10 of the strangest wedding traditions from around the world

Something old

Something new

Something borrowed

Something blue

These iconic words have been spoken millions of times; they have been passed from one generation to the next with love.  Your wedding day is precious, and embracing traditions adds that special touch that brides adore, no matter what style of wedding they are having.

Across the world brides are also embracing the traditions of their country and culture, which to us may seem… well, truly strange.  We have searched the globe for some of the most unique traditions; you never know, you may want to include them in your wedding venue in Essex.

  1. One log or two?

There is an old wedding custom in Germany of taking part in a log cutting ceremony.  The log represents an obstacle and apparently, by together cutting through the log with one of those long saws with a handle at both ends their teamwork will overcome the first obstacle in their marriage.

  1. No diet required

Many brides want to lose a few pounds for their wedding day, but this would horrify your groom if you lived in Mauritius.  Here it is thought that the bride’s weight demonstrates the wealth of the groom,so the chubbier the better.

  1. Goose-giving

An ancient Korean tradition requires the groom to give his mother in law a present of a live goose, which was saidto represent his fidelity, as geese are known to mate for life.  This tradition continues today, but the live goose has now been replaced with a wooden one.

  1. No fitting required

Imagine the excitement of having a white, custom made dress, but not being able to try it on before your wedding day?  This is one tradition from the Philippines, where it is deemed bad luck to try on your dress or wear pearl jewellery.  Can you just imagine?

  1. You better get busy

You maybe wishing to start a family after you get married, but imagine the pressure on women of the Neur tribe in Southern Sudan.  A husband can look to get a divorce if his wife does not give him two children, as it is believed that this completes the marriage.

  1. Pucker up!

Sweden know how to turn a wedding into the ultimate party game, with their kissing tradition.  So you have arrived at your reception, and you are both sat down enjoying your meal, your husband leaves the table and then the men in the room pounce and give you a kiss.  This is no drinking game, and should the bride leave the groom at the table, the scenario is reversed and all the women will kiss the groom.

  1. Bow and groom

There are many ways the groom can show his love to the bride on their wedding day, but I am not sure shooting her with a bow and arrow is one of them.  Yet in Chinese Yugur culture, the groom, using arrows without heads, must shoot his bride three times – ouch!! Apparently it’s like being hit with rubber bullets, we wonder what the bride can do in return?

  1. How to lose friends

Your wedding night should be one of passion and romance, not filled with noisy friends and family.  In France friends and family will bang pots and pans, cheer and shout outside the newlyweds’ home, but instead of begging them to leave, the bride and groom must offer them snacks and drinks.  Not sure it will catch on over here.

  1. Bridesmaids’ revenge

There is no test of love more challenging than putting the groom through one of China’s wedding traditions.  The groom is unable to reach his bride unless he has passed through her wall of bridesmaids, whose job it is to make it as difficult as possible; they will demand money, make him complete silly tasks, and be simply angry.  If the groom gets through then his love is strong and he can claim his bride.

  1. The drinking bowl

Our final strange wedding tradition is one of France’s most obscure old traditions, which comes with a ‘don’t try this at home’ warning.  Wedding celebrations are always full of champagne and other alcoholic drinks, but instead of throwing away the leftover beverages…The bride and groom must drink them out of a replica toilet bowl.