The wedding rings, a long white dress, and the throwing of the bouquet are fairly common images that people think of when they hear the word “wedding.”  It’s true that these are very standard features in the modern weddings of the United States and Britain. 

           

All of the different pieces of the American wedding came from longstanding traditions.  Unfortunately, we’re not going to talk about them right now (we’re saving that for another “historical perspective”).  Instead, we want to point out a frequently overlooked fact—most of the weddings that take place throughout the world are not American weddings.

           

Marriage is almost a universal practice.  People have been getting married throughout the course of history, and in all of the corners of the globe.  Most marriages, of course, do not happen through the “traditional” wedding—or at least not by American standards.  The wedding ceremony is a badge of the heritage and culture in a specific community.  The dress, attendees, and other customs of the marriage traditions vary from place to place and from people to people.

           

The traditional Cherokee Indian wedding, for example, didn’t involve a long white wedding dress.  Bride and groom entered wearing blue blankets over their shoulders, which symbolized that they were two separate individuals.  At the end of the ceremony, the newlywed couple was united with one large white blanket.

 

Instead of exchanging wedding rings, the Cherokee groom gave his bride a side of venison.  The venison represented the groom’s commitment, and his responsibility to keep meat in the household.  Originally residing in the Carolinas and northern Georgia, the Cherokee Indians relied on hunting for much of their food.  They expected a worthy man of the community to be a capable hunter, and it was a skill that they highly respected.

 

The groom wasn’t the only one giving away gifts.  His bride handed him an ear of corn, which symbolized her acceptance and determination to become a good housewife.  Sound strange?  It certainly can’t be as strange as throwing rice at the bride and groom as they leave the reception.

           

What’s perhaps more amazing than the differences in weddings is the similarities.  For instance, most cultures have a serious ceremony followed by a cheerful reception.  Most also require that key witnesses see the event (i.e. groomsmen).  Also, the bride is typically “given” away to the groom, usually by her father.