Traditions Inspired by Jono & Laynie’s Worldly Travels
French wedding spread. Photo cred here.
Good day lovely blog followers, it’s Mandi here. We all know that here in North
America we have some pretty interesting wedding traditions, you know, something
borrowed, something blue ... the chicken dance. I thought it would be interesting
to go over some wedding traditions of some of the countries that Jono & Laynie
have visited themselves, they are a very worldly couple, if you didn’t know already.
Maybe you’d like to incorporate them into your wedding. So without further ado:
South Africa
South Africans practice an interesting custom, which is called “The Four Elements”.
Lemon, vinegar, pepper and honey are included as part of a floral center piece
where the guests are each given a spoon and invited to taste these four elements
with the bride and groom. They represent the promise to love for better for worse,
richer and poorer, in sickness and in health.
Thailand
In Thailand, the groom performs a “door ceremony” where he would offer up a
gift in order to go through the gates to the bride’s house. With each gate he passes
through and the closer he gets to the house, the gift gets larger. This was a way to
prove that he had enough wealth to take care of the bride. Nowadays girls, usually
the sisters of the bride, holding a chain, are replacing the doors or gates. For each
girl the groom approaches, she will ask if he is able to take care of the bride and the
groom presents the girl with an envelope of cash until he reaches the house of the
bride.
Czech Republic
Inviting kolache is a small bun that is traditionally baked a few weeks before the
wedding and given to friends, relatives and neighbours as an invitation to the
wedding reception. It is customary for the bun to have at least three different
fillings to showcase the culinary skills of the housewife. Non-traditionally, cookies
or cupcakes have been said to be used as an invitation.
Israel
Jewish weddings have what is called “The Yichud” which is a brief seclusion for the
bride and the groom where they can spend some time alone together. The bride and
groom can choose to break their fast by eating chicken soup or one of their favourite
foods. If they have not fasted, it is just alone time spent together to enjoy a calm
moment between the ceremony and reception. Along with the benefits of having
this alone time together, it also means there is no reception line.
South Korea
In South Korea, it is tradition for the guests to bring money instead of gifts. The
amount given depends on the relationship to the bride and groom or the parents.
Usually between 30,000 – 50,000 won is expected if the bride and groom or their
parents are acquaintances. The bills should be brand new straight from the bank
and presented in either a special wedding envelope or a pristine cash envelope.
Germany
In Germany it is not legal to be married solely in a Church, which is why the wedding
usually takes place over a three-day period. The first day is getting married at city
hall by the justice of the peace, the second day is the church ceremony and the third
day is the reception. The days can be spread out over a period of time or they can
be consecutive. During the reception it is customary for the best man to kidnap the
bride and take her to a pub or bar while the husband searches for them. Once he
has found them, it is up to him to pay for the drinks.
France
In France, the “croquembouche” is a wedding cake that is made of cream filled
pastries and piled high into a pyramid on the centre table. If the couple is able to
share a kiss over top of the croquembouche without ruining it, it is said they will
share a lifetime of prosperity and luck. Many times this kiss is met with a lot of fan
fare, music and sparklers.
So there you have it, a few new customs inspired by Jono & Laynie’s worldly travels.
There are a few great traditions listed here that could be well worth initiating into
your own wedding. I mean, who wouldn’t want a few minutes alone amongst all the
chaos, especially if that means no reception line? Do you know of any interesting
traditions or customs from other parts of the world that could be added to this list?