Loading Forever Farrah…
By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
Later marriages, more civil ceremonies, token dowries and chapel weddings in Japan. How weddings are changing around the world, and what couples keep.
Traditional weddings were typically arranged or approved by families, held in a religious setting, and bound by customs about gifts, bride wealth and roles. Modern weddings around the world tend to happen later in life, are more often civil or personalised, and treat traditions as choices rather than duties. But few couples drop tradition entirely. Most keep the customs that matter to their families, often in a separate ceremony, and change the rest.
People marry later. In the US, the Census Bureau estimated the median age at first marriage in 2025 at 30.8 for men and 28.4 for women, up from 23.5 and 21.1 in 1975. In England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics reported median ages of 32.7 for men and 31.2 for women at first opposite-sex marriage in 2022, the highest on record for men. Older couples often pay for more of the wedding themselves and make more of the decisions. See who pays for the wedding around the world.
Fewer religious ceremonies. The same ONS release found 83.0% of marriages in England and Wales in 2022 were civil ceremonies, compared with 50.4% in 1992.
New styles replace old ones. In Japan, Wikipedia's article on Shinto weddings notes Shinto rites have fallen from about 90% of ceremonies to about 50% since the 1990s, as many couples choose Western-style chapel weddings regardless of religion.
Governments step in on costs. In China, the Supreme People's Court has stepped up efforts to curb high caili (bride price), which has turned into bidding wars in some regions, and 2026 was the sixth year in a row that central policy prioritised reforming rural wedding customs, Caixin reported.
Tradition written into modern law. Some countries have updated the law to fit custom rather than replace it. Kenya's Marriage Act 2014 gives customary marriage equal status with civil and religious marriage, and says a token dowry is enough to prove it, per Kenya Law. South Africa's Recognition of Customary Marriages Act recognises marriages under customary law, including lobola negotiations, provided both spouses consent.
| Traditional pattern | Modern pattern | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | Families, elders, sometimes a matchmaker | Mostly the couple, with family input |
| Age at marriage | Younger | Later, around 30 in the US and UK |
| Ceremony | Religious or customary | Civil, religious, or both; often personalised |
| Gifts between families | Bride price, dowry, formal gift lists | Token, symbolic or dropped |
| Number of events | Often several days | One day, or a small legal wedding plus a party |
| Guest list | Whole family and community | Chosen by the couple, often smaller |
South and East Asia. Multi-day weddings with family rituals remain common, and many couples add a Western-style reception or chapel ceremony. In Korea, the family pyebaek survives inside modern weddings. See Indian wedding traditions and Korean wedding traditions.
Africa. The traditional ceremony and the "white wedding" often both happen, sometimes on different days. Family negotiations such as lobola or the Ghanaian knocking continue alongside church and civil weddings. See African wedding traditions.
Europe. Civil weddings are now the norm in many countries, and in some, including France, the civil ceremony is compulsory before any religious one, per the French government's Service-Public. Folk customs like the German Polterabend survive as parties. See how weddings differ across Europe.
The Americas. In Mexico and Latin America, Catholic customs such as the lazo and las arras appear in both church weddings and newer ceremonies. See Mexican wedding traditions.
Even when everything else is modernised, some things stay:
Talk about which traditions matter to whom. Parents and grandparents often care about one or two specific rituals. Ask early. Our guide on handling family expectations helps.
Split events if that's easier. A traditional ceremony for family and a modern reception for friends lets each happen in full. Forever Farrah tracks RSVPs per event, so each keeps its own guest list and headcount. See should you have two wedding ceremonies.
Explain customs to guests. Guests from other backgrounds enjoy traditions more when they know what's happening.
Seating a multicultural guest list? See how Matchmaker seats families together automatically.
Not so much disappearing as changing. Civil and personalised ceremonies are growing, but many couples keep family rituals, often in a separate event.
In the US, the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate of the median age at first marriage was 30.8 for men and 28.4 for women. In England and Wales in 2022, it was 32.7 for men and 31.2 for women in opposite-sex marriages. It varies widely by country.
To honour family customs and the law, or two cultures, without compromising either. In some countries the legal wedding must be civil, so a separate religious or cultural ceremony is natural.
In many places, yes, though often as a token. Kenyan law, for example, accepts a token dowry as proof of a customary marriage.
Loading Forever Farrah…