German WeddingsAre you interested in german weddings and tradition? Learn here the basics of a german "Hochzeit". Germans respect and love their traditions and maintain them through time and distances. Read here more about them. German weddings are popular all over the worldForeigners travel to Germany and marry there, Germans living abroad wish to get married in accordance with their native rituals, so it is high time to get brides and grooms acquainted with what they will have to do on their German-like Hochzeit (wedding).Pre-wedding tradionsAccording to German wedding tradition, when a baby girl is born in Germany, several trees are planted in honor of her birth. When her wedding date is set, the trees are sold, and the money is used for her dowry.A unique German pre-wedding custom is the creation of a wedding newspaper by the friends and family of the bride and groom. This newspaper, or booklet, is filled with pictures, articles and stories of the engaged couple. The newspaper is sold at the wedding reception, to assist with the expenses of the honeymoon. Some typical wedding traditionsThere are some typical German wedding traditions: It is a rule to choose a "special" place for the wedding, rather than the general rule in America of always having the wedding at the bride's family church. Bride should carry salt and bread as an omen for good harvest, and the groom - grain for good luck and wealth!A wedding in Germany could be a three day celebration!!! On the Thursday, the couple gets together with close family and friends to go to the city center to have a civil ceremony. Afterwards they all go out to dinner. Before the German Wedding DayOn Friday, the real fun begins as the couple is visited for the Polterabend, or wedding-eve party, by friends and neighbors. The celebration entails the smashing of plates and other breakables as a sign of good luck.The newlyweds then sweep up the broken pieces together, symbolizing that nothing will ever be broken in their house again. The smaller the pieces of porcelain, china etc. the more luck the couple is said to have.This might be comparable to the Jewish wedding tradition where the groom must smash a glass with his heel in one go for good luck. In the German tradition glass brings bad luck, so people only bring china and porcelain. Sometimes guests might show up with a Mack truck full of dishes (luck or not)! Also the couple should make sure to hide the pieces that have been collected, as the guest might try to spread it all out again. The broken pieces can be used to decorate a vase afterwards and create a nice keep-sake.In between clean ups there should be time for mingling, food and a bit of bubbly! German weddings saturdayOn 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. In case you need a wonderful designed german wedding ring look no further. Niessing Wedding Rings are the best wedding rings Germany has to offer! Return from "this" page to Best Wedding Gifts Return from "german weddings" page to Best German Gifts |