Birthday
HydrangeasA wedding is one of the most tradition-rich celebrations. In some countries the couple are bound with a ribbon, in others china is smashed for luck, and elsewhere the couple are showered with money on the dance floor. Here are the most interesting wedding customs from around the world, from Ukraine to Mexico and Nigeria, and the role flowers play in them.
Wedding flowers are in our bridal bouquets and flowers for newlyweds sections.
Traditions at a glance
Ukraine
A Ukrainian wedding begins with matchmaking; a refusal was once signalled by handing the matchmakers a pumpkin (harbuz). During the church ceremony the couple stand on an embroidered rushnyk, and the korovai remains the main bread of the celebration. The bride traditionally wore a wreath with periwinkle, a symbol of eternal love. More in "Ukrainian wedding traditions".
The USA and the UK
The bride wears "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue", after a Victorian rhyme. The bouquet and garter toss are popular, and before the wedding friends throw a bridal shower with gifts.
France
Instead of a tiered cake a croquembouche, a tower of caramel-coated profiteroles, is often served, and guests receive dragées, sugared almonds. The couple drink from a two-handled wedding cup.
Greece
During the Orthodox ceremony stefana crowns joined by a ribbon are placed on the couple's heads as a symbol of unity. Guests receive sugared almonds, and at the celebration there is dancing and sometimes traditional plate smashing, though flower petals are increasingly thrown instead.
Spain
The groom gives the bride 13 coins, the arras, symbolising his care for the family. In some regions friends cut the groom's tie into pieces and "sell" them to guests to raise money for the couple.
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India and Pakistan
On the eve of the wedding comes the mehndi, when the bride's hands and feet are decorated with henna. The couple exchange flower garlands, and in Pakistan and India the bride's sisters playfully hide the groom's shoes and demand a ransom for them.
Mexico
During the ceremony el lazo, a double loop of cord or rosary beads, is placed around the couple's shoulders as a symbol of their union. As in Spain, the groom gives the bride 13 coins.
Germany and Scandinavia
- Germany — on the eve of the wedding guests smash china for luck (Polterabend), and after the ceremony the couple saw through a log together to show they can work as a team.
- Sweden — the bride puts coins in her shoes: a silver one from her father and a gold one from her mother.
- Norway — the kransekake wedding cake, a tower of almond rings.
Nigeria
At Yoruba weddings guests "spray" the dancing couple with banknotes, and relatives and friends wear outfits made from matching fabric, known as aso ebi.
Flowers in wedding traditions
Flowers feature in almost every tradition: wreaths in Ukraine, garlands in India, bridal bouquets in the West. We tell the story of the bridal bouquet in "History of the bridal bouquet", and share floral decor ideas in "Wedding floral decor".
FAQ
What does "something old, something new" mean?
It is an English wedding custom: for luck, the bride wears something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Why do Germans smash china before a wedding?
According to the Polterabend tradition, the broken pieces bring the couple good luck.
What is mehndi?
A pre-wedding ceremony in India and Pakistan at which the bride's hands are decorated with henna.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
