Scottish Wedding Traditions

Modern Scottish wedding traditions
Today the wedding ceremony is not quite so formal or so ritualistic – but many of today’s traditions still hearken back to the traditions of the past. Usually about a week before the ceremony the mother of the bride will hold a “show of presents” for her daughter. This corresponds to the bridal shower in other cultures. During the show of presents the female guests bring gifts to help the new couple establish a home of their own. The presents are opened for everyone to see and the bride’s mother serves tea and cakes.
A slightly more raunchy tradition is the groom’s stag party. Just before tying the knot the groom and his male friends go out for a wild night of partying and drinking. Often the groom is so drunk by the end of the evening that he hardly notices that his friends leave him in the street in front of his home, partly or even fully naked, sometimes tied up.
The modern Scottish bride will wear a traditional or contemporary white wedding gown, while the groom dresses in traditional Highland kilt, kilt jacket and sporran. The couple are either bag piped down the isle or traditional Gaelic hymns are played as they walk to the alter. The Highland Wedding is played at virtually all Scottish weddings.
Once at the alter the couple may choose to recite their vows in ancient Gaelic or to recite them in modern English. Following the vows the groom often pins a strip of his clan’s tartan colors to the bride’s wedding dress to signify that she is now a member of his clan.

German Wedding Traditions

German Marriage Celebrations
A traditional wedding day, in Germany, could actually last three days. First, German couples who are getting married must have a civil ceremony at the city center, which only family and close friends attend.
The next night is the big wedding party. The bride and groom invite all of their friends, neighbors and acquaintances.German wedding tradition says it's good luck for guests to bring old dishes to break. The newlyweds then sweep up the broken pieces together, symbolizing that nothing will ever be broken in their house again.
Religious Marriage Ceremonies in Germany
On the third day, the German religious wedding ceremony takes place. German brides do not have traditional wedding attendants except for flower girls.
Sometime during the vows, when the couple are on their knees, the groom might kneel on his brides wedding dress to show who will be 'wearing the pants' in the relationship. When they stand, the bride might step on her groom's foot to show otherwise.
As the newlyweds leave the wedding chappel, they throw coins to the children watching.
A wedding reception follows the religious service.. It is customary for the 'best man' to steal the bride from the reception and take her to a local pub, where they drink champagne until the groom finds them. Then the groom has to pay for all that they drank. Later, friends of the couple block all the reception site exits with ribbons and garlands. When the couple is ready to leave for their honeymoon, the groom must pay a toll to exit, usually the promise of another party.

wedding tradition in england

As early as the sixteenth, up to the nineteenth century, marriages were arranged by parents or guardians. The bride and bridegroom often were not acquainted until their marriage. The parents often made the marriage arrangements and betrothals while the bride and bridegroom were small children (ages three to seven).

The children would continue to live with their own parents and meet from time to time for meals or holiday celebration. These prearranged marriages came under fire in the late seventeenth century when a judge held that betrothals and marriages prior the age of seven were "utterly void".

However, they would be valid if, after the age of seven, the children called each other husband and wife, embraced, kissed each other, gave and received Gifts of Token. Later, young couples ran away and had a ceremony privately performed without banns or license. These elopements and private ceremonies represented the beginning of a revolt against parental control of marital selection.

The Civil Marriage Act of 1653, passed by the Puritans under Cromwell, required a civil ceremony before a justice of the peace after presentation of the certificate from the parish register that banns had been published. If either party were under twenty-one, proof of parental consent must also be presented. The wedding ceremony consisted of a simple formula to be repeated by the man and woman and was accompanied by hand fastening.

The use of a ring was forbidden. By the Hardwicke Act of 1753, all weddings, except members of the royal family, were to be performed only after publication of banns or issuance of a license, only during the morning hours of eight to twelve, only in an Anglican Church or chapel, and only before an Anglican clergyman. Two or more witnesses were required and a register must be kept. Parental consent was demanded unless the banns had been published.

The Catholic Church, in the Council of Trent, restated its position that marriage was one of the seven sacraments and therefore could not be dissolved. Up until the early 1990's, it was very difficult to get married in Great Britain.

If one wishes to marry in England or Wales, they must do so in a church which has a register, (which is like a special license), and they can do so only in the district (shire) where one of the couple resides. All Church of England parishes (Anglican) are automatically registered, regardless of their size. No blood tests or counseling are required.

Present Day Wedding Traditions

Brides have "Hen' nights and bridegrooms have "Stag" parties similar to bachelor/bachelorette parties. There are ceremony rehearsals, but no rehearsal dinner. If the couple will marry in a church, banns announcing the proposed wedding are read aloud in the church three Sundays before the wedding. It is unlucky for the bride and bridegroom to be present at the calling of the banns.

Weddings are traditionally held at noon; afterward there is a seated luncheon, called a "wedding breakfast". Invitations to the wedding are similar to the United States' customs, but few people would go the expense of calligraphy addressing. Response cards are not used; guests purchase their own individual reply cards. It is good luck for a chimney sweep to kiss the bride when she comes out of the church.