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10 Unique Wedding Ceremonies

Around the World

April 29th of 2011 saw the wedding of the year, if not the decade: at long
last Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot. Of course, being
who they are, they have no choice in the matter of the venue or the
ceremony. Westminster Abbey in London is where Kate walked down the
aisle and millions of people all over the world watched it.

Given the possibility of having it their own way, the royal couple may have
opted for one of the ceremonies which mark weddings in these eight
countries, some of them quite exotic depending on where you are from.
Here’s a look at some of the wedding traditions celebrated all over the
world.

Japan
Bride and groom in Japan come together either by a love match or
through an arranged marriage. The ceremony itself is an extremely
elaborate and extravagant affair and in modern-day Japan is a
combination of western style marriage and traditional Shinto ceremony,
often held in a Shinto shrine located in a hotel where the entire festivities,
including dinner and reception, take place. Photographs play a great
role and so does the dressing of the bride who has to change outfits
several times during the ceremony.

Bride and groom arrive at a beauty parlor where the bride is often
painted white from head to toe to symbolize her virginity. She then wears
a kimono, wig and has a choice of two head dresses: either a white hood
or a tsunokakuski, which covers the ‘horns of jealousy’ and is also a
symbol of her obedience. The Shinto priest conducts the ceremony,
which consists of several parts and requires the bride to change
kimonos. The three most important parts are the speech of the go-
between, the drinking of the nuptial cups of sake and finally the
 ceremonial lighting of a
candle. Prior to the
religious ceremony the
couple has to be
married by signing civil
documents.

Maasai/Kenya
Tying the knot for the
Maasai starts long
before the wedding day.
It’s not really surprising
that the courtship and marriage ceremony are drawn out, as divorce is
not an option. When a young man takes an interest in a girl, he gives her
a chain. Some time later, he assembles several women of his own age to
bring his future mother-in-law a drink of alcohol. Again some time later,
a drink of alcohol is brought to his future father-in-law, who drinks it and
asks the young man to make his intention clear. That stage passed, he is
then allowed to bring the family of his future wife gifts, which accumulate
and represent the wife’s dowry.

When finally the wedding day

arrives, the groom brings the
bride’s price: three cows – all
black – and two sheep. The male
sheep is slaughtered and its fat
is used for the bride’s head and
wedding dress. Her head is
shaved and the fat is applied.
She then puts on her wedding
dress and beautiful bead
decorations and is led from her
kraal to her husband’s, where
she spends the next two days in
the house of her mother-in-law.
After that, her head is shaved
again and finally, bride and
groom are husband and wife.

India
Depending on region and religion, wedding customs and ceremonies in
India vary greatly. However what they all have in common is that they are
lavish affairs and symbolize more the social coming together of two
families than the union of two individuals. Prior to the wedding day,
Byaha Haath, a ceremony of purification, is celebrated. Bride and groom
are attended by seven unmarried females who apply a paste made from
sandalwood, turmeric and rose water to the couple’s face, hands and
feet. The couple are not allowed to leave home after that until their actual
wedding day.

The exchange of vows is of course the

crucial part. The bride sits on the right
side of the groom. After the vows, she
moves to the left side of her husband,
who has made a rather long list of
promises to care for and look after his
wife.

Special clothes are worn to the wedding

and in Rajput, the groom, who is veiled,
arrives on horseback.

Mexico
Most Mexicans are Roman
Catholics and the wedding
ceremony takes place within the
church. Godparents, madrinas
and padrinos, play an important
role in the tradition. The
madrina de lazo carries a rope,
which may be a rosary or a
wreath made from orange
blossoms as a symbol of fertility,
and is wound in a figure-eight
around the couple’s heads. The
madrina de arras holds 13 coins which have been blessed by the priest
and which symbolize the joint finances of the couple. The madrina de
velacion is a woman of confidence to whom the bride can always turn for
help and advice. Other godparents carry wine glasses for the wedding
toast.
At the reception which follows the religious ceremony in church, the
guests form a heart shaped ring around the newlyweds before their first
dance.

Las Vegas
A Las Vegas wedding must be the quickest
and least ceremonial way to tie the knot. All
you need is a license, but then you are
spoiled for choice with the offer of
hundreds of wedding chapels and
companies which can arrange gazebo
weddings, theme weddings, even
underwater weddings, or, for those who
are really in a hurry, drive-through
weddings. Depending on your fancy and your budget, you can spend as
little as $200 on your big day or you can spend thousands on a unique
and truly flashy way to get married.

Germany
Germans tend to be either Catholic or Protestant and the exchange of
vows takes place in church, following the civil marriage in the
‘Standesamt’. The bride wears a white gown and walks down the aisle on
the arm of her father who gives her away to the groom waiting for her at
the altar with his best man.

Afterwards, a reception is often held

in a hotel, with the bride and groom
sometimes arriving in a white horse
drawn carriage. Often a chimney
sweep turns up as a symbol for good
luck, carrying a horseshoe and a four
leaved clover. In rural areas, specially,
elaborate Trachten, or traditional
costumes, are kept from generation
to generation and worn by the bride
instead of the white gown.

Morocco
In the Muslim country of Morocco, the wedding ceremony takes up
several days. The bride is given a purifying hammam bath, then her
 hands and feet are decorated
with henna designs, kohl makeup
is applied to her eyes and she is
dressed in her wedding caftan
and jewelry.

Throughout the day, men and

women drink and eat at separate
locations, until it’s time for the
veiled bride to be carried on a
platform and on the shoulders of
her negaffa to the groom’s home.
The mother-in-law lifts the veil
and then the bride circles her new home three times before she is allowed
to enter.

Korea
The traditional Korean wedding ceremony is steeped in Confucian
values. Every gesture and move is strictly regulated and follows a
protocol. The ceremony starts with a photo session, then the bride’s
parents move to where the ceremony is to take place and wait at the
wedding table for the groom’s party to arrive. The party is led by what
could be called the groom’s best
man, who approaches the
parents and makes them a gift of
a mandarin duck. The groom
then moves to the eastern part of
the table.; the bride arrives and
moves to the western side.

The couple wash their hands,

bow to each other and then
exchange a drink of wine. After
which they bow again and…the
ceremony is over. Throughout the short ceremony, both bride and groom
are supposed to show no emotions.
Adapted from:
https://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-unique-wedding-ceremonies-around-the-world.html