Lori OsborneToday’s weddings don’t always include the age-old traditions, and many couples may wonder where those traditions come from anyway. Let’s have some fun and look at 6 wedding traditions that shock engaged couples – and we’ll list some “normal” ones that you may still want to avoid.
Scotland Wedding Traditions
Also known as the “Blackening of the Bride,” guests will throw food trash at the bride and groom, including rotten eggs and fish. The Scots believe that a newly married couple who can withstand this tradition can handle anything throughout their marriage.
Fiji Wedding Traditions
Before a man in Fiji can ask for a woman’s hand in marriage, he must present his future father-in-law with a whale’s tooth. It’s not clear whether the tooth can be purchased somewhere or if the groom actually has to wrestle a whale to get the tooth!
China Wedding Traditions
In some parts of China, a wedding date cannot be set by engaged couples until they dissect a chicken and inspect its liver. If the liver is healthy, they can proceed with setting a date.
Alternately, if the liver is not healthy, they cannot plan their wedding until they find a healthy chicken liver.
India Wedding Traditions
Rumor has it that Indian girls born during a particular astrological period are cursed and will cause an early death for their husband.
Therefore, the only way to break the curse is for the girl to first marry a tree – yes, I said a tree – and then have it cut down.
Finland Wedding Traditions
Each year in Finland, competitors come from all over the world to take part in a wife-carrying competition. It’s like a giant obstacle course that must be conquered with your spouse, girlfriend or partner on your back.
The competition brings new meaning to the phrase, “carrying the load in the relationship.”
South Korea Wedding Traditions
There is a traditional custom that the groom should have his feet beaten with fish and canes the night before his wedding. This is supposed to prove his strength of character, but could also be the groomsmen attempting to interfere with him walking down the aisle and going through with the marriage.
You can find many more unusual and shocking wedding traditions by searching the internet, such as those in this article on Buzzfeed: 21 Extraordinary Wedding Traditions From Around the Globe.
But, What Are Some Not-So-Shocking Wedding Traditions?
There are numerous wedding traditions that are not so shocking and more “normal.” We’ll explore these in more detail in a future blog post and reveal their origins.
Until then, here’s a shortlist of just a few that today’s engaged couples may choose to include in their wedding — but nothing says that these are a “must have” for a modern wedding!
- Bouquet Toss
- Garter Toss
- White Wedding Dress
- Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue
- Wedding Veil
- Cake
- Live Flower Bouquets
- Bride & Groom Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony
- Father Escorting Bride Down the Aisle
For more tips on wedding traditions and how you can have fun planning your wedding – and a stress-free wedding day – TLC Events & Weddings is here to help!
Be sure to visit the Services page to learn more about the packages I offer that will help you have the wedding of your dreams!
