wedding

Big Fat Greek Wedding Traditions. Opaaaaa! Ouzo for Everyone!

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Greece is suffering some economically terrible times.  However, people are always getting married, and so there are parties going on in the midst of the austerity.  They may not be quite as big and fat as in years past, but a Greek wedding is never anything but a joyous celebration.

Most Greek weddings take place under the aegis of the Greek Orthodox Church, which has some lovely wedding rituals, including the bride and groom wearing ceremonial crowns that are tied together with ribbon to signify the bond between them.  The bride and groom hold lighted candles, and make three circles around the altar to represent their journey through life.

Chris & Alethia's Wedding: Courtesy of TheBrideAndGroom.com

At the reception, the party gets underway.  Live music is de rigeur, Plates are broken for good luck, and money is traditionally thrown at the musicians.  Traditional foods such as spanakopita and baklava are served, and are easy ways to bring a little bit of Athens to any wedding.  Toasts are raised with ouzo, a strong licorice flavored spirit.

One last tradition to be very careful with, should you choose to adopt it, is that of breaking open a pomegranate on the ground representing fertility, and good luck.  As an event planner, this makes me apoplectic.  My bride is wearing white, and you’re stomping on pomegranates?  Where’s the ouzo? Opaaaa!

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And The Bride Wore Red…Chinese Wedding Traditions (Happy Year of the Dragon)!

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Gung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year!  In honor of the Year of The Dragon, the next stop on our cross cultural tour of wedding traditions is China.

A pre-wedding beauty ritual observed by brides since ancient times sounds right out of a high end spa.  The bride would bathe in water infused with essence of pommelo (a variety of grapefruit) to cleanse her of her impurities, and a “good luck woman” would comb out her hair.  Not to be out-done, the groom also prepared by donning a hat made of cypress leaves.

One fun element, more seemingly suited for an episode of the Newlywed game than wedding day is the “Procession to obtain the bride” The groom and his party go to the bride’s house to collect her – but it’s not so easy as all that. The bride’s sisters “block” the door, and an obstacle course of trivia about the couple an other games must be navigated before the couple, with her parents’ blessing departs for the groom’s family’s home.

English: Bride and groom at a traditional Chin...
Image via Wikipedi

Last, we have what is a more contemporary tradition. Modern Chinese couples have taken to having elaborate “glamour shots” taken in their wedding clothes, and other outfits, in different settings.  Is this much different from any bride and groom? Do Chinese bloggers note the rise of the American tradition of the “engagement shoot?” Truly, we’re quite a colorful culture ourselves, no?

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

 

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Living La Vie En Rose: French Wedding Traditions. (Retail, Romantic and Rousing)!

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Oh the French. We all know about the wine, the cheese, and the persistently seductive skunks (who doesn’t love Pepe Le Pew?) But wedding traditions abound! And I’ll highlight three: One Retail, One Romantic, and one Rousing. Let’s dive in.

Retail: The concept of the “bridal trousseau,” the collection of clothes and a bride assembled, was originally a French one, coming from the word “trousse” meaning “bundle.” In Victorian times it became a status symbol to have an elaborate wardrobe prepared for the wedding celebrations, and the honeymoon. Women and society have changed, but outfit-shopping for the honeymoon is a fun way to relieve planning stress. Take your guy with you – you can “bundle” up together.

Romantic: We love this one – guess why? French wedding bouquets are usually quite fragrant (if you have allergies, skip this part) and include flowers that hold special meaning for the bride and groom. Did he pick daisies outside your house before your first date? Sneak one in there. No flower in mind? Use the language of flowers, and whisper it in his ear.

Rousing: This one’s kind of nutty, and more likely to appeal to bridesmaids reading than brides, but I couldn’t resist. Apparently friends turn up outside the happy couple’s room in the night banging pots and pans, singing, and otherwise behaving badly, loudly. And, the groom is, by tradition, supposed to invite everyone in for a nosh.

So there you have it, three ways to make your (or your friend’s/sister’s/daughter’s) wedding more French. One last note: my guess is that in any culture, a rag-tag bunch of guests at the honeymoon suite door would be about as welcome as a relative of Pepe Le Pew.

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