Italy is a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline. Italy juts out of southern Europe into the Adriatic Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea. Capital City of Italy is Rome.
The major religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism and they often follow a polite and reverent tradition. Italian weddings are hardly ever held on Fridays. This is because they believe that it’s the day evil spirits are created and will only bring bad luck. Traditional Italians prefer Sundays; which is thought by them as the luckiest and best day to marry. This is because of fertility and prosperity.
Traditions in Italy however vary from region to region.
The Proposal
Italian men ask for permission from a woman’s parents before proposing to their daughter. This shows deference and honour to the woman’s family. If the man receives their blessing, an Italian man moves the next stage of his planned proposal a serenade. This is often a romantic song. Words to express his heart’s message to his girlfriend and bride to be.
Before the wedding the bride is required not to see her own reflection. The bouquet is the groom’s final gift to the bride as a boyfriend. The groom must pay for it and it has to be delivered on the morning of the wedding to the bride’s house.
The bride’s family pays for the invitations, decorations and the bridesmaids’ clothing. The groom’s family pays for everything else including the honeymoon, the rings, church as well as wedding entertainers.
The Groom can not be seen by the Bride before the wedding ceremony, he will need to be at the altar and has to wait till the Bride steps in who will be accompanied by her father who will then give her away. In Italy the wedding ring is often worn on the left hand reason for this is the tradition dates back to their ancestors where times when the left ring finger was believed to be connected directly to the heart.
The dress code for a Catholic wedding for the guests are a semi-formal or formal attire, avoiding necklines and shoulders in sight. Female guests should wear knee-length or long dresses. Light colours are recommended in the morning and dark colours are recommended in the night.
Setup: A Wedding reception setup includes lots floral, jigsaw and paper lanterns lowers. Lots of lights, colours, candles, furniture. Bride may add whatever her personal taste is and what she wants.
Celebrations: Rice is thrown at the couple coming out of the Church or wedding hall to symbolize a shower of wealth and fertility. Wedding Reception is then followed by the ceremony where people arrive before the groom and the bride. Bride and Groom make everyone feel welcome by doing this they go to table to table, greeting and chatting with every guest.
The couple must break a glass during the wedding. The more the glass pieces shatters, the more it signifies the years their marriage will endure. Guests hold colourful paper streamers tied the the happy couple’s hands. This represents good wishes, love and luck for their future. At the end of the wedding day; the Bride and Groom give small gifts to their guests to say thank you for attending.
The wedding cake is white and tiered, and topped by figurines representing the bride and groom. Food they have at the tradition Italian wedding is Italian Mini Meatballs, Spinach & Radicchio Salad and Seared Parmesan Risotto Cakes. Wine is the traditional drink at Italian weddings.
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