Many among our customers and subscribers are familiar with popular, “western” wedding traditions-- so-called “traditional” customs like the exchange of rings, saying of vows and the giving away of the bride.
But there is a lot more to the marriage ceremony-- depending on where that wedding takes place and between what people.
The 15 little-known international wedding customs listed below are popular in at least some places of the world, or among some ethnic cultures, subcultures or small groups.
For those planning a wedding, we provide these ideas as inspiration.
Take what you want and leave the rest.
An addition of one or more of these ideas to your wedding ceremony might just really make the whole affair fun and sophisticated for everyone in attendance.
Be warned: we can understand how some people might think at least some of these international wedding ceremony customs are just plain weird.
Still, rest assured: to have made the list, at least one of the team here at the CubicZirconia.com shop thinks each tradition is pretty cool.
Creating a special marriage ceremony takes careful planning and thought.
These global wedding traditions can help you create a wedding that reflects your heritage or your personal style.
Sand Ceremony
Sand ceremonies have become popular at beach weddings, but this ritual can actually be held in lieu of other ceremony traditions. During the sand ceremony, the couple each takes a small container filled with colored sand and pours it into a larger vessel where the sands are mingled. Often the bride and groom will choose different-colored sands to pour. The sand ceremony embodies the idea of merger—the merging of two lives. Couples can choose any color of sand or use sand from a special location with meaning to one or both of them. In our experience seeing this in person, couples should choose a vessel that is clear so that guests of the ceremony can see the sand mingled once poured.
Chuppah
The chuppah is sometimes referred to as the bridal canopy. There are multiple ethnicities that have evolved the bridal canopy wedding custom over the millenia. We are most familiar with the Jewish bridal canopy custom known as “chuppah”. During the wedding ceremony, the couple stands beneath this canopy to symbolize the couple's marriage room or chamber. Historically, the couple would stand beneath a canopy held up on four poles. Today, many couples prefer to make or supply their own bridal canopy-- which often becomes an outdoor decoration at their home thereafter (or even a family heirloom). However, many synagogues do have pre-made bridal canopies on hand and the trend is catching on so most wedding planners can get you one if you don’t want to DIY it.
Crowning of the Couple
In the Greek Orthodox Church, the crowning ceremony tends to be a highlight of a wedding. The crowns are often joined by a white ribbon. The priest blesses the two crowns before they are each placed individually atop the head of the bride and of the groom. The crowns symbolize that the couple is through marriage entering God's royal family. Once crowned, it is said that the bride and groom become king and queen of their own home (and perhaps king and queen for the wedding day at least, among friends and family!). Depending on the quality of craftsmanship and materials used in making the crowns, the bride and groom may keep these crowns as treasured heirlooms-- or at the very least they may display this crowning jewelry in their home. Couples might personalize these ceremonial crowns with various materials; wood, precious stones, precious metals, ribbons, orange blossoms, and myrtle leaves are popular adornments.
Henna Hands
Many Middle Eastern brides and bridesmaids paint their hands with henna for the wedding ceremony. The tradition is thought to help her to ward off evil spirits from causing problems on this special day. The painting takes place before the wedding ceremony. Henna pigment is very dark and it can stain, so the painting must be performed carefully. During the application process, the bride must remain very still while the henna artist applies the henna in intricate designs. We wouldn’t recommend trying to get henna tattoos painted on while wearing your wedding dress, ladies! Wedding henna hands are actually popular in both Muslim and Hindu cultures, and one should expect the painting to take typically anywhere from 3-6 hours to complete (depending on the complexity of designs). Once the henna painting sets on her skin, it will last a couple days. The bride's henna designs are frequently elaborate to set her apart from her wedding party-- who also may have painted henna hands.
Mazeltov
“Mazeltov” is yelled at Jewish wedding ceremonies after the breaking of the glass. Glass breaking is an historic wedding custom in the Jewish culture that has leaped from this small ethnic group to weddings that we’ve been to among Christians and atheists too. Once the bride accepts the ring, the groom crushes a glass beneath his right foot. There are various explanations for this custom. One is that it encourages the couple to temper their joy. Another explanation calls for the guests to remember the suffering of their people and, thus, temper their joy at the celebration. There are many Jewish wedding ceremony customs, but the breaking of the glass is a favorite among many Jewish couples-- and it’s one of those that just seems to get repeated even in non-Jewish weddings with a growing regularity. If you’ve never seen it in person, no doubt you’ve seen it in a movie wedding right?
Lasso Ceremony
An Hispanic and Filipino tradition, the lasso ceremony is featured in some weddings to symbolize the lasting union of one with the other. During the ceremony, a lasso-- yes, like the lasso a cowboy would use to rope a steer-- is placed around both the bride and groom's shoulders together. So there’s no cowboy roping his cowgirl (though wouldn’t that be a hoot!?). Often in weddings we’ve seen or heard about where this tradition was featured in the ceremony, the priest or other officiant will put the lasso in place…but it could just as easily be placed by other-- usually themselves married-- family members. The lasso might be made of rope, but more likely of rosary beads, or flowers such as roses or orange blossoms. Some wedding lassos are quite elaborate and feature precious stones, crystals, or precious metals. After the prayer is said, the lasso may be removed. The couple then keeps and may even display the lasso in their home as a treasured heirloom. Personalizing the wedding lasso is something the bride and groom might want to do themselves or as a pre-wedding activity getting together with close family members. We saw this at a gay wedding and it was beautifully done!
Handfasting
Handfasting has its roots in Celtic wedding ceremony traditions. Handfasting is associated with the phrase "tying the knot." During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom have their hands tied gently together to symbolize the joining of their hopes and desires. The couple freely gives their hands to be bound to symbolize that they're freely entering the union without coercion. Sometimes the bride and groom choose to cross hands as they are bound or stand side by side with a single hand bound. Different colored cords can be used to symbolize elements like love and commitment. The couple can decide for themselves or speak to the person officiating the wedding about how the custom might be performed. The couple can also talk to the officiator about saying a special prayer as the handfasting takes place. This can be a really fun tradition and one we’ve seen added to religious and non-religious weddings of people of all sorts of races, ethnicities and regional demographics.
Lantern Send-Off
Weddings focus on the couple getting married, but they are also about family. In many cases, brides and grooms want to commemorate a beloved family member who has passed away. They should have been there. But they couldn’t. They died before the wedding took place-- maybe even before the spouses met each other, fell in love, and decided to join their lives in holy matrimony. The lantern send-off involves the lighting of one or more lanterns and letting them float into the sky. The ceremony is invariably emotional and can form a cornerstone of the overall marriage ceremony. Couples can choose when and where to light the lanterns. There are many types of lanterns to choose as well. Couples can personalize the ceremony further by making a speech or inviting other family members to speak before or after the send-off. Be careful, please, if you do this. Don’t try to release lanterns in wind, or near structures that can burn. It is unconfirmed whether their insurance would have covered almost burning down the venue when a lantern released at the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Cubic Zirconia almost caught on a dry gazebo palapa roof.
Create Personalized Vows
It’s common to exchange vows, but for hundreds of years there wasn’t much variation from wedding to wedding. Recently, many couples have opted to move past ‘standard’ vows to create their own wedding vows to exchange during the ceremony. These personalized wedding vows may include some traditional vows or be completely created for the couple by the couple. While writing your own wedding vows may seem like a daunting task, the experience can be immensely gratifying. Couples might choose vows that include special memories, inside jokes or qualities they enjoy and wish to encourage in each other. The vows might make reference to their hopes and dreams. When creating your own wedding vows, it might be helpful to discuss some ideas with one another or with close family members. The individual performing the ceremony might also help the couple design their vows. Brides and grooms can also get some ideas by doing some research online.
Jump the Broom
Jumping the broom is an historic wedding custom that seems to be most popular among African Americans. There’s evidence of the tradition from before the birth of the United States-- both within the African continent and the islands of the Caribbean. But historically, this tradition seems most-closely aligned with African Americans in America who may have been prohibited from marrying, and in reaction as a subculture these hardy men and women instituted their own traditions to marry secretly. The broom ceremony represented the joining of families. To solidify the marriage, the couple would jump over the broom. Today, this custom is still popular for couples who want to include a cultural reference in their ceremony. Do you have to be black to jump the broom? Of course not. A quick Youtube search will confirm for you that this wedding tradition is growing in popularity for couples of all colors-- and among both heterosexual and straight couples too for that matter.
Rose Presentation
The rose presentation is popular among many couples today. Have you ever seen it done? It’s short and sweet and striking all at once. During this little-known wedding ceremony, the bride and groom each present their mothers with a single rose. The rose gift presentation is meant to demonstrate his or her love and appreciation for the one who gave them birth, raised them and helped make them into the man/woman they are today. The ceremony might also include a presentation of a single red rose between the bride and groom. We’ve not seen this personally, but online research and friends’ anecdotal stories say it does happen. Flowers often play an important role in wedding ceremony traditions. Couples don't have to present roses. They might choose a flower that is special to them or their mothers. The thing is, if you’re looking for a simple way to include one or more other special women in a way that doesn’t subtract the spotlight from the woman whose day it is…this is a good method.
Love Letters
The love letter ceremony is relatively new as a custom that some couples are adopting in the 2020s. Personally, we have not seen it (though some personalized vows are long enough to be considered love letters!) In this trending new tradition, the bride and groom each write a special love letter to one another. Or the groom and groom. Or the bride and bride. It’s said that the non-hetero community especially seems to like this tradition, though we can’t think of any reason why straight couples shouldn’t incorporate the idea into their wedding day big plans if it resonates with them. During this modern marriage ceremony addition, each spouse-to-be places his or her letter into a special box. The box is likely specially decorated-- perhaps with the help of friends and family during a pre-wedding event. The couple can read their letters aloud at the wedding; but it seems more popular for them to plan to do so privately with one another at a later date (like their first wedding anniversary). The love letter box can also be large enough for a bottle of wine or champagne to accompany the letters.
Plant a Tree
Some couples, especially couples wedding during the warm season, opt to plant a tree to commemorate their union. April weddings seem much more likely to include this growing custom (what with Earth Day and Arbor Day both falling in the fourth month of the year). Some wedding venues might even foster this practice. Certainly your wedding planner will have heard of it-- even if you haven’t before reading this article. If you marry in a nature preserve, botanical garden, or farm-- the staff may even actively offer this option as something they specialize in providing to couples on their big day. If you do it, we say choose a tree that's special to you. The tree represents longevity and the merging of two lives into one. In addition to or instead of at the wedding venue location, the couple might want to plant a tree in their hometown or on their property.
Rosemary Wreath
In Czech culture, the bride wears a wreath of rosemary to the wedding ceremony. Her bridesmaids typically weave the wreath for her to wear. The rosemary wedding wreath symbolizes her wish for the three bridal gifts of love, loyalty, and wisdom. Whether you’re in Prague or the rural hinterlands, Czech weddings are often very traditional-- so the rosemary custom is usually included. If you don't want to wear a wreath, you might include some rosemary sprigs in the bouquet or the bouquets of the bridesmaids. The bride might even include some rosemary sprigs in her hair. It’s a simple, elegant way to elevate the proceedings in a manner most audiences on the western side of the world likely have not seen.
Shoe Coins
In Sweden, it is commonplace for brides to walk down the aisle with coins placed in her shoes. Her father presents her with a silver coin and her mother presents her with a gold coin. This is what we’ve heard and have been able to verify with internet research. We’ve not yet experienced a wedding where this tradition was known to have been a part of the day (but strangely enough, the practice seems to be growing among non-Scandinavian brides who think it sounds cool enough to do on their big day). The silver and gold coins are meant to reflect the bride's hope for prosperity-- to ensure that she will never want for anything in her future life. She can even keep the coins afterward as treasured keepsakes from her wedding.
Just as promised, we’ve provided a tasting of a myriad of international wedding customs and traditions that couples can adopt for their marriage ceremony. If you’re planning a wedding, you might choose a custom that reflects your heritage or something historical.
On the other hand, there are also many brand new traditions or “something borrowed” from what’s popular among different religions, regions or cultures that couples might decide to include in their own ceremony.
If you feel charmed by any of the wedding traditions or customs detailed, you might want to adopt them for your own ceremony!
You don’t need permission to add something cool into your wedding ceremony. It’s your decision and no one else’s. We hope you’ll consider one or more of these ‘different’ ideas when planning your special day.
The couple can even create their own tradition(s). Who knows, maybe some new ceremony, ritual or activity that you do at your wedding will be adopted by millions of future wives and husbands in the decades to come.
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- Whitney Houston, One Moment In Time
