Some Italian Wedding Traditions
So they don’t see each other the night before the big event, the bride and groom will usually have separate evening meals with their respective family and friends.
On the morning of the wedding the groom will either deliver the bridal bouquet to the bride’s house or wait outside the ceremony venue and present the bride her bouquet upon her arrival.
The bridal bouquet is usually a gift from the groom’s family and its colour and design are meant to be a surprise to the bride.
Wedding guests will wait outside the ceremony venue for the bride to arrive and then follow the bride and groom inside for the ceremony to commence.
The groom will usually accompany his mother up the aisle.
When the bride reaches the altar, she will often hand one bloom or stem from her bouquet to the groom’s mother.
Often when the bride leaves her home, someone will have tied a white ribbon over her front door or gate which she must cut. A white ribbon may also be tied in front of the ceremony venue to symbolize the bond between the bride and groom.
It is considered bad luck to wear any gold on the day of the wedding until the wedding rings are exchanged.
At the wedding reception each guest is given a Bomboniere. This Italian wedding tradition is the original version of favours and the Bombonieri are 5 sugared almonds wrapped in lace. The almonds symbolize health, wealth, fertility, happiness & long life.
Before the wedding meal begins the best man will serve the guests sweet liquor so they can toast to the happiness of the couple.
At the reception the best man will cut the groom’s tie into little pieces and auction it to the guests. The bride and groom get to keep the proceeds from the auction!
The brides entrance – as guests wait outside the ceremony venue for the bride to arrive, there is not the same buildup inside the ceremony venue waiting for the doors to burst open and the bride to walk down the aisle.
The first dance will take place before the evening meal. Upon entering the reception, the newly weds are introduced and take their first dance followed by the bridal party and then the rest of the wedding guests.
At Italian weddings there is no “top table”.
Saying the term “Auguri” which means congratulations. You may hear people say that a lot, especially if you have a photo shot in the local town where your wedding is taking place – the Italians love weddings!