How to Have a Traditional Italian Wedding
Try These Italian Marriage Customs for an Old-Fashioned Ceremony
Apr 14, 2009
Included in a modern wedding, these old-fashioned Italian customs can add history, tradition, and fun to any ceremony involving a bride or groom of Italian heritage.
Nowadays, people everywhere are looking for ways to add extra personal meaning to their wedding ceremony. If the bride or groom has Italian blood, the wedding couple might want to consider adding one or more of these old-fashioned wedding customs to the nuptials or the days and weeks leading up to them.
- Masciata. In times past, this proposal “message” would be delivered by a matchmaker to the family of the intended bride, in the hopes that the young woman’s parents, and other assembled relatives, would consent to a marriage.
- Dote. This “bundle” was the trousseau assembled by the bride. In it, she would include not only household items necessary to the home she’d establish for her bride, but also her personal wardrobe.
- Public challenges. While the bride walks through town to her wedding ceremony, locals place in her path various obstacles intended to foretell the kind of wife she might become: a broom which, if picked up, means she will keep a good home; a beggar whom, if she treats him kindly, means she will live a charitable life; and a crying child whom, if she offers it comfort, means she will be a good mother.
- Groom’s Flowers. Especially in northern Italy, the groom and his family may select the bouquet and bring it to the church, ready to greet the bride when she arrives.
- Toc Ferro. A piece of iron is carried by the groom in his pocket as a talisman against the evil eye.
- A Shattered Glass. To conclude their wedding ceremony, bride and groom may smash a glass or vase together, and the number of broken pieces is meant to signify the number of years of happy marriage they will enjoy together. (Smash vigorously for a long married life!)
- Sawing the Log. An Italian small-town tradition calls for husband and wife to saw a log in half together using a two-handled saw, symbolizing the way they will work together in facing all the challenges in their life together.
- Bomboniera. These confetti-like bonbons, almonds sugar-coated in white as a sign of purity, signify life’s combination of bitterness and sweetness. Wrapped in small tulle packets containing a lucky odd number of candies, usually 5 pieces, these are tossed at the just-married couple to ensure that they have many children.
- Per Cen’tanni! A traditional wedding toast, “for a hundred years,” is offered to the bride and groom with drinks passed around by the best man.
- Money Bag. The bride carries this satin bag, called borsa or busta, to receive gifts of money at the reception.
- Cutting the Tie. A popular northern Italian tradition, this involves the best man cutting the groom’s tie into pieces that he then sells as wedding mementos to guests at the wedding party, raising money to pay or tip the band.
Whatever traditions might be included, have a long, healthy, and happy life together! (Need a diamond ring for that wedding? Check out How to Judge a Diamond's Quality and Shape!)
The copyright of the article How to Have a Traditional Italian Wedding in Wedding Style is owned by Norman Kolpas. Permission to republish How to Have a Traditional Italian Wedding in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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