European Wedding
It is said that “marriages are made in heaven” and this heaven is without a doubt based in Europe. A European wedding is a big occasion which is considered to be very sacred. European marriages vary from country to country but they all have the same belief. These weddings are planned on a grand scale with flamboyant arrangements for many weeks. European weddings are performed with ancient traditions and practices. Loads of these traditions have seen revival and recognition in current years as several younger couples are on the lookout for more traditional wedding ceremonies.
Generally, a European wedding is declared with humility in the respective families of the bride and the groom. The preparations start with the help of a family member or a wedding planner, beginning the beautiful series of beliefs and traditions. For instance, in Czechoslovakia, a bride’s friends sow a tree in her backyard and put some ribbons and red painted egg shells on it. This tree is a promise for her marriage’s existence, prosperity and fertility. The tree is a symbol of bride’s long life and the egg signifies the fruitfulness of the couple. The bride is supposed to water the seed everyday till her wedding day.
The wedding day is the most beautiful day in every woman’s life. It is made special in different ways. In England, the groom waits for the bride in front of the church and the bride would arrive with her best man. The best man hands over the bride to the groom with a promise that the groom will take care of the bride for his life time. Long back, Germany initiated the concept of the best man, which is now followed by many countries in Europe. In Hungry, the bride is presented with an egg, on her arrival to the church, to bless her with health and fertility all her life. A piece of bread or a cake plays a very important role in the European weddings. It epitomizes fertility and happiness in the couple’s married life. In Poland, the bride and the bridegroom are presented with bread, salt and wine and honey cakes for their flourishing married life.
In Italy, the groom and the bride exchange rings. The wedding day is called the D –day. The rituals are very sacred. They are performed with chaste in the holy church with a ribbon outside the church. All the enjoyment is done after the wedding at the reception party. Cultures may vary, but the feeling is the same. Each and every ritual, performed in a European wedding is special, which is cherished for a lifetime.
This post was written by admin on October 2008
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nice article. I attended a european wedding once and it was picture perfect.
I have been to a few traditional European weddings and i must say they were quite an experience. Beautiful ceremonies, culture and tradition in one place.
Yes it is said that if you want to get to know a culture go to a wedding. All the traditions there represent something meaningful for the country and the people.
Most of the people think that if people belong to a certain religion the tradition is the same. But that is not true. It depends on the region where they live. I have been to a few weddings in the same country and they were all different.
I have attended a European wedding and it was simply wonderful. I don’t know if this is because I was not used to it, but I know that I did like it. However, Europe traditions are not the same for all the European countries.
Europe traditions range widely. All european countries have different marriage traditions. But in my opinion, lots of them are interesting.
Monaco Romance – European Wedding….
I am a wedding cinematographer based on Europe but travel all over the world completing film and documentary productions for the broadcast industry. I complete film projects for L’Oreal Paris, Olay and London Fashion Week.
I love filming weddings too and you can see my Monaco Romance ……an elegant, luxury wedding in the South of France and wedding at the Historic Villa De Rothschild with its panoramic views of the French Rivieria …..see the link below :-
Richard
RVS Realtime, London
http://www.rvsrealtime.co.uk/weddings
Why is the wedding day is called the D –day? I like their elaborate wedding cakes. The bride always wears a white wedding dress.
A modern tradition is for brides to wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” during the service. It is considered good luck to do so. Often the bride attempts to have one item that meets all of these qualifications, such as a borrowed blue handkerchief which is “new to her” but loaned by her grandmother (thus making it old). Another addition to this custom is to wear a penny in your shoe, this will bring you prosperity.
I was invited by my friend to come along with him to a wedding, I was apprehensive, but he promised me that I’ll like it and I’m glad I went for that wedding. It was really good.I found the customs a bit unusual, but it was a lovely wedding.
All the weddings don’t have to be in Church only. Proposal and wedding could be in beautiful and ancient castles. The way I love it (and hope to be married)
I’ve attended two weddings in Europe but both were different from each other. The traditions which I thought would be similar were also different in the weddings. Its amazing.
Some of these weddings do not sound too different than American weddings. I like the fact that the best man drives the bride to the church in England and then the groom says he will take care of her for a lifetime. I find that very romantic. It may just be a wedding tradition that I will use when I get married.
I love hearing about other countries wedding traditions. It is a very sacred thing. I like the idea of sowing a tree in the backyard. These are some great traditions that I wish we had over here in the states.
I was a foreign exchange student in Czechoslovakia for half a year. During that time I was able to go with my host family to a wedding for their cousin. I was able to see the tree and it is a neat tradition to have. Nothing like US weddings that is for sure.
I am actually getting married this summer in Europe. My fiancee is from Germany and I met him when I was over there studying. I think that Europe has some great ideas for weddings and am looking forward to mine. I agree that it is the place to get married.
Oh Edith that sounds so very romantic. I really envy you.
I think that the European traditions sound great. I think that weddings are great if they followed a tradition. I may have to try a few of these European wedding traditions when I get hitched.
The best places for European weddings are exotic and hot ones. In my opinion making your wedding on a beach it’s a romantic thing. With not so many guests, a small European wedding can be very romantic. Just you and your lover and a few witnesses and that’s it.
This kind of European weddings are in my opinion the most beautiful, not those pompous ones.
I could not imagine how romantic it would be to get married in Europe. I wonder though if the Europeans think that? I have always thought of them to be beautiful. I saw one in a magazine once and it looked so fancy.