend, each date and chestnut the bride catches represents a child in their future. The dates and chestnuts are often eaten by the bride and groom later in the evening.

Indian Wedding Traditions and Customs

Indian weddings take the (wedding) cake for longevity, so make sure you build the costs of a three-day shoot into your contract. The first portion of the wedding ceremonies is the pre-wedding, which is all about preparing for the big day and the days that follow. The pre-wedding usually occurs the day and evening before the wedding day, in which the families gather to meet, eat and dance. The wedding day, which is selected according to the astrological signs of the bride and groom, is marked by numerous customs including the mehndi, at which the bride’s hands and feet are decorated with temporary henna designs. Garlands of flowers are bestowed upon honored guests. Expect to see lots of flower petals scattered about during the course of the wedding day.

On the day of the wedding, along with building a wedding altar, the bride’s mother greets the groom, who has his feet washed and is offered milk and honey. The groom wears a turban on the big day and when he’s not looking, the bride’s sister will attempt to steal his shoes. If she’s successful, he has to buy them back.

Indian ceremonies are awash with colorful customs, including the tying of the bride’s sari to the groom’s scarf, which represents their union as a couple. Often, family elders will also tie a cord around the bride and groom’s necks to ward off evil spirits. Instead of rings, a mangala sutra, a cord with two gold pendants, is tied in three knots around the bride’s neck, to symbolize a marriage that should last 100 years. During the Saptapadi ceremony, the groom helps the bride touch seven betel nuts with her toe while they recite seven vows, followed by the whispering of blessings into the bride’s ear by seven married women. Afterwards, the bride is carried out by her brothers.

Other photo-worthy Indian customs include the mangal pheras, in which the newlyweds circle a sacred fire four times and then rush back to their seats, and the aeki beki, in which a tray is filled with water, milk and vermillion and contains coins and a ring. Whoever of the newlyweds finds the ring four times out of seven is declared the winner, not to mention the official head of the household.

Jewish Wedding Traditions and Customs

According to Jewish custom and tradition, the wedding ceremony truly takes place at the signing of the marriage contract, the katubah. After the katubah is signed by witnesses, the mothers of the bride and groom come together holding a dish wrapped in a towel, and smash it on the table to seal the deal. The act expresses the sentiment that just as a broken dish can never again be united as a single entity, the marriage of their children should only know unity—with no breaks or fractures.

At center stage of a Jewish wedding is the chuppah, a canopy-like structure supported by four poles that’s usually adorned with flowers, lace and white fabric. The chuppah is open on top to allow those standing beneath it to be under open skies. Even for indoor weddings, the sky must be visible through the use of a sliding panel in the roof or an open skylight.

The ceremony procession usually begins with the groom being escorted down the aisle by his parents, or in the case of Orthodox Jewish custom, by his father and the bride’s father. After he ascends the steps to the chuppah, his father helps him put on a kittle, a white cotton cloak-like garment. 

The groom’s procession is followed by grandparents, siblings, best men and bridesmaids. The bride is the last to be escorted down the aisle by her parents, or according to Orthodox custom, by her mother and the groom’s mother. At the foot of the aisle are steps leading up to the chuppah. When the bride arrives at the foot of the steps, the groom descends and escorts her the final few steps to where the rabbi will perform the ceremony.

At this time the mothers of the newlyweds-to-be escort the bride as she slowly circles the groom seven times. During the ceremony, seven guests are invited to the chuppah to bestow a total of seven blessings (shevah brachot) on the couple. Wine is shared from a goblet, rings are exchanged and the ceremony concludes with the groom smashing a glass (wrapped in a cloth napkin) under his shoe, a solemn reminder of the destruction of King David’s temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.

Note: Depending on how observant the newlyweds' families are, men and women may or may not be separated during the ceremony, the reception, and when dancing.

Christian Wedding Traditions and Customs

At Christian weddings, the families of the bride and groom sit on opposite sides of the aisle, which is usually covered by a white runner that extends to the altar. After the bride and groom’s grandparents, the groom’s parents and the bride’s mother are seated, the groom enters accompanied by the priest or minister, usually from stage right. The groomsmen may also enter at this time, though depending on family customs, may instead escort the bridesmaids as they walk down the aisle. The flower girl and ring bearer follow them.

When the bride and her father enter, the bride’s mother will often rise as a signal for the guests to rise as well. Other times, the officiant will request that "All rise for the bride.” Once all are gathered on the wedding platform, the guests take their seats and the bride and groom turn to face one another. After the wedding vows are read, rings are exchanged and a unity lamp ceremony is performed. The bride and groom hold small tapered candles and simultaneously light a larger unity candle, which represents their joining together as a stronger, single unit. Prior to lighting the unity candle, the minister reads what’s known as The Charge, which contains the tenets of forging a strong marriage. At this time the betrothed couple extinguishes the smaller, individual candles, a call to worship is announced and they are officially pronounced husband and wife. 

Dutch Wedding Traditions and Customs

The bridal shower, which is a common Western custom, originated in Holland and typically took place when the bride’s father rejected the bride-to-be’s choice of husband, and would withhold the bride’s dowry. In place of a wedding dowry, the bride’s friends would throw a party and shower the bride-to-be with enough gifts to help the newlyweds start a new life together.

Another wonderful Dutch tradition is the “wedding wish tree,” in which paper leaves are signed by the attendees along with personal messages, and are attached to a branch next to the bride and groom’s table in place of a guest book.

Before the actual ceremony, it’s common at Dutch weddings for the bridesmaids to fill the bride’s basket with green garlands and flowers and the groom’s pipe with ribbons. The color green is full of symbolism in Dutch culture, and as such it’s not unusual to paint the bride’s home green and decorate it inside and out with pine trees and branches, and have the couple sit on thrones while greeting guests who stop by with wishes of happiness.

At the ceremony, the couple walks down an aisle covered with flowers, and flowers are tossed at them after the ceremony as they leave. In the same spirit, the couple often plants lilies of the valley around their home to symbolize a happiness that, like flowers, is renewed every year.

Irish Wedding Traditions and Customs

Lavender is a popular color at Irish weddings and is often the prevalent color of the bride’s bouquet as well as the floral wreaths she wears on her head as she is walked down the aisle. She will often have a horseshoe tied to her bouquet—pointing up for good luck. Getting married on a sunny day is also considered a sign of good luck, and to better ensure the sun will shine on the big day, it’s not uncommon to place a statue of the Infant of Prague outside the church where the wedding will take place. Irish wedding bands—called claddagh—depict two hands holding a heart bearing a crown, symbolizing faith, honor and love.

During the ceremony the bride will often carry a handkerchief stitched in a way that allows it to be turned into a baby’s christening bonnet, and back into a handkerchief for the baby’s future wedding day. As a means of keeping evil spirits at bay, tiny bells can often be heard ringing, especially during toasts in place of clinking glasses. Lastly, as a measure of good luck, somebody inevitably throws a shoe over the bride’s head as she leaves the church, taking care to aim high.

Other Celtic customs and traditions include harpists as the prime musical attractions, and an intertwined series of threads called a "love knot,"which symbolize eternity, unity and fidelity. The wedding cake is usually a three-layered, whiskey-laced fruitcake with almond paste. Don’t be surprised to see shamrocks and four-leaf clovers used extensively in the decorations.

Italian Wedding Traditions and Customs

Saturday is the best day to get married, according to Italian tradition. In Italy, the colors and flowers of the bridal bouquet are chosen by the groom and are hand-delivered to the bride by the groom. Along the way to the church, the soon-to-be newlyweds are teased with falling brooms, crying babies and other domestic realities to test their homemaking skills as they proceed. To fend off evil eyes, the groom always carries a trinket of sorts made of iron, and it’s considered good luck for all of the men attending the wedding to kiss the bride.

During the reception, toasts abound, and the bride carries a satin pouch to hold envelopes of cash that guests offer her for the privilege of dancing with the new bride. It’s also traditional for the groom to cut his tie into small pieces, which he sells to willing guests in order to pay for the musicians. You might also see small bags containing five to seven pieces of candy-coated Jordan almonds, representing the bittersweet aspects of any marriage, which are given out to guests.

A dance tradition at Italian weddings is the tarantella, or the spider dance, which contains many quick movements of the hands. Finally, at the end of the wedding reception, the couple shatters a vase or glass, with the goal of breaking it into as many pieces as possible. Each piece represents a year of happiness for the newlyweds.

Vietnamese Wedding Traditions and Customs

Vietnamese weddings are chock-a-block with traditions, starting with the time and place, which is usually determined by a Buddhist monk. Among the many ceremonies that make up the day are the bride’s mother-in-law placing pink chalk on the bride (for a rosy future), a ceremony in which the groom seeks permission to take the bride as his own, the procession to receive the bride, a procession to the groom’s home, followed by a ceremony for the bride and groom’s ancestors, followed by the reception.

The morning of the big day the groom’s mother brings gifts to the bride’s home, followed by a procession of the groom and his family to receive the bride, taking with them fancy lacquered boxes covered in red cloth containing gifts for the bride’s family. These lacquered boxes are opened at the candle ceremony, which occurs after paying respects to the bride and groom’s ancestors, and a ceremonial tea service in which the newlyweds serve tea to their parents while receiving matrimonial advice from them.

After the ceremonies, a seven-to-ten course feast is served. The newlyweds make a point of stopping at each table to greet and thank guests for sharing their special day. During the course of the abovementioned events, the bride will usually wear one or two Western-style gowns or dresses, finally ending up wearing a traditional Vietnamese ao dai gown.

Other wedding traditions include the following:

• In Switzerland, the bride wears a crown or wreath, which represents her maidenhood. After the wedding ceremony, the wreath is burned, and the quicker it incinerates, the luckier the couple shall be.
• An old Portuguese tradition is for the bride to pretend to be a cow and see if the groom can recognize her in a herd, but as you’d imagine, this practice has been put out to pasture.
• In Belgium, the bridesmaids traditionally collect coins from guests, which are given to poor onlookers as the couple leaves the church, as a sign of charity and to better ensure a prosperous future for the newlyweds.
• The tradition of tying shoes to the back of the newlywed’s car began in England, replacing the original custom of throwing shoes at the couple as they left the church.
• The custom of carrying one’s bride across the threshold of their home began more than 700 years ago in Scotland and has its roots in the belief that evil spirits that live at the entrance to the home can enter the bride through the bottoms of her feet.
• At German wedding ceremonies, the groom sometimes kneels on the bride’s wedding gown to symbolize who is in charge of the household. Afterwards the bride will inevitably step on the groom’s shoe to set the record straight on the matter.

What interesting wedding traditions of other cultures have you observed and photographed as a wedding photographer? Please feel free to describe them in the Comments section below. We look forward to reading about them.