Italian Traditions in Weddings

February 4, 2021

Italian Traditions in Weddings

Wedding date

Part of your Chicago wedding planner‘s job is to know the wedding traditions. The preferable day is Sunday – which is viewed as the luckiest day to marry, and signifies fertility and prosperity. Traditional weddings are held at the church in the morning followed by a lunch reception, however nowadays couples often choose a location that can host both the ceremony and the reception in the afternoon-evening with dancing and partying afterwards.

Confetti & Bomboniere

Confetti is internationally known as the colored paper shapes that are thrown at the bride and groom at the end of their wedding ceremony; however, in Italy, confetti are sugar-coated almonds and that are displayed on a dedicated table at the end of the wedding dinner along with a gift for the guests, the bomboniera. At the end of the wedding day, just before guests leave, the Bride and Groom give their guests the bomboniera to thank them.

Confetti is white and assembled in 5 to symbolize fertility, long life, health, wealth, and happiness

The bomboniera represents the symbol of the family life, a wedding tradition which dates back to the Romans who used confetti to celebrate unions and births.

The bridal bouquet

In Italy, traditionally, it is the groom’s job to supply the bridal bouquet. This is considered to be his final gift to his fiancee before she becomes his wife.

The bride may choose the floral arrangement she wants, but it is the groom who must pay the bill and make sure it is delivered to his intended.

The Bridal Gown

Even if the bride herself isn’t wearing white, all guests should avoid wearing white to another’s wedding. It is customary for the bride to wear a bridal veil during the marriage ceremony.

The bridal veil has a historical significance where it can be dated back to ancient Rome, indicating the prevalence of arranged marriages. The veil served the purpose of covering the bride’s face, which would prevent the groom from seeing the bride before marriage. It is believed that such practice would reduce the risk of either of them not going ahead with the proposal

Don't See The Bride!

The Groom must not see the bride before the wedding ceremony; he is at the altar with his witness and waits till the bride steps are accompanied by her father, who will then “give her away”.

When the groom arrives at the church, the father of the bride shakes his hand, places a gentle kiss on his daughter’s cheek, and seats himself with his wife in the first row of the pews. However, this is practised when the groom makes his way to the church unaccompanied by the bride.

Groom’s tie

At the reception, the groom’s tie is cut into many tiny pieces and offered up for sale to the wedding guests by his groomsmen. The money collected is then used to contribute to the couple’s wedding expenses.

Bacio! Bacio!

In Italy guests used to yell “Bacio! Bacio!” (Kiss! Kiss! in italian) and clink their wine glasses with silverware until the newlyweds would kiss. It’s fun for the guests to interact with the couple and they often enjoy distracting them from their meal. Today, guests also yell, “Evviva gli sposi“, which translates to “hurray for the newlyweds”, which used to be primarily shouted during the recessional after the ceremony as the guests threw rice, confetti and petals on the newlyweds. It is a must for guests to throw rice! The rice symbolizes a shower of fertility as per Italian traditions.

Incorporating Italian wedding traditions into a local wedding is a fun way to personalize your big day, and we can certainly help you with this!

BWEDDINGS LLC

hello@bweddingsplanner.com

https://www.facebook.com/Bweddingschicago

@bweddingschicago