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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
Smashed porcelain in Germany, caught chestnuts in Korea, a cord around the couple in the Philippines. Fifteen wedding traditions and what they mean.
Some of the world's most interesting wedding traditions are little known outside their home culture: Germans smash porcelain the night before the wedding, Korean brides catch dates and chestnuts thrown by their in-laws, Japanese couples share sake in three cups of three sips, and Filipino couples are joined by a veil and a figure-eight cord. Here are 15 of them, with what each means. Every custom varies by region, religion and family, so treat these as common versions rather than rules.
On the Polterabend, the night before the wedding, guests break porcelain in front of the couple. The saying goes "shards bring luck", and the couple clean up the mess together, a first joint task.
In an Orthodox wedding, the couple wear two crowns joined by a ribbon. The sponsor, or koumbaros, exchanges them over the couple's heads, as Wikipedia's article on Orthodox marriage describes. The crowns mark the couple as king and queen of their new household. More in our Greek wedding traditions guide.
Couples share a drink from a quaich, a shallow two-handled cup, often just after signing the register, as a symbol of coming together.
The kransekake, a tower of almond rings, is served at Norwegian weddings. One tradition says the number of rings that stick to the top one when it is lifted is the number of children the couple will have.
In a Shinto wedding, the couple share sake from three cups, each drunk in three sips. Interpretations differ: sharing joys and sorrows, or the bond of man, woman and child. See Japanese wedding etiquette for guests.
At pyebaek, a family ceremony traditionally held after the wedding, the groom's parents throw jujubes (dates) and chestnuts, which the bride tries to catch in her skirt. The dates stand for daughters and the chestnuts for sons, and the number caught is said to predict how many children the couple will have.
The Double Happiness) character, 囍, is two copies of the character for joy side by side, and appears on invitations, decorations and gifts at Chinese weddings. The tea ceremony is another highlight; see what happens at a Chinese tea ceremony.
In a Filipino Catholic wedding, sponsors pin a veil over the couple, "clothing" the two as one, then drape a cord shaped like a figure eight over their shoulders as a sign of lasting fidelity.
A wedding lasso, a loop of cord or rosary beads formed into a figure of eight, is placed around the couple's shoulders after their vows. It is common in Mexico, the Philippines and Spain, and symbolises unity and protection.
Las arras are thirteen coins, blessed by the priest and passed between the couple, symbolising prosperity and a promise to share everything they have.
At old-time Jamaican village weddings, the bridal cake stayed covered in white cloth until guests "bid" money on a plate to have it unveiled, according to a Jamaica Gleaner history. More in our Caribbean wedding traditions guide.
Among the Akan, marriage starts with "knocking": the groom's family visits the bride's family with drinks such as schnapps or palm wine to announce his intentions, as GhanaWeb explains.
Lobola is bride wealth negotiated between families among Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana and other peoples, traditionally counted in cattle and now often paid as a cash value per cow. See our African wedding traditions guide.
Guests shower the dancing couple with banknotes, a practice known as money spraying. Because Nigeria's central bank law treats it as currency abuse, many guests now use envelopes or transfers instead.
At the end of a Jewish wedding, a glass is broken underfoot, traditionally by the groom. One common explanation is that it tempers the joy with memory of the destruction of the Temple. Our Jewish wedding traditions for guests guide covers the rest of the ceremony.
| # | Tradition | Where | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polterabend | Germany | Luck |
| 2 | Stefana | Greece | Union, the couple as king and queen |
| 3 | Quaich | Scotland | Coming together |
| 4 | Kransekake rings | Norway | Predicting children |
| 5 | San-san-kudo | Japan | Sealing the bond |
| 6 | Pyebaek | Korea | Blessing, children |
| 7 | Double Happiness | China | Joy |
| 8 | Veil and cord | Philippines | Unity, fidelity |
| 9 | El lazo | Mexico | Unity, protection |
| 10 | Las arras | Mexico, Spain | Prosperity, sharing |
| 11 | Cake bidding | Jamaica | Celebration, gifts |
| 12 | Knocking | Ghana | Family introduction |
| 13 | Lobola | Southern Africa | Joining families |
| 14 | Spraying | Nigeria | Celebration, gifts |
| 15 | Breaking the glass | Jewish weddings | Remembrance |
If a custom isn't from your own heritage, ask someone from that culture before adopting it, and explain it to guests on your wedding website. Blending two families' customs? Our multicultural wedding guide helps you choose. For customs tied to luck, see wedding traditions for luck and prosperity.
Seating a multicultural guest list? See how Matchmaker seats families together automatically.
There's no reliable global count. Many cultures share ideas, such as joining two families, exchanging gifts between them and wishing the couple children and prosperity, but the rituals differ.
At the Polterabend, breaking porcelain is said to bring luck ("shards bring luck"), and cleaning it up together is the couple's first shared task.
Jujubes and chestnuts, thrown by the groom's parents at pyebaek. The bride catches them in her skirt, and the number caught is said to predict how many children the couple will have.
Many couples do, respectfully. Learn what it means, ask someone from that culture, and don't use religious rites out of context.
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