Weddings are one of humanity's most celebrated and cherished ceremonies, and wedding customs throughout the world reflect a incredible variety of ways in which people approach the happy event.  In a ceremony symbolizing eternal union, wedding customs reflect the wide range of ways individuals employ to express such long-lasting bonds.  From the ritual binding of the hands of the bride and groom, to wedding parties and feasts that last seven days, wedding customs are rich with the symbology of unbreakable bonds, eternal happiness, abundant wealth, and fertility of both the couple's crops (traditionally) and the literal fertility of the couple themselves. Whether exchanging wedding bands or enveloping the couple in a marriage blanket, diversity in wedding customs abounds. 

Here in the US, traditional wedding customs will often involve the use of wedding handkerchiefs.  The wedding handkerchief is often, foremost, a highly useful object, as tears of joy and overwhelming love and hopefulness spring from emotional wedding party attendants, especially, of course, the bride and groom themselves.  Bridal handkerchiefs are often delicately embellished, and sometimes passed on as a family heirloom from generation to generation.  Wedding hankies for the groom may be color-coordinated to match the accent colors in his tuxedo.  Wedding handkerchiefs are also appropriate for parents of the bride and groom, as well as most wedding attendants.  Regardless of who might have one, wedding handkerchiefs have purpose, stylistic flair, and are certainly preferred to the disposable, deteriorating nature of the standard tissue.   

The concept of wedding handkerchiefs as a symbol of love originated, in part, during medieval times, when a woman would acknowledge her romantic intention by offering her chosen man her handkerchief, perhaps before he went off to battle, as a token of love and support.  As a theme of romantic offering, the bridal handkerchief has made its way into popular films, and once made it famously into a Shakespearean play (the handkerchief's symbolism as a bond of love is essential to the plot of his Othello). 

Various sources also suggest that bridal tears captured by the handkerchief meant good luck for the future of the couple and their crops.  And of course, brides may also receive wedding handkerchiefs from friends or family members to fulfill the “something borrowed, something blue” tradition common to weddings in the US.  Regardless of the mythology, the wedding handkerchief remains an essential, practical element for the elegant, modern bride. 

Among the other popular wedding customs, having coins (the type of metal and number used varies from country to country) as part of the wedding ceremony is almost universal in its symbolic appeal for the couple's future financial affluence.  Some traditions involve both the bride and groom wearing a coin in one of their shoes, and within the Latin culture particularly, a couple may have a coin ceremony during the wedding, with 13 gold coins presented to the bride from the groom, symbolizing, among other things, a commitment to provide.  Popular worldwide is also the wedding feast – and depending on the country, a couple and their family and friends will have not just one, but several mealtime celebrations during the wedding week.          

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For a good site on world wedding customs, click here: http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/