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