H

ere comes the bride, all dressed in…white? 

Or fl oral garlands? Or red pleated skirts? 

Depending on what country you’re in, the bride 

could be dressed in a myriad of ensembles. 

Weddings are one of the most universal traditions in 

the world, but everyone celebrates them differently. 

Each culture has their own unique customs and ways 

of commemorating marriage. While it is customary in 

America to grin from ear to ear during hours of wedding 

photos, in the Congo couples are forbidden to smile on 

their wedding day. 

Many men in America are nervous when they are 

preparing to propose to their prospective bride, but almost 

all are shaking in their boots when it comes time to ask 

the woman’s father for her hand in marriage. This simple 

conversation is a walk in the park compared to what the 

men in Fiji have to endure. Imagine needing to present 

your future father-in-law with a whale’s tooth. 

Many modern American wedding parties travel to the 

reception in a limousine, fully equipped with music, lights 

and a bar. Some couples opt for the fairytale with a horse 

drawn carriage or go the vintage route and rent an antique 

automobile to whisk them away. In China the bride rides 

in an elaborately decorated sedan chair as she travels from 

her home to the groom’s, accompanied by a “good-luck” 

woman hired by the bride’s family. While she rides in style 

attendants shower her with rice, a symbol of health and 

prosperity, as they shield her beautiful face with parasols. 

In some cultures couples exchange rings, in others they 

don’t. While the traditions vary, what is the same in every 

corner of the globe is the pursuit of a lifetime of love and 

happiness. 

story by

Courtney Murray

Wedding Traditions 

fr om Around the World

60-61 PcolaStyles - wedding.indd   1

12/20/16   9:21 AM