Cultural Wedding Traditions

There is a wealth of information about many international wedding traditions, so it is worth doing more research if you are interested in the topic.  Whether you are looking for more information from a purely academic point of view or planning your own wedding and require services relevant to the cultural theme, the Internet can certainly help you find whatever you need.

The African Customs

You might well have heard of “jumping the broom” which dates back to the slavery period when slaves were not permitted to marry.  This ritual was established to represent the start of a couple’s new life together.  These days, couples leap over a ribbon-decorated broom.

Armenian Cultural Wedding Traditions

The celebrations begin the night preceding the ceremony and involve the groom’s family bringing beautifully decorated gift boxes to the bride’s family.  These usually contain cognac, perfume, shoes, chocolates, a veil, and flowers.  Long before the engagement period, the bride’s mother spends years collecting various domestic items for her daughter’s dowry.  Upon its presentation, local girls erect and decorate the new couple’s house.  When it comes to the time when the groom must propose, he must, as in other cultures, ask the father for his daughter’s hand in marriage.  When the engagement is made official, a betrothal ritual takes place and the rings receive a blessing by a priest.  They receive one more blessing during the marriage ceremony.

The Way They Do It in Holland

A wedding wish tree is created and placed next to the bride and groom’s table during the wedding ceremony.  Paper leaves attached to ribbons are put at each guest’s place setting.  Guests pen their own special wish for the newlyweds on each leaf. 

Cultural Wedding Traditions in Korea

The wedding date is picked very cautiously according to astrological birthdates and signs and the reception begins on the half hour in order to guarantee the couple’s fortunes.  The evening before the wedding day, the bride is soaked with citrus water to cleanse her of evil.  Before the wedding happens, a bride must partake of a traditional ceremony where she is welcomed in to the groom’s side of the family.  Ducks and geese are known to mate for all their lives and so in the old days, the groom would offer his mother in law a living goose which represented his fidelity.  These days, however, the living goose has been replaced by a wooden one.  

In Korea animals are the ideal symbols of fidelity and feature heavily in weddings.  Cranes also represent longevity and are usually incorporated into the bride’s sash.  The bride wears two different dresses which hail from the noble class, an elaborate hwarrot or flower robe or a light green wonsam.  Beneath that, she wears a traditional-style robe.  She wears a black gem-studded cap on her head plus white socks with embroidered shoes.  She wears simple make-up with three red nickel-sized circles to protect her from evil spirits.  The groom is dressed nobly too in silk and green damask.
Spanish Ways
Spanish culture is packed with great cultural wedding traditions.  Historically, the night previous to the wedding, lanterns light the path from the groom’s home to the bride's home.  The groom's family carried a chest filled with gifts for the family of the bride.  The groom cannot see his bride before the day of the wedding and it was the bride’s father’s job to conceal her before the big event.  As is the case in France, the groom escorts his mother along the aisle.  The ring bearer and the flower girl dress as miniature versions of the groom and bride.  One important aspect of the ceremony is arras, 13 gold coins which represent Jesus and his 12 apostles, and are blessed by the priest. These are given to the bride with the groom’s promise to protect and support his wife.
Irish Wedding Traditions
Few world cultures have more intriguing traditions than Ireland.  The part of the world that spawned the ancient tribe of the Celts, where many of those classic traditions have been passed down through the generations and are retained in current ceremonies, sometimes adapted for contemporary tastes and needs.  The wedding ring is called a claddagh which depicts two hands clutching a heart emblazoned with a crown.  The hands represent the concept of faith, the heart love, and the crown honour.  The brides traditionally wore wreaths of wildflowers in their hair and in bouquets, especially those containing lavender.  They braided their hair to foment feminine luck and power.  Another bridal accessory is a lucky horseshoe tied around her bouquet.  However, points must face upward so that it may catch hold of all the good luck around.  The magic hanky tradition involves the bride carrying a special handkerchief that is turned into a christening bonnet.  This can then be turned back into a hanky for the child’s wedding.   
More Information Online
Below are some of the most interesting and useful resources:
http://www.beau-coup.com – A superlative survey of wedding traditions ranging from Korean to Japanese, to Armenian to Welsh.
http://www.weddingsolutions.com/article/Wedding_Cultural_Traditions_1.html -  A Similar website examining cultural wedding traditions.
http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html - A fascinating guide to the way that Chinese people get married and the events surrounding that.
Directory of UK Wedding Organisers.  Detailed profiles, customer reviews, location maps and photos of over 5835 Wedding Organisers located within the UK.
www.freeindex.co.uk/categories/Arts_and_Lifestyle/Parties_and_Events/Weddings/
Various Celtic wedding-oriented services including the following:
Wedding Music Scotland – this company offers bands, musicians and entertainers wedding events.  They can provide ceilidh bands, string ensembles, harpists, guitarists, and other bands, as well as top-class MCs and storytellers.
Welsh Harp Music - Glenda Clwyd is a harpist of professional concert standard with 25 years’ experience and is a popular wedding act.  She also counts singing and music teaching amongst her many talents.  Glenda is considered to be one of the best female harpists in all of Wales.  Performing a broad plethora of music, she creates a superb atmosphere for any special occasion.
There are also bagpipers and Celtic outfit hiring services for consideration.  Find out more at:
http://www.celtic-weddings.co.uk/WeddingOrganisersMusicCaterers.htm.