German wedding culture

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German wedding culture is made up of many aspects congruent to those in America: the bride wears white, the groom wears black, a reception follows the ceremony. However, in Germany, these traditions are just part of a three-day wedding process.

1. Civil Ceremony

   • On the first day in the German marriage process, the bride and groom are legally married by a justice of the peace. As is the case in many countries, including the United States, it is not enough to simply be married in the church. All marriages in Germany must begin with the civil ceremony, which usually occurs in the week preceding the church ceremony and reception.

   Polterabend

   • During the week between the civil ceremony and the church wedding, the bride and groom throw a traditional party known as the polterabend, an evening when friends and family members arrive for a party of food and drinks, after which old pieces of porcelain dishes are broken all over the couple's house. The purpose of the broken pottery is to bestow good luck upon the couple. The pottery is cleaned up only after all of the guests have gone, to symbolize the partnership between the newly married couple.

   Religious Ceremony

   • The actual religious ceremony in a church or other locale is less complicated and worried over than is an American ceremony. As the couple is already married according to German law, they usually enter the church together and walk down the aisle holding hands. A white dress and black tuxedo are standard bride and groom attire. Traditional German weddings do not include a wedding party. There are no flower girls, bridesmaids, groomsmen or ring bearers--simply the bride, groom and guests. Traditional symbolic acts during the ceremony are for the groom to hold stalks of wheat and for the bride to hold bread, salt and white ribbons on her bouquet. These images symbolize bounty and wealth.

   Reception

   • As with American weddings, the religious ceremony is followed by a reception. The bride and groom leave the church under a shower of rice. German myth claims that the number of rice grains that stick to the bride's hair represents the number of children the couple will have. Dinner, toasting and dancing are usual events at the reception, not unlike an American wedding.

   Kidnapping of the Bride

   • Though it is not practiced by all Germans, it is common that on the night of the wedding the friends of the groom kidnap the bride and take her to a bar or pub. When the groom finds them he pays for all the drinks and they return to the reception. Following the reception, the bride and groom, like any other eager couple, head off for their honeymoon.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: bride groom, German wedding, German wedding culture, wedding culture, ceremony church, reception bride, reception bride groom