A free guide to wedding traditions around the world
Every wedding tradition in the world, from every country, community and city.
The ring and the fire, the henna and the veil, the bride price and the first dance: how people marry, filed by country, community, stage of the wedding, faith and symbol, with a calendar of wedding days and seasons.
- 131
- wedding traditions so far
- 89
- countries
- 92
- cities and towns
- 124
- days on the wedding calendar
Right nowMonday 5 October
On the wedding calendar today
Around the world right now
- The usual hour for the ceremony in 🇦🇬 Q36262, 🇲🇽 Mexico City, 🇩🇲 Roseau: Cueca
- The usual hour for the wedding feast in 🇵🇾 Asunción, 🇦🇬 Q36262, 🇩🇲 Roseau: Tamborito
- The usual hour for procession and arrival in 🇬🇲 Banjul, 🇬🇳 Conakry, 🇬🇶 Ciudad de la Paz: Guérewol
- The usual hour for the eve in 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi, 🇲🇺 Port Louis, 🇩🇯 Djibouti: Iranian wedding
Browse by stage of the wedding
From finding a match to the day after: the customs of each moment, in the order a wedding unfolds.
Finding a matchMatchmakers, horoscopes, family introductions, courtship festivals and the first meeting.15Engagement and betrothalThe asking, the first gifts, the ring, the agreed date and the exchange between families.38The weeks beforeInvitations, the trousseau, the bridal shower, the bachelor night and the purifying baths.38The eveHenna night, haldi, sangeet, the rehearsal dinner and the last night in the bride's home.14Procession and arrivalThe groom's baraat, the bridal escort, the blocked gate and the arrival at the venue.13The ceremonyThe vows, the rites, the blessing and the moment the marriage is made.66The wedding feastThe stage and the toasts: who is served first, what is shared, what is thrown or broken.14Reception, dance and giftsThe first dance, the money dance, the cake, the envelopes and the long night of dancing.42After the weddingThe first night, the return visit, the honeymoon and the first anniversary.17
Live, Monday 5 October
The wedding calendar: on now and next
Wedding seasons, lucky days, days when weddings are not held and courtship festivals, with this year's dates worked out.
On now, about 5 Apr to 25 Dec 2026Ghana, from Easter to DecemberGhanaian weddings and engagements cluster between Easter and December, with the knocking ceremony coming first.
On now, about 1 May to 31 Oct 2026Israel, the summer wedding seasonFrom May to October: after the Omer ends and before the autumn holidays, the main run of Israeli weddings.
On now, about 25 Jul to 20 Nov 2026ChaturmasThe four months from Devshayani Ekadashi to Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when Vishnu is said to sleep and weddings are not held.
On now, about 30 Jul to 26 Oct 2026Vassa, the Buddhist rains retreatThree months from July to October, when monks stay in their monasteries and many Buddhist families do not marry.
On now, about 1 Sept to 31 Oct 2026September and October wedding peakIn the United States and Canada, the months with the most weddings: mild weather, autumn colour and venues still open.
On now, about 1 Sept to 30 Mar 2027South Africa, the spring and summer seasonFrom September to March: warm weather, lobola settled earlier, and a wedding every weekend.Every kind of custom
Thirteen ways of sorting what happens at a wedding: the rite, the vow, the dress, the gifts, the music, the feast and more.
Ceremony and sacred ritesThe sacred act itself: the fire, the circling, the blessing, the knot, the exchange.29Vows, contracts and registrationThe promise and the paperwork: the nikah contract, the ketubah, the register, the witnesses.17Matchmaking, courtship and engagementHow a match is found, asked for and agreed: matchmakers, rings of promise, the first visit.48Bride price, dowry and giftsWhat passes between families: lobola, mahr, dowry, red envelopes, trousseau and registry. Contested practices are described with their legal status.11Wedding dress and clothingWhat the couple and the guests wear, and why: the white dress, the red sari, the kimono, the kente.28Henna, jewellery and body artHenna and turmeric, the mangalsutra and the ring, hair, crowns and the painted hand.14Music, dance and processionThe band, the drum, the first dance, the baraat and the dance that ends the night.33Feasts, food and drinkThe customs of the wedding table: the cake, the sweets, the toast, the shared cup. Not recipes.35Blessings, luck and omensRice and petals, the broom, the horseshoe, the broken glass and other ways of asking for luck.27Games, humour and mock resistanceBlocking the gate, stealing the shoes, the pranks and the teasing between the two families.4Family roles and who does whatWho gives the bride away, who walks, who stands witness, who pays and who sits where.39Venue, setting and decorationThe mandap and the chuppah, the tent, the yurt, the courtyard and the decorated room.4Modern and changing weddingsCivil, destination, elopement, mass, interfaith and same-sex weddings, and the old customs reworked.12
Around the world
Eleven regions, about two hundred countries. Shaded by how many wedding traditions each has so far.
South AsiaSaptapadi and the sacred fire, mehndi and haldi, baraat and nikah: the longest, loudest weddings anywhere.34 traditionsSoutheast AsiaTea ceremonies and sinsod, adat and bersanding, the Batak ulos and the Balinese tooth-filing.10 traditionsEast AsiaTea ceremony and red packets, san-san-kudo and the pyebaek, the lucky day and the double happiness.13 traditionsCentral Asia and the CaucasusBride-price and the yurt, the kalym and the toy feast, Georgian supra and Armenian dance.5 traditionsMiddle EastThe nikah and the mahr, henna night and zaffe, the ketubah, the chuppah and the Persian sofreh.12 traditionsNorth AfricaSeven-day weddings, the henna night, the amariya chair, Imilchil and the Berber bride.6 traditionsSub-Saharan AfricaLobola and the knocking on the door, kente and the wedding cloth, Gerewol and the Ethiopian zemed.11 traditionsEuropeRice and confetti, the veil and the white dress, Polish oczepiny, Greek koumbaro and the Irish handfast.30 traditionsNorth AmericaSomething old, something new, jumping the broom, the Navajo wedding basket and the Mexican lazo.5 traditionsLatin America and the CaribbeanPadrinos and arras, the Andean wedding, the dollar dance and the long Caribbean celebration.4 traditionsOceaniaKava and the tapa cloth, the Maori powhiri and the Fijian lovo, Aboriginal ceremony and the Samoan fine mat.1 tradition
One idea, many places
Bride price, the dress, the veil, the feast, the dance and more, compared across countries side by side.
Bride price, dowry and gifts between familiesIn very many societies a marriage joins two families, and goods change hands between them: livestock, cash, gold, cloth, land or a signed promise.15 placesArranged marriage, matchmaking and choosing a partnerAround the world, families, matchmakers and friends have long had a hand in who marries whom.15 placesThe wedding dress and what the couple wearWhat a couple wears to marry is one of the clearest signs of where, and with whom, they belong.16 placesRings, knots and tokens of promiseA ring is the best-known sign of a marriage, but it is one among many ways of binding two people: a knotted cord, a pair of bracelets, a coin, a necklace, a shared cup.17 placesVeils, crowns and the covered headCovering or crowning the head of the couple is one of the oldest wedding gestures.15 placesHenna, turmeric and the decorated brideBefore many weddings, the bride's hands and feet are painted with henna, and in many places the couple are rubbed with turmeric paste.15 placesThe wedding procession and the arrivalMany weddings are a journey.16 placesVows, contracts and witnessesA wedding is also a legal and moral act.16 placesThe wedding feast, the cake and the toastA wedding is a meal before it is anything else, and in much of the world the feast is the main event.16 placesWedding music and the dance floorMusic and dancing run through weddings everywhere: the drummers at the head of the procession, the song of the women at the henna night, the first dance of the couple, the line dance of the guests.16 placesLuck, omens and protection on the dayA wedding is a threshold, and nearly every culture treats thresholds as dangerous and hopeful at once.16 placesAuspicious dates, seasons and days to avoidFew couples choose a wedding date by the calendar alone.15 placesBachelor nights, hen parties and showersBefore a wedding, friends often gather to send the bride or groom off with a party.17 placesParents, giving away and the in-lawsA wedding joins two families as much as two people, and its customs spell out who does what: who asks, who gives the bride away, who stands as witness, who sits where and who is welcomed into whose house.17 placesWedding money, envelopes and who paysWeddings cost money, and every culture has rules about who pays, what guests give and how.18 placesInterfaith, inter-community and same-sex weddingsCouples have always married across the lines of faith, caste, ethnicity and, increasingly, gender, and the wedding has to find a form that honours both sides.17 placesElopement, civil, mass and destination weddingsNot every wedding is a day-long feast.16 placesAfter the wedding: the first night, the return visit, the honeymoonThe wedding does not end with the last dance.16 placesBeing a guest: what to wear, bring and sayMost people attend more weddings than they hold, and being a good guest depends on knowing a few local rules.17 places
See a few
A different handful every few minutes.
🇲🇲 MyanmarMarriage in Myanmar
A blend of Buddhist rites, astrological timing, and family negotiations that defines union across Myanmar's diverse ethnRite · Finding a match
🇮🇩 IndonesiaMinangkabau marriage
A matrilineal wedding tradition from West Sumatra where the groom moves into the bride's family home.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇮🇩 Lombok, IndonesiaMerariq
A Sasak ritual in Lombok where the groom takes the bride to his home with family consent.Rite · The weeks before
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreArranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent
The family-led matchmaking process that shapes most marriages across South Asia.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 morePolterabend
The evening before the wedding when guests break porcelain to bring luck and test the couple's teamwork.Blessing · The eve
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreLas arrasLas arras matrimoniales
Thirteen coins exchanged by the couple to symbolize provision and trust in a Christian marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaNaked marriage裸婚 (luǒhūn)
A wedding without a house, car, or ring, chosen by couples in China for love and financial necessity.Modern · The weeks before
🇮🇳 Jodhpur, India and 1 moreAchkanअचकन (Hindi), اچکن (Urdu)
A long, side-fastening jacket worn by grooms and men at formal Indian weddings.Attire · The ceremony
By faith and belief
Hindu 27Buddhist 5Jain 2Muslim 20Jewish 4Catholic 5Orthodox and Eastern Christian 5Protestant and Anglican 4Sikh 3Zoroastrian and Parsi 2Shinto, Taoist and folk Chinese 3Bahá'íIndigenous and traditional 13Pagan and ancient 1Secular and civil 15
By symbol
Fire and the sacred flame 3Rice and grain 12Henna 5Turmeric 3The ring 20Knots, cords and threadsThe veil 11Crowns and wreaths 6Garlands and flowers 11The colour red 26The colour white 25Gold and jewellery 28Water and washing 16Salt 4Bread 12Sweets, sugar and honey 7Wine and the shared cup 11The wedding cake 3
Wedding news
- Evolved Catering Baltimore Enters Fall Wedding Season With New Five Star Reviews From CouplesPR Underground, Industry
- Homs Hosts Mass Wedding for Over 100 Children of Martyrs - Syria Focust.co, Mass weddings
- More than 100 sons of martyrs join mass wedding in Homsوكالة الأنباء السورية – سانا, Mass weddings
- OCU holds evening of wedding rituals at seized Cherkasy cathedralСПЖ, Customs
- Andhra Pradesh High Court Quashes Dowry And Cruelty Case Against NRI In-Laws Over Lack Of Sanction And Specific Allegations – The Legal AffairThe Legal Affair, Dowry and gifts
The words
249 terms in plain language.
Newly added
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, IndiaBhangra
A vigorous Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of a dhol drum during harvest celebrations.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник (Ukrainian), ручнік (Belarusian), ручник/рушник (Russian)
The embroidered linen cloth that marks life stages and guides the couple through the wedding ceremony in East Slavic culAdornment · The weeks before
🇲🇰 Galičnik, North MacedoniaGaličnik Wedding FestivalГаличка свадба (Galička svadba)
A recreated traditional wedding in a North Macedonian village that turns a local rite into an annual festival.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreJokduri족두리
A traditional Korean coronet worn by women during weddings and other special occasions.Attire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Minangkabau marriage: Mamasamala, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent: Hindustanilanguage, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Las arras: penny, CC BY 2.0, source
- Marriage in Myanmar: Thant Zin Myint, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kente cloth: ZSM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jokduri: derivative work: Caspian blue ( talk ) Korean_dance-Jinju_pogurakmu-01, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Galičnik Wedding Festival: IvanaKrstik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Autumn Wedding Peak: Edmund Blair Leighton, Public domain, source
- Israel Summer Wedding Season: Jozef Israëls, Public domain, source
- South Africa Summer Wedding Season: Iwuala Lucy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Buddhist Vassa No Weddings: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, source