A white dress, veil, something borrowed, old, new and blue – these are all the pieces essential to a traditional western wedding gown. And as with every tradition, there’s an explanation for every detail in the wedding ceremony. And though we are all used to see white tones on a wedding dress, you don’t have to look very far for an entirely different approach to the bride’s attire. And as the cultures and wedding ceremony traditions vary from country to country, so does the unique dresses. Some brides adorn themselves in colourful wedding dresses, others paint their hands and faces by local customs, and some hide their faces completely behind layers of jewellery or veils.
alembang Wedding, Indonesia
Palembang is the second-largest city on Sumatra island in Indonesia. In traditional weddings brides wear what’s called an Aesan Gede, which is a rich and striking costume that evokes the grandeur of the Srivijaya empire.
Sami Wedding
The Sami are the indigenous people living in the far north of Europe. The area is called Sápmi and it stretches across parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula. Their traditional dresses explain a lot about the wearer. For example, single people wear belts with circular buttons, while square buttons mean a person is married
Polish Wedding From The Lowicz Area
A Polish bride will traditionally wear a white dress and a full veil (welon). The groom will often wear a buttonhole flower to match his bride’s bouquet. If you notice a bride subtly moving a part of her wedding dress to cover the top of the groom’s shoe, she may be following a traditional belief that this will give her a position of dominance in the relationship.
Maasai Wedding In Kenya
In a Maasai wedding, the bride is required to wear a bold and colorful necklace made of beads and shells. On the night of the wedding, a party called the “kupamba” takes place. During this party, the bride is allowed to take off her veil and show her hairstyle and jewels.
Bedouin Wedding Veil In Israel
In traditional Bedouin wedding ceremonies, Bedouin brides often wear a heavy and ornate face veil comprised of various jewellery.
Indian Wedding
In Indian culture, pink or red wedding dresses are often the garment of choice for brides. Married woman in the north of the country can often be identified by a red dot in the middle of their forehead.
Kazakhstani Bride
In a traditional Kazakh wedding, brides typically wear a headdress known as a “Saukele” as well as a facial veil. The Saukele is usually prepared long before the girls reach the age of marriage.
Nigerian Bride
Nigeria is a big country with around 250 ethnic groups and over 500 languages. Wedding ceremonies therefore change according to region, religion and ethnic background. However, Nigerian brides often wear brightly coloured wedding clothes. They also often wear a Nigerian head tie called a Gele.
Japanese Wedding
For a traditional Japanese wedding, the bride often wears a pure white kimono for the formal ceremony, which symbolises purity and maidenhood. After the ceremony the bride may then change into a red kimono to symbolise good luck.
Mongolian Bride
In a traditional Mongolian wedding ceremony, the bride and the groom each wear what’s known as a Deel. A Deel is a form of patterned clothing that’s been worn for centuries by Mongols and other nomadic tribes in Central Asia.
Scottish Wedding
Men in Scotland traditionally wear the kilt of his clan for his wedding. After the ceremony, the bride wears a shawl emblazoned with her new husband’s clan colours to signify her transition into his family.
Romanian Bride From Oas Region
Weddings in Oas are an important event in the north-west part of Transylvania. The wedding is organised by the parents as well as the bride-and-groom-to-be and various different rituals are involved including the preparation of the dowry and the costumes, choosing the godparents, and preparing the wedding flag.
Yakan Bride
The Yakan are an ethno-linguistic group that mostly inhabit the island of Basilan in the Philippines. Traditional weddings usually consist of two ceremonies, an Islamic one and an older, pre-Islamic ritual. The weddings are arranged by the parents and both the bride and groom wear face paint for the ceremony.
Bride In Gora Region Between Kosovo And Macedonia
The Gorani people are Muslims by faith, but their traditions and customs contain various pagan elements. The bride is carried on a white horse covered with a scarf and a specially decorated umbrella during wedding festivities, and she accompanies her family to the neighbour’s house of her husband-to-be.
Indonesian Wedding
Indonesia has over 17,000 islands and so weddings here vary greatly depending on where people live and which of the 300+ ethnic groups they belong to.
Matyo Bride From Hungary
In traditional Hungarian weddings, a brides attire usually includes an embroidered dress with floral patterns and three bright colors. She often wears many underskirts as well as an elaborate head-dress with wheat woven into it.
Traditional Peruvian Bride In Sacred Valley Near Cuzco, Peru
Traditional Andean wedding outfits are often bright and include woven cloaks and hats adorned with tassels and reflective material. A special skirt and poncho is made for the bride and groom’s wedding day.
Traditional Wedding Costumes And Bridal Crown From Norway
In Norway, the traditional wedding costume is called a Bunad. It can also be worn for other occasions such as christening parties.
Korean Traditional Royal Wedding Costumes
The Korean national costume is called the Hanbok, and a variation of this can be worn at traditional weddings. According to ancient tradition in, the groom should carry his wife around the table on his back. This is so the bride knows that her husband is reliable.
Uzbek Bride Wearing Traditional Clothes
In traditional Uzbek weddings (Nikokh-Tui), the bride wears a colourful outfit hand embroidered with intricate patterns. The wedding ceremony plays an essential role in Uzbek life.
Turkmen Bride
In Turkmenistan, the traditional wedding ceremony sees the bride dressed up in a red dress made from silk homemade fabric studded with silver or gilded pendants.
Discussion ¬