Italian Wedding Traditions

In Italy, engagement is held before the marriage and diamond engagement rings are mostly popular. The engagement is attended by the relatives of the bride and the groom.

It is customary for the Italian couple to walk to the wedding chapel together. The people around often place obstacles in the bride's path to see how she would react to domestic situations. Another popular custom is to tie a ribbon in front of the wedding chapel to symbolize the bond between the couple getting married. The actual marriage ceremony is regulated by a priest or a civil authority.

Italian folklore suggests that in order to ward off any evil spirit, the groom might carry a piece of iron in his pocket. The bride also wears a veil to cover her face from evil spirits.

In the wedding reception, the traditional Italian custom of 'buste' is common, i.e. the bride will carry a satin bag (la borsa) in which guests put envelops of money to defer the expenses of the customarily lavish Italian weddings. Sometimes the bag is guarded by the bride's grandmother. The bride also allows the male guests to put money into that bag in exchange for a dance with her. At the end of the reception, the bride and the groom usually break a glass and the number of pieces of the shattered glass symbolize the years the happy couples will share together.

The guests in the Italian weddings are usually treated with traditional gourmet Italian food. Sweet liquor and strong drinks are usually served. The guests may be served as many as 14 different courses with other beverages. After dinner, the customary multi-layered Italian wedding cake is served with espresso and coffee.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Italy and around the world.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world