Looking for something borrowed? Give your wedding an international twist with these lucky 13 global ideas.
1. Between their engagement and marriage, French brides create a trousseau or hope chest. Buy a box or reserve a drawer before the wedding and fill it with your on-the-day accessories, first-night-lingerie and going-away outfit.
2. In Uganda, the Bride isn’t supposed to do any wedding preparation for ten days in the run up to her okuhingira; when elders bless the Bride and giver her away to the Groom. Give yourself a similar break and pick someone you can trust to help out with the preparation for the final week when things get stressful.
3. The Mexican veil known as a mantilla – a chapel-length veil with intricate detailing along the edges usually made of lace – brings a soft and romantic look to any Bride. Modern designs are much shorter in length however, so there is no need to worry about stumbling bridesmaids!
4. For a quirky take on confetti, it is a Hindu tradition for the Groom’s father or brother to sprinkle flower petals over the couple at the ceremony to ward off evil. Use a mixture of textures and colours to give your wedding photos wow factor.
5. In Hawaii, guests whisper a wish to a butterfly before it flies away into the sunlight. Set your heart aflutter with a wedding with a butterfly theme.
6. At Chinese ceremonies, a table or altar is often decorated with lots of white flowers to remember lost loved ones so they can still be at the wedding in spirit.
7. Italian wedding ceremonies are full of culinary inspirations. We love Vienna Hour; a decadent dessert buffet, including an assortment of tarts, pastries, fruits and coffee.
8. Forget slow dancing- spice up your disco with a Brazilian Pagoda. It’s a samba to upbeat music that will keep your guests shimmying long into the night!
9. Step aside fruit cake: say hello to Jamaica’s version. The special ingredient? Rum. A rich cake made of dried fruits is soaked in the Caribbean’s favourite spirit. Serve it with a fruity rum punch for extra pizazz.
10. Norwegian Brides wear crowns decorated with gems and charms and believe the tinkling of the trinkets will protect them from dark spirits. To create similar sounds at your ceremony, hang charms by an open window.
11. In Switzerland, the Bride traditionally wears a wreath made up of flowers, fruits, leaves and twigs to symbolise her innocence. To add an air of purity to your look, style yourself with a summery fresh-flower bandeau.
12. Instead of throwing the bouquet, Peruvian couples put charms attached to ribbon between the layers of the cake. Each single woman pulls a ribbon: the one who gets the one with the ring on the end is next to marry.
13. Irish Brides traditionally added lavender to their bouquet; a stress-reliever that will keep you calm as you strut down the aisle.
Jessica at Gosfield Hall
