New Report Looks at Wedding Traditions Around the World

 

A wedding in India can have 500 or more, while in Colombia a wedding is much smaller. “It’s actually a pretty big honor¹ to be invited to a Colombian wedding,” a spokesperson said.

When are the most popular months to get married? Do couples ask for their parents’ approval² first? How many people attend the wedding?

These are some of the questions answered in a new report about marriage traditions around the world. It was released³ this week by the wedding websites TheKnot.com, WeddingWire.com and the Spanish-language Bodas.net.

Researchers surveyed 20,000 newly⁵ married couples in 14 countries about their weddings. They found that in much of Europe and North America, September and October are the most popular months to get married.

In the United States, more than two-thirds of couples still want their parents’ approval before getting married. But less than 10 percent of couples in Italy and Spain do. In Colombia, the average wedding has 91 guests. In India, the average is 524.

“One of the similarities that we saw across many countries was the strong desire to (personalize) a wedding,” said Lauren Goodson. She is one of the senior directors of The Knot⁴ Worldwide, the company that did the study.

But, for the most part, wedding traditions are different, even in the same country. In India, for example, Hindu couples prefer to get married on days that are believed to bring good luck.

The amount of time spent planning a wedding can also be different. Colombian couples had the shortest wedding planning period at seven months. That was followed by India and Chile at eight months. Goodson said countries where couples are less likely to live together before marriage usually have the shortest planning periods.

As for the bride’s dress, women in the Americas and Europe continue to wear white dresses. But the style of the dress is often non-traditional, Goodson added. In the U.K., 22 percent of brides wore a tiara, just like Meghan Markle, she said

Then there is the cost of the wedding. In Mexico it is traditional to name a “padrinos” or sponsor⁶ for the couple. It is a way to honor a relative or friend, but the padrinos must help with the cost of the wedding.

In Latin⁷ America overall⁸, Goodson said, couples pay most of the cost. In Spain, parents often pay a large part of the cost. In Peru, Chile and Colombia, couples pay about 55 percent of wedding costs. A large number of them borrow money to cover it. In Italy, parents usually pay about 60 percent, the study said.

Nearly everywhere, music keeps the party going until late into the night. In Chile and Peru, a Latin American tradition of la hora loca, or “crazy hour,” is popular.

At one recent wedding in Santiago, Chile, a couple had lighted robots blow confetti in the air while guests danced under bright lights, according to the report. Another couple dressed like Super Mario Bros to surprise their guests.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

wedding – n. a ceremony in which two people get married

couple – n. two people who are married or who have a romantic or sexual⁹ relationship

guest – n. someone who is invited to attend an event or visit a home

bride – n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married

tiara – n. a small crown¹⁰ that is decorated with jewels and that is worn by women or girls on special occasions¹¹

sponsor – n. someone who takes the responsibility for someone or something

confetti – n. small pieces of brightly colored paper that people often throw at celebrations

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。

3 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

4 knot   

n.结，难题，一小群；vi.打结；vt. 把...打成结，系牢，捆扎

参考例句：

• He made a knot in the rope.他在绳子上打了个结。
• The knot has come untied.扣儿开了。

5 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

6 sponsor   

vt.发起，主办；资助；n.发起者，资助人

参考例句：

• Sponsor stated they have no idea where he is.赞助方表示他们不知道他在哪儿。
• The sponsor has permanent ad on the website commonly.赞助商一般在网站上有永久性广告。

7 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

8 overall   

n.工作服，工装裤；全面的，全体的

参考例句：

• The shop assistant was wearing a white overall.那店员穿着白色的工作服。
• How much will it cost overall?一共多少钱？

9 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

10 crown   

n.王冠，王权，顶点；v.使...成王，加冕，居...之顶

参考例句：

• He won the crown in 1973.他荣获1973年冠军称号。
• They wanted to crown Caesar king.他们想立凯撒为王。

11 occasions   

n.机会( occasion的名词复数 )；时刻；原因；需要

参考例句：

• The prosecution stated that intercourse had occurred on several occasions. 控诉方称发生过数次性交。
• He has been late on numerous occasions. 他已经迟到过无数次了。