Every culture has its own way of celebrating marriage, from grand ceremonies to intimate gatherings. But while many of us are familiar with white dresses, rings, and walking down the aisle, weddings around the world are filled with fascinating, bizarre, and downright unexpected traditions.
Some are designed to bring luck and prosperity, others are intended to test the couple’s commitment, and a few will make you wonder who came up with them in the first place.
So, let’s take a trip across the globe and explore some of the strangest, most intriguing wedding customs still practised today.
1. The German Plate-Smashing Party (Polterabend)
Forget elegant engagement parties and refined rehearsal dinners. In Germany, there’s an old tradition called Polterabend, which involves friends and family smashing plates, porcelain, and even toilets the night before the wedding.
The idea? Loud noise scares off evil spirits, and the couple must clean up the mess together, symbolising their ability to work as a team in marriage. Some families take it a step further by deliberately smashing things in hard-to-clean places, just to test the couple’s patience. Romantic, right?
2. Crying for a Month Before the Wedding – China
Most brides spend months planning their wedding, but in some parts of China, they also spend a full month crying before the big day.
This tradition, still observed in some Tujia communities, requires the bride to begin crying exactly one month before the wedding. After ten days, her mother joins in. Another ten days later, her grandmother follows. Eventually, sisters, aunts, and other women in the family join in, creating a chorus of weeping.
It might sound heartbreaking, but it’s actually seen as a celebration of love and marriage. The crying is ritualistic and theatrical, often incorporating singing, and is believed to express gratitude and prepare the bride for her new life.
3. Stealing the Groom’s Shoes – India
Indian weddings are known for being lavish, joyful, and full of symbolism. But there’s one tradition, Joota Chupai, that turns the celebration into a playful battle.
During the ceremony, the groom must remove his shoes before stepping into the mandap (wedding altar). The moment he does, the bride’s family steals them—and refuses to give them back without a bribe.
What follows is a game of wits and negotiation, where the groom and his family try to retrieve the shoes while the bride’s side demands money in exchange. It’s all in good fun, of course, and the groom usually ends up paying up to please his new in-laws.
4. The Blackening – Scotland
Scottish weddings are often full of charm and tradition, but The Blackening is something else entirely.
In this pre-wedding ritual, the bride, groom, or both are captured by friends, covered in a revolting mixture of soot, feathers, flour, eggs, and anything else disgusting, then paraded around town for everyone to see.
The idea? If a couple can handle the embarrassment, discomfort, and sheer messiness of The Blackening, they can handle anything marriage throws at them. While it’s much less common now, some rural communities still uphold the tradition in good spirits.
5. The Chicken Liver Wedding Prediction – Mongolia
Forget star signs or tarot cards—some Mongolian couples determine their wedding date based on a chicken’s liver.
A traditional Mongolian engagement involves the couple slaughtering a baby chick together and inspecting its liver. If the liver looks healthy, they can proceed with setting a wedding date. If not, they must keep trying until they find a suitable liver.
It’s a unique way to seek luck and prosperity, though it might make for an awkward dinner conversation when explaining how you picked your wedding day.
6. Kidnapping the Bride – Romania & Kyrgyzstan
In some parts of Romania, Moldova, and even France, wedding guests kidnap the bride before the wedding and hold her for ransom. The groom must then pay in money, drinks, or acts of love (such as singing a song in public) to win her back.
Though it’s a fun, staged event today, the tradition has dark roots—it was once a real practice in several cultures. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, “bride kidnapping” was once common, with men abducting women and forcing them into marriage. While illegal now, there are still cases of it happening in remote areas, making this tradition one of the more controversial on the list.
7. Breaking Bells and Balancing Bread – Greece
Greek weddings are known for their energy, dancing, and smashing plates, but there’s an older tradition that’s just as interesting:
- Some Greek brides place a sugar cube in their glove to “sweeten” the marriage.
- In some areas, the groom’s friends shave him on the morning of the wedding as a sign of trust.
- And in certain rural regions, a piece of bread is balanced on the bride’s head during the ceremony to symbolise abundance and prosperity.
These traditions may seem unusual, but they reflect a culture where weddings are deeply symbolic and community-driven.
Final Thoughts: What Makes a Wedding Tradition Special?
Reading through these traditions, you might wonder: Why do we have wedding customs at all?
The truth is, every culture has its own version of what makes a “perfect” wedding, shaped by history, superstition, and community values. While some of these customs might seem strange to outsiders, they all share something in common:
💍 They bring people together.
🎉 They make weddings feel meaningful.
😂 And sometimes, they just make for a great story.
So whether it’s breaking plates, stealing shoes, or crying for a month straight, one thing’s for sure—weddings are never just about the couple. They’re about the traditions that bring us all closer together.
