There are a lot of interesting Jewish wedding traditions. I've seen a few incorporated into non-Jewish weddings as well. Some of my favorites:
At the start of the ceremony, instead of the groom simply appearing and the bride being escorted by her father, both the bride and the groom are escorted by their respective parents. (In some Orthodox circles, the groom is escorted by both fathers, and the bride by both mothers.)
A Jewish woman cannot be married against her will. The groom places the ring on the bride's forefinger, and the bride transfers it to her ring finger as a sign that she accepts the marriage.
At the reception, it is traditional for the guests to dance a hora. At some point during the dance, the bride and groom are seated on chairs that guests then lift into the air. The bride and groom hold opposite ends of a scarf or napkin. (I was terrified when this happened at my wedding. I held so tightly to the chair that I think my knuckles were whiter than my dress.)
It also seems to be traditional in my husband's family, at the reception, to call to the bride, "Mrs. Newname!" and wait to see how long it takes her to respond.
They did it to me, and I responded immediately... "That's
Ms. Newname."
Edit: There is also a Russian tradition of "kidnapping" the bride. I'm not Russian, but my maid of honor is, so guess who got kidnapped.
The groom is supposed to do something to "ransom" the bride - sing a song, drink champagne out of her shoe, whatever the bride and/or bridesmaids can come up with.
Hybrid Mode
