Italian wedding customs

Italian Wedding Customs: Follow the Tradition!

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Italy loves traditions and keep following ancient customs. Italian weddings can be civil or religious.

Italian wedding customs: The civil rite
The civil Italian rite is essential: in the municipal room relatives and guests are arranged just behind the chairs of the couple, on the left those of the bride, on the right the ones for the bridegroom.
Italian wedding customs: The Catholic rite
Anyway the major part of weddings in Italy follow the Catholic rite and specific Italian wedding customs. If you are going to a wedding ceremony in an Italian church remember that the bridegroom and his guests must always enter the church before the bride. The bride’s relatives will seat in the left wing, those of the bridegroom in the right one. The bride will arrive at the altar arm in arm with her father or, failing him, the closest male relative.
The witnesses seat in front of the altar beside the couple. They are generally four, two for each bride and bridegroom, and are chosen among the closest relatives and friends. The newlyweds choose a special keep-sake for them and witnesses give the couple an important gift.
Italian wedding customs: The party
As regards the wedding party can be a traditional banquet, a light refreshment, a brunch, a dinner or a dancing celebration: obviously you should dress and behave according to the specific situation.
Good table manners suggest to avoid filling the glass till the edge, and to drink in small sips. The ladies should be careful not leaving smudges of lipstick on the edges. Generally the bride’s father is the first person who make an official speech.
Italian wedding customs: Thank you etiquette
In their wedding day, newlyweds have to welcome guests and thank them. The bride will distribute wedding keep-sakes and sugared almonds at guests before leaving. The Italian wedding customs require that the wedding couple is the first one to begin dancing.
Italian wedding customs: The costs
As regards costs, the bride’s family bears the expense of the trousseau and invitations, wedding keep-sakes, flower arrangement for the church and the reception, and the bridesmaids’ clothing. The bridegroom's family bears the expenses of wedding rings, the cost related to the house (rent or purchase), the furniture, the bouquet, the car of the bride, the offer for the church and the musicians and the honeymoon. These are not the rules but they belong to the Italian wedding customs!. In fact several aspects concerning the wedding organization and expenses are dealt by the newlyweds according to their family status.
Italian wedding customs: Wedding dresses
The wedding rings must be absolutely brought at the left ring-finger because it was thought that this finger was connected directly to the heart.
As regards clothing do not wear low-necked evening dresses with rhinestones and beads but full dresses , above all in the morning. Your backs have to be covered by scarves and jackets or show decent necklines. Avoid transparent corsages, plunging plackets.
The perfect man wears a dark suit or a dark blue jacket and grey trousers.
Superstitions suggest that the bride should wear something new - the suit - something old - at your discretion - and something blue - a garter for example.

In the section Wedding in Rome inside Rome-explorer.com’s website you’ll find useful information about  wedding flowers Rome, Catholic weddings in Rome, Civil wedding Rome and other articles containing hints and tips about where you can celebrate your wedding day and other traditional Italian wedding customs.

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