International Wedding Customs

It's a big world, after all. For thousands of years, different cultures have honored their own wedding customs. Even today, the place someone lives will often pay a direct influence on how they're married. The homage might be something as large as the events of the ceremony and reception, or as small as the finishing details of the rehearsal dinner.

All customs vary wildly between region and culture, between people and heritage. It seems like for every few miles of the world, there's a unique way or tradition of doing things. Since weddings are a special event, they tend to take on some of the most unique flourishes that, in time, become vaunted traditions.

Here's a list of some of the more elaborate and charming wedding traditions gathered from around the world.

Asia

In China, the bride and groom dress in red, the nation's good luck color. During the wedding feast, the bride will change her outfit for each course. Three days after the celebration, the bride returns to her family with the gift of a pig and other foodstuffs.

In Japan, young couples now follow traditional Western-style weddings. However, the classical Japanese Shinto wedding, the shinzen kekkon shiki, involves prayers and sipping saki before the temple's kami, or enshrined spirit. The bride and groom wear traditional Japanese ceremonial garments and present an offering of evergreen tree branches. The assembled guests have a sip of saki and the ceremony is complete.

Europe

French grooms, especially in smaller villages and towns, will sometimes greet the bride at her house and escort her to the chapel. During the ceremony, they sit beneath a silk canopy called a carre that is often strewn with laurels. For the reception, many couples serve a stuffed pastry called a croquembouche instead of a wedding cake.

In Italy, the wedding party and the guests are often feasted separately before the main reception begins with special buffets prepared for the occasion. Following this "cocktail hour," the wedding party enters the main ballroom, and the bride and groom share the first dance. In some Sicilian customs, a presentation of a Venetian Table comes after the wedding feast. This is an elaborate collection of pastries, cakes and deserts arranged and presented in great quantities. After the reception concludes, the guests give envelopes filled with money to the new couple. The bride and groom reciprocate with a wedding favor.

Before a traditional Spanish wedding, the groom gives the bride thirteen (sometimes gold) coins, to show he can protect and provide for her. After the ceremony the guests dance a special sequidillas manchegas and present the bride with a gift.

One Irish wedding custom has become famous the world over. New brides and grooms traditionally drink a special brew made from honey called bunratty meade at the reception and for four weeks after (a complete moon.) Over time, this ritual came to describe the bride and groom's first weeks together – the honeymoon.

New Zealand

The warrior Maori people of New Zealand sometimes include a ceremonial welcome to the bride and groom known as a powhiri and a traditional "warrior's challenge." A tribal elder will perform the ceremony, said in the Maori language. Rings made from carved bone or greenstone are then exchanged to conclude the ceremony.

Regional American Customs

America, the great melting pot, incorporated many different traditions from the immigrants that made the country their new home.

The tradition of the white wedding dress as a symbol for purity dates back to the storied Victorian Era. In modern times, Latin American brides have added red and black accents to the white, to incorporate their own heritage into the American tradition. At the wedding feast, they sometimes display a ceremonial doll dressed like the bride.

The Cajuns of Southern Louisiana carry traditions that date back to their earliest settlements along the bayous of the Gulf of Mexico. Acadian brides and grooms sometimes had to wait days or weeks for a priest or minister to visit their settlement. To make the marriage official, they would jump over a broom held by friends and family. At the reception, guests must pin money on the bride's dress or veil before they can dance with her.

The Mormons of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints practice two kinds of marriage: civil and celestial. Civil marriages are dissolved when one of the participants dies, while celestial marriages, also known as sealings, are believed to last for eternity if both partners continue to be righteous. If the couple has children, they may be included in the sealing as well.

Michael Kabel is editor at www.myweddingfavors.com, where you'll find lots of advice and help on planning bridal showers, wedding and wedding receptions, as well as wedding and party favors, accessories and gifts.