Hundreds of weddings are held around the world every day around the world, in different languages, cultures and religions. Some are deemed traditional, while others are just plain bizarre. Western world weddings may seem boring to the rest of the world, especially the following countries:

Kidnapping the Bride – Romania

Long ago, the tradition of stealing the bride started in Romania amongst the  Gypsies or the Roma. Someone would snatch the bride, carry her away, and hide her from the groom. They would only disclose her location after a monetary reward was provided.  In olden times, it was said that if you could successfully keep the bride for yourself for 2-3 days, she would become your wife instead. It was a tactic used by Romantics when their lovers would steal the bride away from an arranged marriage. Now, the tradition is used more as a bit of fun, ensuring the grooms intentions are true.

Bouquets of Weeds and Crowns of Gold – Sweden

In Sweden, there is no expense spared when choosing the weeds for the bridal party bouquets. That’s right, I said weeds.  The bride and her party carry bouquets of weeds that exude a stench unlike no other. The smell is to ward off evil trolls from their wedding (I’d hate to see what they give off as wedding favors to ward off evil in-laws!). And the country is happy to say that there hasn’t ever been a troll at a wedding yet. Additionally, the bride will wear a crown at the reception when men dance around her, attempting to knock her crown to the ground. The lucky man who succeeds will have eternal good luck.

Mass Weddings – India

To alleviate the cost associated to a wedding, many Punjab’s will host mass weddings, inviting all of their families and friends. The weddings can host as many as 8 couples and some weddings report as many as 3,000 guests. The traditional attire for the bride is typically red, but some of the Christian minority members will dress in white.

Chiverie – France

After the wedding is all said and done, “tormentors” are said to bang pots and pans outside of the window of the newly wed bride and groom to disrupt them. They are made to come out into the street, still dressed in their wedding attire, and serve refreshments to the gang of people.  The tradition was used to for widows or widowers who were getting remarried, when the people of their old village would demand an invite to meet the new addition to their family. Now it’s mostly used to humiliate the new couple before they retire for their wedding night.

Afton Negrea

Hi! I'm Afton - blogger, mother, designer, and world traveller. I’m a seeker of simplicity, a cultivator of love, and I live to create beautiful things. My inspiration comes from my family, my travels through Europe, and my background in Art and Interior Design. I look forward to guiding you through all things party!

Above: Laduree macarons, Marie Antoinette Motion Picture, Cakes by Tess, Somerton Blue Pumps, Girls Party

On May 16, 1770 the Dauphin of France, Louis-Auguste, married the Archduchess of Austria, Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, later crowned Marie-Antoinette Queen of France. The King and Queen of France are now looked at as one of the most inspiring couples for style. The royal couple were known for their extravagant indulgences, from costly soirées to high fashion, which subsequently led to their demise.

Their lifestyle is a highly sought after theme for parties around the world. From food to decor, to music and costumes, there are an abundance of ideas on how to recreate a party similar to that at the famed Palace of Versailles.

Attire

The color of choice during the Siècle des Lumières was mainly pastels and metallics. The bride and bridesmaids could wear light colors, with satin and lace accents. The typical makeup worn before the French Revolution was pale skin with dark lips and brows. Hair was often shaped high and dusted with powder. Consider providing your guests with masks and wigs during the reception for a masked Parisian ball. They will definitely make for some outrageous wedding photos.

Decor

For your Versailles inspired decor, there can never been enough fresh flowers, tea cups, cake stands, and candelabras. For extra wow, add gilded bird cages, mirrors, and chandeliers to your venue. The dessert table can be fun, with an abundance of sweets and treats, from cupcakes to truffles. For a hint of Paris, use Eiffel Tower Place Card Holders at your guest tables.

Favors

Don’t let your guests down with less than Parisian favors. For Marie Antoinette, no less than Wedding Cake Candle favors would do. For a patriotic French favor, consider Fleur-di-Lis Bottle Stopper favors.  You can also wrap up french biscuits or macarons in pretty packaging for your guests to enjoy later.

Food

The French are known for their food, and so should your wedding. Elegant hor d’oeuvres, delicious mains, and sweet desserts are key to making your party a success. Wine and cheeses, puff pastries, duck, and tiered cakes are all typical French foods. Your menu needn’t be overly formal, as the French like to pick and eat as they choose.

Music

Harp and symphony music was typical music in the days of Marie Antoinette. It may be fun to use some of this music during the ceremony and at the beginning of the reception. Consider hiring a harpist to greet guests as they enter your venue. To kick it up a notch, you can play some of the better known tracks from the motion picture soundtrack of Marie Antoinette.

Extra Fun

A photo booth can be a fun extra to a wedding. For a Marie Antoinette inspired booth, add lace, old portraits, and perhaps a chaise lounge for your guests to snap pictures with. Gambling was one of Marie Antoinette’s favorite pastimes, so set up fake roulette and card tables for your friends and family to enjoy.

Afton Negrea

Hi! I'm Afton - blogger, mother, designer, and world traveller. I’m a seeker of simplicity, a cultivator of love, and I live to create beautiful things. My inspiration comes from my family, my travels through Europe, and my background in Art and Interior Design. I look forward to guiding you through all things party!

For many of us, we’re scrimping and saving for the wedding we’ve always dreamed of, from the floral arrangements to the wedding favors. Some of the more fortunate couples around the world can go to the extremes to say their I do’s. Here are some of the most glamorous and elaborate weddings of all time.

Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes

Year: 2006

Location: Bracciano, Italy

Total Cost: $3.5 Million

Dress: Giorgio Armani

Guests: Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Brooke Shields, Chris Henchy, Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The wedding of two of the biggest Hollywood stars took place in the majestic Odescalchi Castle in Italy. The event was coordinated by Roberta Armani, the niece of Giorgio Armani. Thousands of white roses adorned the castle, while their 150 guests witnessed the bride and groom exchange their platinum-and-diamond Cartier Dia Eternity bands. Their wedding topped Forbes list of one of the most elaborate weddings in Hollywood’s history.

Diana Spencer & Prince Charles

Year: 1981

Location: London, England

Total Cost: $4 Million

Dress: David and Elizabeth Emanuel

Guests: HM The Queen & HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark, TRH The Grand Duke & Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, TIH The Crown Prince & Crown Princess of Japan, TM The King & Queen of Tonga amongst other royalty.

Lady Diana and Prince Charles wed in front of a televised audience of approximately 750 million people. The United Kingdom declared the day a national holiday to celebrate the wedding. Approximately 3,500 people were in attendance at St. Paul’s Cathedral while the bride marched down the isle in her $18,000 “puff ball meringue wedding dress”. with a 25 foot train. The reception included 250 close family and friends.

Delphine Arnault & Alessandro Vallarino Gancia

Year: 2005

Location: Cote d’Azur, France

Total Cost: $7 Million

Dress: John Galliano

Guests: 1,000 guests, including Elizabeth Hurley, Glenda Bailey of Harpers Bazaar and Karl Lagerfeld.

When Delphine Arnault, one of the richest women in the world, wed an heir the Gancia wine dynasty, the world knew it wouldn’t be done casually. The wedding took place in the French riviera amongst 1,000 guests at the Chateau d’Yquem. Harper’s Bazaar called it the wedding of the year.

Andrei Melnichenko & Aleksandra Kokotovic

Year: 2005

Location: Cote d’Azur, France

Total Cost: $30 Million

Guests: Christina Aguliera and Whitney Houston

When the Russian billionaire married the former Miss Yugoslavia, a simple wedding just wouldn’t do. The couple invited both Christina Aguliera and Whitney Houston to perform at their reception, offering each singer over $3.6 million. It was rumoured that they dismantled a Russian chapel, having it rebuilt in the Cote d’Azur.

Vanisha Mittal & Amit Bhatia

Year: 2006

Location: Paris, France

Total Cost: $78 Million

Dress: David and Elizabeth Emanuel

Guests: Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Sunil Mittal, hotelier Lalit Suri, property developer K P Singh, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi, renowned painter M F Hussain, Congress leader Murli Deora and London socialite Ramola Bachchan.

This wedding takes the cake as Guinesses most expensive wedding of all time.  Taking place at Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century chateau in France, the bride and groom hosted over 1,000 guests, providing 100 different dishes and wine costing $1.5 million.  There were more than 10,000 flowers used for decoration and 45 professional cooks to prepare the elaborate menu.

Afton Negrea

Hi! I'm Afton - blogger, mother, designer, and world traveller. I’m a seeker of simplicity, a cultivator of love, and I live to create beautiful things. My inspiration comes from my family, my travels through Europe, and my background in Art and Interior Design. I look forward to guiding you through all things party!

Weddings are celebrated on annual holidays all around the world, so why not tie the knot on the most magical night of Hallows Eve? A Halloween wedding need not be tacky and predictable.  There any many ways to make your special day classic yet fun for you and your guests to enjoy.

The Stanley Hotel

So how do you incorporate Halloween into your perfect day without going goth? Firstly, your venue will play an important part in this wedding theme. Find a location that will give an eerie feel like a historic mansion or country barn. If you’re in search for the perfect spooky spot, you might want to check out The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, also known as the “Shining” hotel, or perhaps in the Romanian countryside of Transylvania at Bran Castle, or better know as Dracula’s castle.

When it comes to your color scheme, you may want to use dark colors like black, plum, or even red. Decor can include tables lit with pumpkins, cut out or hand painted with the wedding date. Use slightly tarnished silverware or goblets and traditional flowers like roses to provide a vintage look. For your wedding cake, perhaps choose something on the darker side or with a little whimsy instead of the traditional white 3-tier.

The Devil's Black Martini

Ask guests to wear all black from the men in suits to the women in little black dresses. Although the bride may want to wear traditional white, the wedding party can wear head to toe black with the groomsmen in tops and tails while the bridesmaids wear black lace.  As wedding favors, provide your guests with masks, with the wedding details stamped on the inside, for a magical masked ball.  To get the party going, play good old classic Halloween music like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and watch as guests get their zombie groove on. Set up stations for bobbing for apples and a photo booth where guests can dress in costumes and snap their picture.

When it comes to food you can create Halloween inspired cocktails like The Devil’s Black Martini or Bloody Apple Cranberry Cocktail. Serve seasonally fall dishes like pumpkin risotto or black bean soup and Halloween sweets and treats for the dessert table.

If you choose October 31st to join together in matrimony, it doesn’t have to be (candy) corny. But if the thought of a Halloween wedding makes your shriek, consider celebrating the day after on All Saints Day on November 1st.

Afton Negrea

Hi! I'm Afton - blogger, mother, designer, and world traveller. I’m a seeker of simplicity, a cultivator of love, and I live to create beautiful things. My inspiration comes from my family, my travels through Europe, and my background in Art and Interior Design. I look forward to guiding you through all things party!

Not too long ago, we shared the “Shake Shake” wedding proposal with you. Now, (I am almost saddened to say) we have found fries to go with that Shake. Beginning January 1, 2011, engaged couples can tie the knot in their favorite fast food restaurant. You guessed it: McDONALD’S!

To me, this seems more like a theme for a kid’s party than a wedding; sort of like a play on the young ‘puppy love kids often share. Once you hear the details, I’ll bet you’ll agree!  McDonalds is planning to offer a wedding gown adorned with balloons, a baked apple pie wedding cake, wedding favors fashioned after happy meal toys, and of course, gourmet cuisine straight off of the McDonald’s menu.

Now, I don’t want to give the wrong impression: I’m not a total killjoy. I can see how this would make for a fun party. I just can’t imagine anyone wanting to take their wedding to such a lowbrow level. But, apparently I’m very wrong. McDonald’s made its decision to offer wedding packages after fielding about 10 wedding inquiries per month. Wow.

sarah

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This is by far the most interesting best man’s toast I’ve ever seen. It’s a little on the long side, but definitely worth a watch.

Surely entertaining, but you’ll have to decide (I was on the fence myself): is it the best best man’s toast ever, or the worst?

Either way, it was funny and will definitely be remembered by guests for a very long time after the big day… so it can’t be all that bad!

Watch the video below and decide for yourself…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhPeRq2tK3A

sarah

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