Steal These Wedding Traditions For Your Big Day

Tradition is becoming less, well, traditional.

Thankfully, much of what was once marriage lore is now entirely optional. This is especially true for gay couples who, let's face it, have only had a year at this marriage business.

Until the mid-nineties, even opposite-sex couples only had the option of a ceremony in a church or registry office. We take it for granted now, but there used to be some serious restrictions in the wedding industry.

White dresses, bridesmaids, best man, fruit cake, confetti, garters, speeches, sit down meals blah-blah... There wasn't much that set weddings apart, not really. Think back to some of the weddings that you might have attended in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Of course, disposable income does play a role in this, too, but it's fair to say that modern marriages start off with ceremonies that reflect the freedom of our time.

Get married in a zoo dressed as Adam Ant if you fancy it. Have a celebrant on a unicycle if that floats your boat --anything goes!

Well, almost anything goes.

Same-sex couples can create their own traditions, steal others or mix traditions together for a theme or concept. We've found a few wedding traditions from other countries that are easily adaptable to any modern wedding. We'll be saving the super strange ones for a later date (although, we couldn't resist adding the French one) here are some of the saner ones.

• In Italian tradition, the happy couple smashes a glass in front of the guests who count the number of pieces. This is said to predict how many happy years the couple will enjoy. If you do follow this tradition, then make sure you throw the glass down with some gusto. Nobody wants to spend the wedding night crying in a bathroom stall because the thing barely split in two. 

• In Sweden (some say Denmark, too) it's tradition that if the groom leaves the room during the reception, then the men are allowed to kiss the bride until the groom returns. The same applies for the ladies if the bride leaves the room, too. This would be an easy cross-over for same-sex receptions. Although, it might tell you something about the state of your relationship if your partner keeps sending you out to the car park. 

• We've asked a few of our Scottish friends about the next one and not one knew what 'blackening the bride' was. Apparently, it's traditional to parade a bride-to-be through town and then pelt her with all manner of foul stuff: rotten eggs, curdled milk, fish, baked beans etc. If a bride can put up with all that, then it's supposed to show she'll be more than prepared for all the crap that comes with marriage. Perhaps for a same-sex marriage, the couple could be 'blackened' together. 

• In Germany, tradition dictates that the groomsmen kidnap the bride and take her to a local tavern. The groom then has to locate his missing wife, and the only way to secure her release is for the groom to buy a round of drinks. Some sources have this happening on the wedding night, and others suggest it takes place in the lead up to a ceremony. This is definitely the kind of tradition that we can get on board with, and it sounds like a perfect opportunity for a drink amid the planning chaos of a wedding. Same-sex couples should have no problem implementing this into their own big day either. 

• What do you think of when you think of France? Beautiful vineyards, The Eiffel Tower, fabulous wine and sun-kissed villages snuggled in the rolling hills? Us, too, but maybe you don't image couples drinking leftover food and drink from a chamber pot. Worse still, some sources suggest that couples drink from the toilet bowl! Nowadays, it's said to be far more common for champagne and chocolate to be supped by the happy couple...but still from a chamber pot or toilet bowl - Non, merci!