A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vows by a couple; a presentation of a gift (e.g., an offering, rings, a symbolic item, flowers, money, or a dress); and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or celebrant. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers, or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony, as well as superstitious customs.
Common elements across cultures
Some cultures have adopted the traditional Western custom of the white wedding, in which a bride wears a white wedding dress and veil. This tradition was popularized through the marriage of Queen Victoria. Some say Queen Victoria's choice of a white gown may have simply been a sign of extravagance, but may have also been influenced by the values she held which emphasized sexual purity.Otnes, Cele & Pleck, Elizabeth (2003). Cinderella Dreams: the Allure of the Lavish Wedding, p. 31. University of California Press, Berkeley.
The use of a wedding ring has long been part of religious weddings in Indian sub-continent, Europe and America, but the origin of the tradition is unclear. One possibility is the Roman belief in the vena amoris, which was believed to be a blood vessel that ran from the fourth finger (ring finger) directly to the heart. Thus, when a couple wore rings on this finger, their hearts were connected. Historian Vicki Howard points out that the belief in the "ancient" quality of the practice is most likely a modern invention.Howard, Vicky (2006). Brides Inc.: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition, p. 34. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia. In the United States, a groom's wedding band has not appeared until the early 20th century,Howard, Vicky (2006). Brides Inc.: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition, p. 61. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia. while in Europe it has been part of the tradition since the ancient Romans, as witnessed by the jurist Gaius.
The exit from the wedding ceremony is also called the "send off" and often includes traditional practices; for instance, in Ethiopian weddings, newlyweds and the rest of the wedding party bow and kiss the elders' knees. In most of the Western world, as well as in countries such as India and Malaysia, the send off often includes the practice of throwing rice (a symbol of prosperity and fertility) or other seeds at the newlyweds. Despite popular belief, using uncooked rice for this purpose is not harmful to birds. In several cultures, people toss shoes instead of rice.
The wedding ceremony is often followed by a wedding reception or wedding breakfast, in which the rituals may include speeches from a groom, best man, father of a bride and possibly a bride, the newlyweds' first dance as a couple, and the cutting of an elegant wedding cake. In recent years traditions have changed to include a father-daughter dance for a bride and her father, and sometimes also a mother-son dance for a groom and his mother.
Locations In some countries there are restrictions on where a wedding may take place, for example before the Marriage Act 1994, marriages in England and Wales could only take place in authorized religious buildings or civil register offices, but the Act extended the options available to allow weddings in other "approved premises".Haskey, J., Marriages in 'approved premises' in England and Wales: the impact of the 1994 Marriage Act, Population Trends, Autumn 1998, (93):38-52, abstract accessed 31 March 2023 Cretney identified a wide range of venues which sought approval after the implementation of this legal change, including funeral homes, hotels, stately homes, baseball fields, football grounds, basketball courts, beaches, cemetery chapels, mausoleum chapels, town halls, museums, performing arts centers, health clubs, urban parks and former warships. Related outdoor locations could also be approved for weddings after the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 were adopted.Jago, R., Location, Location, Location: 'In the grounds as a wedding venue, University of London, accessed 31 March 2023
Traditional wedding attire
Western dress code Wedding dress (or bridal gown), a special dress worn by a bride. Wedding veil, popularized by Queen Victoria, was a long-held custom in which the 'purity' and 'innocence' of the bride could thwart evil spirits. Morning dress, western daytime formal dress White tie ("evening dress" in the U.K; very formal evening attire) Black tie or Evening Suit ("dinner jacket" in the U.K; often referred to as a tuxedo in the U.S. and Canada; traditionally appropriate only for use after 6:00 p.m.) Stroller Lounge suit Non-traditional "tuxedo" variants (colored jackets/ties, "wedding suits") Ao dai, traditional garments of Vietnam Barong tagalog, an embroidered, formal men's garment of the Philippines Batik and Kebaya, a garment worn by the Javanese people of Indonesia and also by the Malay people of Malaysia Dashiki, the traditional West African wedding attire Dhoti, male garment in South India Hanbok, the traditional garment of Korea Kilt, male garment particular to Scottish culture Kittel, a white robe worn by the groom at an Orthodox Jewish wedding. A kittel is worn only under a chuppah and is removed before the reception. Qun Gua or Kua (裙褂 pinyin qún guà, Cantonese kwàhn kwáa), Chinese traditional formal wear. This can be in the form of a qipao or hanfu. Ribbon shirt, often worn by Native American men on auspicious occasions, such as weddings. Another common custom is to wrap the bride and groom in a blanket. Sampot, traditional dress in Cambodia Sari/Lehenga, Indian popular and traditional dress in India Sherwani, a long coat-like garment worn in South Asia Shiromuku Kimono, a traditional wedding garment in Japan Shweshwe, a female dress worn by Basotho women during special ceremonies. It has recently been adopted in men's attire as well. Tiara, or wedding crown, worn by Syrian and Greek couples (which are called "τα στέφανα", which literally means "wreaths") and Scandinavian brides Topor, a type of conical headgear traditionally worn by grooms as part of a Bengali Hindu wedding ceremony
Wedding music
Western weddings Music played at Western weddings includes a processional song (e.g., the Wedding March) for walking down the aisle, either before or after the marriage service. An example of such use is reported in the 1878 wedding of Nora Robinson and Alexander Kirkman Finlay.
The "Bridal Chorus" from Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, commonly known as "Here Comes the Bride", is often used as the processional. Wagner is said to have been anti-Semitic, and as a result, the Bridal Chorus is normally not used at Jewish weddings. UK law forbids music with any religious connotations to be used in a civil ceremony.
Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D is an alternative processional. Other alternatives include various contemporary melodies, such as Bob Marley's One Love, which is sometimes performed by a steel drum band. The music used in modern weddings is usually left completely up to the bride and groom, and it is becoming increasingly popular for couples to add their own twist to the song they walk down the aisle to. Many brides and grooms use songs that hold special value for them.
In the United States, approximately 2 million people get married each year, and close to 70 million people attend a wedding and spend more than $100 on a gift.
In the United Kingdom, according to a survey, the average minimum amount spent on a wedding gift is £24.70, and the average maximum amount spent is £111.46. Eighty-five percent of people said that they were more likely to spend more money on a person if they had a good relationship with them.
Customs associated with various religions and cultures
Christian customs
Most Christian churches give some form of blessing to a marriage, which is seen as a sacred institution in some sense, although terminology and associated theological meanings vary widely from one denomination to another (e.g., "holy matrimony", "sacrament of marriage", "holy ordinance of marriage", or "holy union").
A celebration of Holy Matrimony typically includes mutual vows or solemn promises of lifelong love and fidelity by the couple, and may include some sort of pledge by the community to support the couple's relationship. A church wedding is a ceremony held in a church and presided over by a Christian pastor. Traditionally, Christian weddings occur in a church, as Christian marriage ideally begins where one started their faith journey (Christians receive the sacrament of baptism in church in the presence of their congregation). Catholic Christian weddings must "take place in a church building", as holy matrimony is a sacrament; sacraments normatively occur in the presence of Christ in the house of God, and "members of the faith community [should be] present to witness the event and provide support and encouragement for those celebrating the sacrament." Bishops never grant permission "to those requesting to be married in a garden, on the beach, or some other place outside of the church" and a dispensation is only granted "in extraordinary circumstances (for example, if a bride or groom is ill or disabled and unable to come to the church)." Marriage in the church, for Christians, is seen as contributing to the fruit of the newlywed couple regularly attending church each Lord's Day and raising children in the faith.
Wedding ceremonies typically contain prayers and readings from the Holy Bible and reflect the church's teachings about the spiritual significance of marriage, as well as its purpose and obligations. The wedding service often includes the reception of Holy Communion, especially in the context of Mass (as with Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism). In some traditional weddings of Western Christianity (especially Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism), a "care cloth" or "nuptial veil" (velatio nuptialis) "signifying a marriage yoke joining the bride and groom together" may be held over the kneeling couple during the nuptial blessing given by the priest.
Pre-marital counseling may be recommended or required for an engaged couple. In some Christian countries or denominations, a betrothal rite, as well as the reading of banns of marriage may also be required before the wedding date.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Matrimony is considered to be one of the seven sacraments, in this case, one that the spouses bestow upon each other in front of a priest and members of the community as witnesses. As with all sacraments, it is seen as having been instituted by Jesus himself (see Gospel of Matthew 19:1–2, Catechism of the Catholic Church §1614–1615). The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy noted that there can be a place for appropriate "customs and ceremonies" to be incorporated into a Catholic marriage service.Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, paragraph 77, published on 4 December 1963, accessed on 15 July 2025, reflecting the Council of Trent's Statement on Doctrine Touching the Sacrament of Matrimony, 1563,