North American Wedding Traditions

North American wedding traditions are among the most flexible and varied in all the world.

North America encompasses many cultures and many wedding traditions. Mexican wedding traditions have been influenced by Spain, France, and by their own ancient and rich cultural traditions stretching as far back as the Aztecs. The melting-pot wedding traditions in the United States have been influenced by virtually every country and every culture on Earth, making for a rich and varied amalgam of traditions. Canadian traditions have been influenced strongly by both English traditions as well as French traditions.

This makes North American Wedding traditions some of the most flexible and varied in all the world. No matter what your dream wedding may be, it is sure to find a welcome place in grand scheme of North American wedding Traditions.

Two souls united in the “lasso” of love.

In Mexico, for example, it is customary during the vows for a white ribbon or for a rosary, called a “lasso,” to be draped around the necks of the newlyweds to symbolize their joining together. It is also customary for the groom to present his wife with thirteen gold coins during the ceremony, symbolizing the groom’s commitment to support his new wife. As the couple leaves the church it is customary for red beads to be tossed at them as a means of insuring the new couple good luck.

At a Mexican wedding reception it is customary for the guests to form a heart-shaped circle around the wedding couple as they engage in their first dance as husband and wife.

A paper maché piñata, often shaped like a heart and filled with candy, is suspended from the ceiling and the children take turns swinging at it with a stick until it is broken and the candy is shared among all the guests.

In Victorian times American brides customarily wore white gloves which were symbols of both modesty as well as a symbol of romance. Even today many brides wear white gloves as a romantic gesture.

In the United States it is common for the couple to write their own wedding vows.

Today’s wedding ceremony in the United States can be a rather elaborate affair, especially among the affluent, but small backyard weddings are also common. No matter what the setting it is becoming more and more common for American couples to write their own wedding vows, expressing their love and commitment for each other in their own words and expressing their own unique feelings.

Traditionally wedding ceremonies in North America end with the couple exchanging wedding rings – the circular ring, with no beginning and no end symbolizing ever-lasting love – and the traditional wedding kiss, to seal their union in front of friends and family.

As the newlyweds leave the ceremony tradition calls for rice to be tossed at the couple as a symbol of fertility.

Wedding gifts are given to help the new couple establish their new home.

Wedding gifts are also a customary North American wedding tradition. Wedding gifts are a way for friends and family to help the young couple set up their new home together and to help smooth the path of their new life together.

North American wedding traditions embrace virtually any ethnic or cultural tradition practiced anywhere in the world. So no matter what the wedding of your dreams might look like, if you can envision it, you can realize it within the ideal of the North American wedding tradition.