Unique Wedding Ceremonies Around the World

Different country having wedding in their own way, the royal couple may have opted for one of the ceremonies which mark weddings in these countries, some of them quite exotic. Here's a look at some of the wedding traditions celebrated all over the world.

A Turkish wedding combines elements of Western-style ceremonies with local religious traditions. Weddings are mostly held in luxury hotels and the bride will wear a white gown, adorned with a red sash, the color for good luck in Turkey. She and her husband will sit at a special table together with the witnesses, and an official will conduct the civil ceremony.

In the Muslim country of Morocco, the wedding ceremony takes up several days. Habits and customs are changing but five days prior to the wedding, the negaffa, older women who prepare the bridal chamber and the bride on her wedding day, still play an important role. The bride is given a purifying bath, then her hands and feet are decorated with henna designs, kohl makeup is applied to her eyes and she is dressed in her wedding caftan and jewelry.

The traditional Korean wedding ceremony is steeped in Confucian values. Every gesture and move is strictly regulated and follows a protocol. The ceremony starts with a photo session, often in a beautiful garden, then the bride's parents move to where the ceremony is to take place and wait at the wedding table for the groom's party to arrive.


 

Bride and groom in Japan come together either by a love match or through an arranged marriage. The ceremony itself is an extremely elaborate and extravagant affair and in modern day Japan is a combination of western style marriage and traditional Shinto ceremony, often held in a Shinto shrine located in a hotel where the entire festivities ,including dinner and reception, take place. Photographs play a great role and so does the dressing of the bride who has to change outfits several times during the ceremony.
 

Germans tend to be either Catholic or Protestant and the exchange of vows takes place in church  following the civil marriage in the Standesamt. The bride wears a white gown and walks down the aisle on the arm of her father who gives her away to the groom waiting for her at the altar with his best man.
 

Depending on region and religion, wedding customs and ceremonies in India vary greatly. However what they all have in common is that they are lavish affairs and symbolize more the social coming together of two families than the union of two individuals. Prior to the wedding day. Bride and groom are attended by seven unmarried females who apply a paste made from sandalwood, turmeric and rose water to the couple's face, hands and feet. The couple are not allowed to leave home after that until their actual wedding day.
 

Most Mexicans are Roman Catholics and the wedding ceremony take place within the church. Godparents play an important role in the tradition. The madrina de arras holds 13 coins which have been blessed by the priest and which symbolize the joint finances of the couple. The madrina de velacion is a woman of confidence to whom the bride can always turn for help and advice. Other godparents carry wineglasses for the wedding toast.