One station illustrated various wedding customs from around the world; Many more were mentioned on this sheet.

Something borrowed, something blue . . .

wedding customs from around the world

Hindu brides wear red and lots of gold jewellery. She is also expected to bring a rich dowry. The Groom’s brother sprinkles flower petals over the couple at the end of the ceremony to ward off evil.

In Spain the Bridegroom’s tie is cut into pieces and sold to the wedding guests at the reception. The money collected will give the couple a good start in married life.

In Poland guests buy a dance with the Bride by pinning money to her veil or tucking it into a bridal purse.

In some countries it is customary to throw rice instead of confetti - which can be painful!

Instead of cake, Ukrainian couples share korovai, a sacred wedding bread decorated with motifs that represent eternity and the joining together of two families.

Wearing something blue often takes the form of a wedding garter incorporating a blue bow. Blue is thought to symbolise constancy, loyalty, and purity.

The diamond engagement ring is a medieval Italian tradition, based on the belief that the diamond was created from the flames of love.

Swedish brides wear three rings: to symbolise betrothal, marriage and motherhood.

Koreans include ducks in their wedding processions because ducks mate for life.

Shoes were once considered to be symbols of authority and possession. The Bride’s father would hand over one of the Bride’s shoes to the groom, effecting transfer of his authority to her husband. He then tapped her on the head to show his new role as her master. It’s obvious why this doesn’t continue . . . but it helps explain why we tie shoes to the back of the get-away car.

It was once a British tradition for the Bride’s girl friends to dress her for bed on her wedding night. The male guests would then enter to kiss her goodnight. Great sport was made of delaying and harassing the Groom before he was allowed in to join his Bride. The couple could then expect pranks and peeping until everyone was too drunk or exhausted to continue. Our grandparent’s generation planned their weddings to escape from this kind of tradition. The tin cans tied to the get-away car evolved from this custom.

Tiered and iced wedding cakes were introduced to England from France after 1660. The shape of the modern three-tiered cake is associated with the spire of St Bride’s Church in London. It is traditional for the Bride and Groom to make the first cut in the cake together, symbolising their shared future.

Many quaint marriage customs have their origin in a rural way of life: it was once customary to salute the Bride and Groom by firing guns in the air outside the church - honking car horns in the procession to the reception has replaced this tradition.

In Yemen the Bride’s female relatives prepare the food, including small, sweet fritters which promise a sweet life for the newlyweds. The whole community is invited to join in the celebration. Playing music to gladden the Bride and Groom is a sacred duty, and professional musicians, performers and guests take it in turns to play.

The mother of a Vietnamese Groom visits the Bride’s home on the wedding day to deliver betel - a plant used to pay respect - and pink chalk - the colour chosen to wish for a rosy future. There are two wedding celebrations, one given by the Bride’s family and one by the Groom’s.

At a Finnish wedding reception the Bride holds a sieve covered with a silk shawl. When guests slip money into the sieve, their names and the amount given are announced to the guests.

During a German wedding ceremony the Groom may kneel on the Bride’s hem to show he’ll keep her in line. The Bride may step on his foot when she rises to reassert herself.

In old China the colour of love and of joy is red, which is a favourite colour for the Bride’s dress, candles, gift boxes and the money envelopes that are presented to the Bride and guests.

After a Croatian wedding ceremony the guests walk three times around a well, symbolising the Holy Trinity, and throw apples into it to symbolise fertility.

In Fiji the Groom presents the Bride’s father with a whale’s tooth, which is a symbol of status and wealth.

In the times of slavery in the USA, African-American couples were not allowed to marry formally. To make a public declaration of their love and commitment, a man and woman jumped over a broom into matrimony, to the beat of drums.

In Armenia two white doves may be released to symbolise love and happiness. The Bride may dress in red silk and wear a head-dress with cardboard wings and feathers.

Immediately after the ceremony, the newly-married Japanese Jewish couple jumps three times over a large plate of fresh fish, or over a container of live fish to symbolise their wish for children.

Russian Jews set a raw egg before the Bride as a symbol of fruitfulness and that she may bear children as easily as a hen lays an egg.