Weddings are a general celebration of love and unification https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01775-5, but every place, state, and town has its own special cultures that add to the overall practice. For example, in Southern Italy as friends exit from the ceremony and reception they hand the brides letters filled with money– a movement known as the bomboniere. This is meant to help the couple get off to a great start in their new life together.
On the flip side, a fun tradition found in Romania is bride- napping. Days before the big day, friends and family work together to kidnap the bride and whisk her off to an undisclosed location where they then demand a ransom. Typical requests include a few bottles of alcohol or beer.
After the ceremony, it’s also common for Norwegian couples to serve a towering special- occasion cake called a kransekake. This is made of iced almond cake rings in a cone shape, often with a bottle of wine placed in the center lithuanian women. This is meant to symbolize the couple’s future wealth and prosperity.
In Poland, a bride and groom will have bread and salt blessed by their guests before they walk down the aisle. This ritual is intended to remind the couple of what’s important in life, even when the going gets tough.
The French have their own traditional way of showing their love for the happy couple – with wine. During the toasting process, a coupe de mariage ( or wedding chalice ) is passed around for everyone to place a piece of toast into. This is where the term” to toast” comes from!