Angelique's

Wedding Traditions: Europe

Many Western marriage conventions come from England (Queen Victoria set the precedent for a white wedding dress, after all). That being said, if you can trace your roots back to various regions of Europe, there are plenty more unique wedding traditions that you may not know about:

Europe:

• Originally, Scandinavian couples walked down the aisle together, rather than meeting at the altar. This symbolizes the bride and groom’s equality within the marriage. Incorporating this element of a Viking Age wedding would be an interesting way of showcasing your Nordic heritage to guests!
• Having trouble picking out flowers for your bouquet? In Spain, it is traditional to use orange blossoms. These delicate white flowers represent a blossoming marriage, while the orange fruit represents fertility! Not to mention, these flowers smell great. Even placing orange blossoms in your center-pieces would be a fantastic way to incorporate these traditional flowers in your wedding.

• Are you looking to include bar-hopping in your wedding, but not sure how to do it? Well, if you’re Czech, an age-old wedding tradition involves friends of the newlyweds whisking the bride away from the groom to a pub or restaurant nearby. If the groom finds them, he has to pick up the tab to pay the “ransom” for the bride he wants to get back. This game is intended to be good fun for all, and there’s no better way to excuse yourself for a few more drinks after your reception!
• Thinking about ditching the bouquet toss for something a little different? It’s a tradition in Greek weddings to have the bridesmaids write their names on the sole of the bride’s shoe, and the last name to rub off by the end of the reception is said to be the next to marry. Not only would this be a fun substitute for the flower toss, it also makes for a really cute picture!

Any of these old traditions could easily be incorporated into a modern wedding. If you decide to participate in any of them, we would love for you to share! As always, keep checking back for more unique wedding rituals in the next few weeks as we uncover more from other places in the world.