Does anyone know any fun wedding traditions in Europe?
 

I am throwing a bridal shower at a wine bar in a few weeks. Instead of just doing the traditional shower games (toilet paper wedding gown design, etc), I was hoping to bring a little culture to the party. I thought it would be fun if we incorporated an activity or tradition of a European country...and at the same time, enjoy a glass of wine from the same country. We are going to sample 3 wines, so I was hoping for 3 activities. I will pick the wines after I decided which countries have fun traditions that I can use at my shower.

One fun idea that I found while surfing the internet was to have all of the single ladies at the shower sign the sole of the brides wedding shoes. According to Spanish legend, the girl whose signature has faded the least at the end of the wedding night is the next to get married. This is not really a game or activity, but I thought it may be a fun tradition to copy.

I was hoping some of you on this forum may have some other fun ideas to share with me. Even if it is just the smallest tradition, I may be able to modify it into a full on activity. Thanks for your help

This was done at a German wedding, but could easily be adapted to a shower game. First, come up with twelve things the couple would enjoy throughout the year that someone could easily "provide" with little expense e.g. a car wash, a snowman, a bouquet of flowers, etc. Assign each item to a month of the year and write the task and the month on a piece of paper. Attach the papers to an open umbrella. The game -- start the music. Pass around the umbrella. When the music stops, the person holding the umbrella takes a piece of paper. That person is then "assigned" that task for that month of the couples first married year. The game continues until all the tasks are assigned.

A great German Riesling could accompany the game.
Have fun!

I thought a fun tradition, which a German friend told me about, is for the bride-to-be and her friends to help clear out everyone's old chipped and cracked china and ceremoneously smash it to pieces - the bride has to clean it up. Maybe it's more fun throwing it out an apartment window than from a house. My friends also filled an old car with balloons, which the bride had to burst - not sure how that actually worked.

I went to a wedding in France where, about three hours into the lunch, they auctioned the bride's garter (a fetchingly lacy number). I was assured this was to raise money for the honeymoon.

Not the bride alone, but bride and groom TOGETHER have to clean up the cracked china. There is no tradition of "bridal showers" and "hen's nights" and such in Germany, all these are recent imports from the English-speaking world. The original German tradition is the so-called "Polterabend" on the evening before the wedding, when the to-be-married's (both together!) throw a big party for all their friends and relatives; no invitations, everyone can come. The china is to be smashed on the doorstep of the house.

Background: a) there is a saying that broken china means good luck, so this is to bring good luck to the doorstep of this house and the marriage, and b) bride and groom have to show how well they work together.

Thanks for the replies! I really like the "12 gifts" idea wanderfrau. Thanks for that idea. I also like the idea of breaking something...but not sure how the venue would feel about that. :) I welcome any more ideas if anyone has any.

There is a tradition in Brittany (I call it a tradition - it certainly took place at the three weddings I have been to in the region) that during the wedding meal, people can get up and sing a song. The couple will often provide a book or printout of song lyrics and the first person starts by simply standing on their chair and belting something out, as everybody else joins in. No backing track, so you can sing in any key you like.

Then, if it's a woman who has sung, all the men have to get up and form a line to give her a kiss (faire la bise). The last man in line then has to choose a song from the book and sing it. Then all the women line up to give him a kiss, and so on. It's silly and rowdy and doesn't sound like fun until you've had a glass or two (much like karaoke) but it certainly gets the atmosphere going.

Give them a padlock to carry with them on their honeymoon where they can afix it to a romantic spot.

There's a bridge in Rome with hundreds of padlocks bearing the couples names/initials. I also saw a wedding party in Salerno where the happy couple added theirs to the pier.

Whatever you do, do NOT give anyone a padlock to hang on some public bridge anywhere. These are despicable and no one in their right mind would do such a thing, it is defacing public property and ruining the infrastructure.

Another German tradition is the "marriage exam". Bride and groom have to master several tasks which are important for the marriage, e.g.

- she has to shave a ballon with a razor,
- he has to diaper a doll,
- both have to cut a log with a two-man saw.

Your friends will have a lot of fun finding more tasks.

After the exam is passed, the master of ceremony will hand you a handmade certificate with your achievements with grandiloquent words. The certificate will be a nice souvenir.

This thread is from 2011, and has been topped by a spammer.