How the Italians do it!

Traditional Italian folk dancers dance the Tarantella.

What would an Italian wedding be without food and fun? Italian wedding receptions today are lavish, full of energy and place a tremendous emphasis on food and drink. To kick off a wedding reception, guests enjoy

cocktail hour, during this time the bride and groom have their photos taken happy in the knowledge their guests are being looked after.

After cocktails the guests gather in the main dining area while the bridal party enters the room. A pathway is formed by the guests in order for the bride and groom to walk through, but not before being acknowledged as a newlywed couple.

Energy is already buzzing around the room as the couple dances their first dance, followed by the members of the bridal party and finally, the guests. Italian weddings are very well choreographed.

After a few dances everyone takes their seats and then speeches (given by family and friends) begin. The new couple is treated to more than their fair share of champagne toasts throughout the speeches. And there is plenty of food and drink for the celebration. Before any food is served, women are treated to sweet liquors and men to something stronger.

Generally the first thing served is antipasto and it includes such delicacies as stuffed mushrooms, olives, salami, pickled peppers, calamari and prosciutto. Italian receptions include many different courses, sometimes as many as 12-14. There are sufficient amounts of pasta, salads, soups, meats, and fruits for everyone. No one goes home hungry after an Italian wedding reception; in fact it's generally the opposite- most people feel as if they might burst upon leaving. Wine is available at dinner and so are a variety of other beverages. Symbolic foods that are a part of every Italian wedding celebration because they bring good tidings include twists of fried dough, powdered with sugar called bow ties (wanda) and Italian wedding candy.

The dessert course includes an array of decadent delights such as pastries, cakes, fruits and as much coffee as a person can drink. Of course there is also wedding cake to enjoy. A Viennese Table is often presented in Sicilian customs to usher in the dessert course, filled with mouth-watering treats. There is a special name for this- Vienna Hour. Usually hosted in a separate room or it could be a table stacked with sweets, coffees, and liqueurs.

Italian wedding cookies

Wedding toasts are common and frequent at Italian weddings. “Evviva gli sposi” (or “Hurray for the newlyweds”) is commonly shouted and met with applause from other guests. They’ll also shout “Kiss the bride,” which is your groom’s cue to kiss you in front of everyone.




Before the reception is over you and your groom will likely break a glass; the pieces of shattered glass represent the number of happy years you’ll enjoy together. At some Italian weddings, doves are released around this time, symbolizing your love and happiness as newlyweds.

The hardest part of writing one page on Italian wedding traditions is that every region in Italy has their own wedding traditions! So I have mixed and matched the most popular and I apologise if your favourite Italian tradition was not included.


For some more Italian wedding traditions you might be interested in:


http://tiwp.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-have-been-told-that-there-is-age-old.html


http://tiwp.blogspot.com/2010/05/italian-weddings-curiosities-and.html

Italian wedding tradition

I have been told that there is a age old tradition in Italy of brides wearing green, which is apparently a colour of fertility, the night before their wedding. So if you are planning your wedding in Italy or you are marrying in to an Italian family or maybe you are an Italian bride... why not bow to Italian wedding traditions and go green!

Keira Knightley in "Atonment''

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Italian weddings... Curiosities and superstitions

The Italian wedding planner

Italy has a very long history and with every region maintaining their own traditions there are many to choose from should you wish to incorporate some in to your wedding day in Italy.

The veil

The bridal veil not only hides her from her husband but more importantly protects her from evil spirits.

                        photo by Edoardo

The Groom

The groom carries a bit of iron in his pocket, also to defend against the "evil eye"

                         photo by Marco

Tying the knot

                  Photo by The Italian wedding planner

Bridesmaids and groomsmen

The bridesmaids and groomsmen, present because ancient Roman law once required 10 witnessed at any wedding, dress quite like the bride and groom in order to confuse... you guessed it: jealous evil spirits.

                                                                                  photo by Sim

Walking to the church

If the groom does walk the bride to church, she should leave, right foot first, from her front door, and the community should throw challenges in their path, such as a broom (she should pick it up, proving herself a good housewife) or a crying child (both bride and groom should prove themselves good potential parents by comforting it). If they meet a pig, their luck will be bad, but a black cat will bring good fortune. A funeral bespeaks ill, but sunshine or a rainbow forecasts fortune. The bride and groom might be confronted with a sawhorse, double-handed saw and a log; they must show their true spirit of partnership by sawing the log in half together. (Sometimes this is done between the wedding and the reception.)

                 photo by Joanne Dunn

Wedding favors

Today, the tradition of wedding favours has evolved to  giving thoughtful gifts, but traditionally in Italy each guest would receive five sugar coated almonds (Italian confetti) as a symbol of health, fertility, wealth, joy and long-life.

Why almonds? A Greek legend tells the story of a young man called Demophon, who fell in love with a Tracian princess, Phyllis. Before the marriage ceremony Demophon is informed that his father has died in Athens and he must return for the funeral. He promises to come back by a certain day but cannot return until three months later.

By this time Phyllis is sure that she will never see her lover again and hangs herself. The Gods, touched by her love, transform her into an almond tree. The desperate Demophon offers a sacrifice to the almond tree, declaring his undying love. In response, the almond tree blossoms.

Therefore the almond came to symbolize impetuous

                                              photo by Joanne Dunn

Bridal flowers

In ancient times bouquets were made with herbs and spices, because it was thought that strong smelling herbs would ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. Garlic and chives were also popular for the same reason. During Victorian times, flowers took on an additional significance, due to the fashion of the flower language.

The Bouquet or Toss Bouquet

The bouquet was considered a symbol of happiness. Today the practice of tossing the bouquet is a derivative of throwing the garter. The single woman who catches the bouquet is believed to be the next to marry.

The night before the wedding

 The bride should wear green for good luck; green has long been the color of fertility!

                                                     christian louboutin

Why the bride stands on the left

Brides stand on the left because in ancient times grooms used to capture their bride by kidnapping her. If the groom had to fight off other men who also wanted the same woman, he would hold his bride-to-be with his left hand and fight with his sword in the right.

                                                Photo by Edoardo  

Days of the week to get married...

Monday for wealth.

Tuesday for health.

Wednesday the best day of all.

Thursday for losses.
Friday for crosses.

Saturday for no luck at all.

Sunday, in ancient times was the best day for getting married because most people were free from work.
Despite this rhyme most couples prefer to marry on Saturday.

Italian wedding feast

 It may consist of more than a dozen courses and was, in ancient Rome, preceded by the breaking of a loaf of barley or wheat bread over the bride's head! (Perhaps this showed who THOUGHT he was the master of the house, but then, there is the famous Italian saying, "La moglie e' la chiave di casa!" (:The wife is the key of the house.") The guests gather up the crumbs for good luck and to help the couple become fertile; the evolved into the gifting of guests with pieces of wedding cake, and some still believe that one who sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under the pillow will dream of his or her future spouse.

                          

                                                    photo by Edoardo

Over the threshold

The groom must carry the bride over the threshold so waiting evil spirits will miss their last chance to capture her.

photo by Edoardo