We are used to traditional western weddings, in which the brides wear white. But outside of this area we can find a great variety of clothes for that big day, depending on the country and its culture, which have nothing to do with what we usually see.
There are from brides with very colorful garments, with painted hands and face, to those who are completely covered in layers of jewels or veils.
Of course, not all people who get married in these countries do so in these outfits, but they are the traditional wedding outfits of the following 15 countries.
1- Hindu wedding
In Indian culture, it is normal to marry in red or pink suits. In addition, in the northern part of the country, brides are identified by wearing a red dot in the middle of their foreheads.
2- Traditional Ghanaian wedding
Traditional weddings in Ghana are usually very colorful. In addition, each family has its own patterned fabric that is the one that characterizes the wedding suits of the bride and groom.
3- Hutsul wedding in the Ukrainian Carpathians
The Hutsules are a Ukrainian ethnic group that has inhabited the Carpathian mountains for centuries. The traditional costumes they wear to get married are full of color and the weddings are very happy, full of dances, games and jokes.
4- Nigerian wedding
Nigeria is a very large country in which some 250 ethnic groups and nearly 500 languages coexist.
The ceremonies change depending on the region, religion and ethnic origin. They usually wear brightly colored outfits and the brides wear a kind of bow on their heads called a Gele.
5- Kazakh wedding
In traditional Kazakh weddings, the brides wear a headdress called “Saukele” and a veil. Saukele are normally prepared long before the girls reach marriageable age.
6- Chinese wedding
In China, the color red is considered the color of good luck. It is also believed that this color scares away the spirits of demons. That is why the traditional costumes of Chinese weddings are characterized by being of this color.
7- Romanian weddings from the Oas region
Weddings in Oas, in the northwestern part of Transylvania, are a very important event. They are organized by the bride and groom together with their parents and many rituals are involved in them, such as preparing the dowry and costumes, choosing the godparents and preparing the wedding flag.
8- Wedding in Mongolia
In traditional ceremonies in Mongolia, both the bride and groom wear the so-called “Deel”. The Deel is the traditional clothing commonly worn for centuries by the Mongols and other nomadic tribes of Central Asia.
9- Scottish wedding
Men in Scotland traditionally wear the kilt of their clan to their wedding. After the ceremony, the bride wears a shawl patterned in the colors of her new husband’s clan as a sign of her insertion into her family.
10- Japanese wedding
In a traditional Japanese wedding, the bride usually wears a white kimono for the formal ceremony, which symbolizes purity and virginity. After the ceremony, the bride can change it and put on a red one, which symbolizes good luck.
11- Traditional wedding in Hungary
In traditional weddings in Hungary, the bride’s attire usually includes an embroidered floral print dress in three bright colors. They also usually wear several petticoats and an elaborate headdress.
12- Indonesian wedding
Indonesia has some 17,000 islands and weddings vary greatly depending on where you live and which of the more than 300 existing ethnic groups you belong to.
13- Traditional Norwegian wedding
In Norway, the traditional dress at weddings is called Bunad. The Bunad can also be worn on other occasions such as baptisms.
14- Wedding in the Gora region, between Kosovo and Macedonia
The Goranis are Muslim, but their traditions and clothing contain pagan elements. The bride arrives at the ceremony on a white horse covered with a scarf and a specially decorated umbrella and accompanies her family to the home of her future husband.
15- Yakan Wedding
The Yakan are an ethno-linguistic group that inhabits the island of Basilan, in the Philippines. Traditional weddings in this region consist of two ceremonies, one Islamic and the other older, a pre-Islamic ritual. Weddings are arranged by the parents and the bride and groom must wear their faces painted during the ceremony.
What do you think of this type of wedding? Did you know about all these customs? If you found it curious and you want others to know about them too…
