Wedding ceremonies usually have a very long tradition and they exist in almost all parts and cultures of the world – from interesting to cheerful. What do these customs, habits mean and where do they come from and why are we celebrating them? Find out if there is a tradition that suits you and your wedding!
Almost every special wedding tradition is celebrated for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, traditions that want to preserve our society, on the other hand, there is always a deeper meaning. These traditions often connect the bride and groom together and symbolize the new, shared identity. Of course, certain customs should also bring happiness and prosperity – and by the way, it is usually a huge entertainment for the whole wedding party to watch the bride and groom in the accomplishment of the tasks. For us, wedding photographers, it is always an interesting photo theme.
Traditions before the wedding:
The abduction of the bride
This custom puts the bride and groom to the test: friends “abduct” the bride, the man must rescue her, and save her. Traditionally, the hijackers bring the Madame to a bar or Club and join everyone for a drink, before going to the next locality. When the bride and groom arrives, he has to pay the bill… and if he finds the bride, he must solve a task, so that she may be free. This custom often takes place on the wedding day itself – then the wedding company brings the bride into a nearby, public building and the bridegroom can save his dreambride by fulfilling a task: to sing a song, vacuum cleaning for the next weeks or a must speak into the Mic for a whole minute to tell the wedding guests why the new mother-in-law, is the best in the world… the creativity of the hijackers has usually no limits.
Frugality for wedding shoes
This already very old custom belongs today to the wittier variety and sounds for the women somewhat illogical: it combines the elements “frugality” and “shoes” with each other. The bride pays her breasts in cents. This is to symbolize the frugality of the bride. And who is carrying the purse? So many races are quite difficult.
On the wedding day
Rice
One of the best-known traditions is the throwing of rice: as soon as the newly married wedding couple leaves the church or the registry office, the wedding company may stand trellis and throw rice chisels. Rice, for example, generally symbolizes happiness and fertility in Asia. Should the rice rain also provide us with a fertile and child-rich marriage. This provides us to capture whole bunch of wonderful wedding photos, is clear anyway! Nowadays confetti, soap bubbles or small candies are also used in certain companies, often for reasons of solidarity. For the sake of people who cannot throw themselves with food, that why, often use soap bubbles which the guests rise into the sky.
Flower children
Such a beautiful wedding tradition, and so sweet: festively dressed children who spread flowers. Usually the children go before the bride and spread the way to the altar for them with flowers. The custom brings blessings and happiness again. This custom goes back to the heathen. The flowering air should attract and bewitch the fertility goddess to give the newly married couple many children.
Timber saws
This custom comes from southern Germany. Often, the wedding party is waiting for the bride and groom in front of the church or the office with a wooden beam. Together, the bride and groom must cut through the trunk with a scarp saw and prove that they can hold together and work together. Common pursuit of cooperation? Why not.
The gate to the new life together
The wedding guests provide a kind of portal, which the married couple have to cut together. The groom often carries the bride through the gate. It can be made of different materials, for example from textiles, wood, decorated with flowers, or even symbolically indicated. Another version of the custom is that the groom must grab his bride and jump together with her over an obstacle.
Throwing the bridal bouquet
Funny, very popular, and well known: all women, bridesmaids, and girls, all of whom are not married, are arrayed behind the bride, and she throws the bouquet over her shoulders, the one women like to catch the bridal bouquet, it is an entertaining sight for the whole wedding party, and, of course, spectacular photos are created when the future brides are ringing around the flowers.
Traditions of Foreign countries
Most of the above customs are very well known in Switzerland and in the German-speaking countries. But what about a few other cultures? Widely spread throughout the world, the bride is wearing the doorway of the common house. This means the happy start into the new life section and proves that the bride will find protection in the arms of the loved one in the future.
From England:
Something borrowed, something blue…
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver six-pence in your shoe” is an old English wedding verse. All these things the bride has to carry with her on the wedding day, and every chosen object has a deeper meaning. For example, a piece of jewelry, meaning “something old”, symbolizes life before marriage, while “something new’ usually represents the new life, which often can be the wedding dress itself. It stands for happiness and prosperity. The borrowed object – usually an old jewelry helps to ensure that the happiness of the married one passes over to the bride. The best known is, of course, the “slightly blue” garter. What fewer people know is that it symbolizes faith and the purity of the bride. The coin in the shoe stands for the financial prosperity of the new couple.
Denmark
In Denmark it is funny: when the bride goes to powder her nose, the women present can kiss the groom until the lady of his heart is back again. During the celebration, friends and relatives are allowed to kiss the couple – but only one partner while the other leaves the room.
Malaysia
In Malaysia and the Philippines, it is tradition to stick money to the bride at the entire wedding dance with clothes pegs to the dress. Of course, all guests can be very generous, so that the young happiness has a prosperous start into the married life.
France
Our French neighbors auction the garter during the celebration. For this the bride has to raise her skirt very slowly higher and higher, and for each inch the wedding company offers more and more money. As soon as you can see the garter, the guest who has offered the most is allowed to pay.
Do you know any wedding habit, tradition or any costum you want to try on your wedding day? Leave us a comment!
