We live in a world filled with cultural diversity... Here's a few wedding day traditions we've discovered in our travels!
Steal the Groom's Shoes
In South Asian weddings, bridesmaids steal the groom's shoes and hide them. As a result, the groom goes shoeless to the reception and the crowd gathers to take part in a negotiation of how much money the bridesmaids should receive for the shoes. There's even an iconic Bollywood song about it!
It's My Wedding and I'll Cry If I Want To
In China crying is pre-planned. The bride is expected to cry for approximately an hour each day for a month before her wedding. Her mother, grandmother, sisters and other female friends also join in for several days.
Blackening of the Bride
This tradition performed in rural areas of Scotland involves dumping flour, tar, spoiled food (and anything you can get your hands on) on the bride and groom! The ritual wards off evil spirits. Luckily it happens weeks prior to the wedding!
Sing-Off
In many South Asian cultures, the bride and groom's families enter into an intense sing-off. They sit gathered around a drum and take turns singing songs. The side that sings the loudest typically wins.
Something Old, Something New
The tradition of having something old, new, borrowed and blue comes from the Victorian rhyme, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue... and a sixpence on your shoe."
