Wedding Traditions around the World

January 21st, 2007 Posted in Wedding Planning and Ideas

The world is a small place. Love has no boundaries. Together, these two statements create many international romances. International love can add excitement and diversity to a relationship, but it can also create several problems, especially when it comes to weddings. Many couples find themselves pondering which cultural traditions to incorporate into the ceremony. With numerous wedding traditions throughout the world, ceremonies are more and more multicultural in nature. Even couples from the same country often look to other cultures for unique ceremony ideas. Described below are a few wedding traditions rooted in several Baltic countries.

 

Estonia

Similar in spirit to the bride tossing her bouquet, in Estonia the groom is blind-folded and spun in circles by all the single men. Dizzy and disoriented, the groom removes his hat places it on one of the men, of course naming him the next bachelor to be married.

Sweden

The Swedish couple incorporates pungent herbs into their attire in order to ward off bad spirits and trolls.

The Swedish bride receives three bands upon the exchange of vows. The first represents her engagement, the second her wedding, and the third her hopes for motherhood.

Latvia

The Latvian bride is often “kidnapped” by guests or members of her bridal party. To get her back, the groom must pay a ransom, usually a round of drinks for all!

The bride enjoys her wedding attire until the stroke of midnight, upon which other women at the reception remove her white dress and veil, where she then transitions from “bride” to “wife.”

Finland

In Finland, the groom’s mother takes part in a long-held superstition. She balances a china plate upon her head as the new couple takes the dance floor. When it falls – and we guarantee it will! – the number of broken pieces foretells the number of children the couple will have.

A common ritual for the Finnish bride, similar to that of the Estonian groom, is to remove her golden crown while blindfolded and place in on the head of one of the many girls dancing around her. This lucky lady will be the next to marry.

Lithuania

On the wedding day, the bride greets her parents in the early morning hours and formally says good-bye to her parents and her home. After the marriage takes place, the bride and groom return to her parent’s house, where her mom and dad no longer treat her as a member of the family, but rather as a welcomed guest.

The bride enters the church wearing a wreath of rue upon her head. Her bridesmaids remove this headpiece and replace it with another, more mature one. This tradition represents the bride’s transition for childhood to womanhood.

Iceland

Waiting is the key to healthy marriages. Most couples are engaged for at least 3 years before taking their vows. The couple surely is not rushed. Nor is the traditional wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself could last for well over a week, with the actually marriage occurring on a Sunday.

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