German Wedding Traditions
German Wedding Traditions
German Wedding Traditions
German Wedding Traditions
Many American brides and grooms of German descent still follow old German wedding traditions that the Pennsylvania Dutch brought to the United States when settling in Pennsylvania, beginning in the late seventeenth century. Whether you plan to marry in Germany or simply wish to honor your German heritage, you will find rich and interesting German customs to include in your wedding.
German Wedding Traditions Today
As in nearly all countries, wedding traditions have evolved over the years,classic wedding invitations and Germany is no exception.
The Engagement
Traditionally, both German men and women who are engaged wear plain gold or silver bands on their left hands until the wedding, at which time they move the rings to their right hands, as is the custom in many other Eastern European countries and orthodox religions.
Before the Wedding
German couples traditionally throw a party the night before the wedding, during which their guests throw porcelain dishes at the couple's feet for good luck. Superstition is also an ancient German tradition.
The Wedding Ceremony
In Germany, a church wedding is not recognized as a legal ceremony, and engaged couples are required to wed in a state office before they are legally married. Unlike in the United States where couples can marry within hours or at most, days, after applying for a marriage license, Germans are required to wait six weeks to marry after filing with the state.
Commonly, German couples marry in the state office with a handful of friends and relatives as witnesses. Many couples then also observe a more elaborate church wedding sometime during the following week. German brides wear simple wedding gowns with shorter trains and shorter veils than American brides wear, and they do not cover their faces with their veils as American brides often do. German weddings usually only include one attendant for the bride and one for the groom, unlike the many bridesmaids and groomsmen commonly included in American wedding ceremonies.
German wedding tradition dictates that both the bride's and groom's parents and the engaged couple themselves share the wedding expenses, unlike the traditional American custom of expecting the bride's father to pay for the entire wedding.
Guests throw rice in Germany as they do in the U.S., and German newlyweds throw coins at children outside the church. One German superstition says the couple will have the same number of children as the grains of rice that remain in the bride's hair. The bride gives each guest a length of white ribbon from her bridal bouquet to tie to their car antenna before the guests drive away.
The Wedding Reception
German history is steeped in rich music and artistic expression, and this tradition carries over to the wedding celebration and reception. The first dance at the wedding reception is traditionally an elegant waltz, and elaborate speeches are offered by the families of the bride and groom. Traditional German songs are sung, and German beer and ale may be served.
German wedding cakes are traditionally large and elaborate, decorated with beautiful ornaments. It is safe to say they are not often made from what Americans know as "German Chocolate" cake, as this is an American recipe that is virtually unknown in Germany. Both the bride and groom cut the cake together as they do in the U.S.
The Honeymoon
The bridal couple remains at the wedding reception until the last guest leaves, after which the couple leaves for the honeymoon in a car decorated with flowers or a more traditional horse and carriage. German wedding tradition often includes pranks that friends and family play on the couple to disrupt their wedding night. Newlyweds frequently find that their bed collapses, their room is filled with balloons, or that their alarm clock or telephone mysteriously rings at 4:00 a.m.
German newlyweds take one or two week honeymoons when possible, just as couples in the U.S. do, because whatever country's customs are followed during the wedding, a marriage should always have a fresh beginning.
http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/german-wedding-traditions-4358996.html
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