Most people would agree that love is universal to all cultures. However, ways of expressing and celebrating it vary throughout the world. Most cultures have their own wedding customs that date back decades, if not centuries. However, those customs are still very popular in many cases, no matter how obscure they seem. In this article, we compiled a list of 7 interesting wedding traditions from around the world. If you’re planning a wedding, you may find a tradition in this list that will make your wedding more unique and special.
Lebanon – A Celebration Before The Ceremony
There are many interesting wedding traditions from around the world centered around picking up the bride. However, our favorite one is from Lebanon. The wedding celebration in Lebanon is known as the Zaffe. This celebration begins with music, belly dancing, and yelling at both the groom’s and bride’s houses. Usually, these celebrations are attended by the couple’s friends, relatives. On rare occasions, professional dancers and musicians will attend as well. Everyone eventually arrives at the bride’s home, where the pair is showered with blessings and flower petals before departing for the wedding ceremony.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on wedding traditions such as this one. Most celebrations like this were canceled or had fewer people in attendance than usual. However, that shouldn’t and hopefully didn’t stop people from enjoying themselves and celebrating love.
Hong Kong – Picking The Perfect Wedding Date
While most people around the world pick their wedding date at random and hope for the best, it isn’t that easy in Hong Kong. In this country, it’s very common for the happy couple to go to a fortune teller for a consultation. Usually, they give a fortune teller basic information about both of them (such as time of birth). Then, the fortune teller suggests a few dates for the wedding and the time the groom should pick up the bride. Moreover, the fortune-teller also suggests the dates which they should avoid. Couples are usually set on a singular date and are not open to switching up the date due to other circumstances. They believe that following the given time and date can ensure their marriage gets off to a good start.
If you’re ever invited to a wedding in Hong Kong, try to stay there a little longer than just the ceremony. There are a lot of fun things to do in Hong Kong that is not wedding-related! You’d probably be disappointed if you visited and didn’t get to explore the area and visit all the attractions.
Morocco – The Wedding Takes Place Over The Course Of A Week
Most of us are fatigued after one day of wedding festivities. However, some cultures like to extend the celebrations a little longer. For example, Moroccan wedding celebrations last up to seven days. This is very important to know if you’re ever invited to attend a Moroccan wedding. If you decide to go, plan on taking a whole week off work to attend all the pre-wedding ceremonies, preparatory rituals, and a large wedding day feast.
Spain – The Bride Wears Black
In most western countries, the bride usually wears white on her wedding day. This is the case 99% of the time, with an outlier being when there’s some sort of interesting wedding theme the couple chose. That’s not the case in Spain. In this European country, it’s a tradition for a bride to wear a black lace gown and a black veil on her wedding day. The outfit was created to represent her love for her spouse and the promise that she’ll stay with him until the end.
Mexico – Wedding Lasso
When it comes to interesting wedding traditions from around the world, one thing that separates Mexico from the rest is the wedding lasso. During the ceremony, a lazo, or lasso, consisting of rosary beads and flowers, is placed around the shoulders of a couple as they exchange vows. The lasso is usually in the shape of figure eight to mimic the infinity symbol. El lazo symbolizes the couple’s union and also indicates that the happy couple will be together forever.
France – No “Traditional” Wedding Cake
Many cultures around the world have their own traditions concerning the wedding cake. For example, in many cultures, it’s customary that the happy couple cuts their wedding cake together and then feeds each other. In some cultures, there is more than one wedding cake. However, the people of France went the other way – no wedding cake. Instead, people in France have Croquembouche. This a dessert made of little pastry balls stacked on top of one another.
Philippines – Releasing White Doves After The Ceremony
In the Philippines, after the wedding ceremony is over and both parties say “yes,” they release a pair of white doves in the sky. One male dove and one female dove are thought to signify the newlywed couple’s harmonious existence together. While this interesting wedding tradition is very popular in the Philippines, you can also find it in other countries all around the world.
Final Thoughts
Do you want to spice up your wedding and make it a little more unique? There are so many interesting wedding traditions from around the world that you could try out. Of course, these are only some of them. There’s simply no time to list all the ways people celebrate this lovely day. From wearing a flower crown to kidnapping the bride and the groom the day before the wedding day, there are so many traditions we hadn’t even mentioned. And it’s impossible to name them all and assign them to a specific culture. This is especially true considering how many unique, yet similar practices exist in cultures across the world from one another.
Complete Weddings + Events in Dallas, TX
Planning a wedding is an exciting time in your life. When it starts to become overwhelming, know there are experts who are happy to help! Contact Complete Weddings + Event for advice or to set up a consultation for your Dallas event!