Cultures all over the world have very interesting traditions and belief. Personal and social events are made more colorful and memorable with special events that are truly unique. In Italy, while people are mostly Christians and Catholics, beliefs and superstitions are being followed – in respect of tradition and to truly make their weddings uniquely Italian. For people that want to have an Italian wedding, here are some tips and suggestions:

Before the actual wedding ceremonies:

– Unlike western culture where bridal showers and stag parties are organized, such is not practiced in Italian weddings. Rather, a simpler belief of wearing a night gown colored green is believed to bring luck and richness to the couple (green for greener pastures or better life ahead).

– The months of May and August are avoided when it comes to wedding ceremonies. May is the month of the veneration of Mother Mary; while the month of August is considered to be bad luck.

On the day of the wedding and afterwards:

– The groom brings with him a piece of iron called Toc Ferro (placed in his pocket) believed to prevent what they call ‘Evil Eye’. This tradition stems from the belief that his happiness might push other people and evil spirits to disrupt their happy life because they are envious of him.

– As for the bride, similar with other cultures and beliefs, she wears a veil to hide herself from evil spirits intending to harm their unity. She also doesn’t wear any jewelry made of gold because it is also thought to bring bad luck.

– The traditional wedding favor being given are sugar-coated almonds placed inside plastic mesh bags called bomboniera. This is to signify that the coming years may be both bitter and sweet at the same time. In preparing these favors, they put them in bags in odd numbers believing that odd numbers are good luck.

– At the end of the wedding day, the couple will throw a glass and the more pieces the glass gets broken, it means they will stay together for a longer time.

– The best man will serve strong and sweet liquor to the guests and during the toast they all toast greeting the couple 100 years of togetherness.

– The bride also brings with her a bag called la borsa where guests can give monetary gifts instead, place them in the bag, to help support the couple in their coming expenses (whether during the reception or afterwards).

– For the food, they serve what they call a ‘Wedding Soup’ (chicken soup with bite-size pieces of meatballs).

– For the honeymoon, the islands of Sicily and Capri are famous honeymoon spots for newlywed couples.

If you get invited in an Italian wedding, do watch out for these interesting traditions. Have fun and celebrate with them. Italians are also fun-loving people and they respect their traditions as well. Make sure you take part and maybe even capture them in photographs or video for memories that will truly last.

Criss White is a professional article writer for bridal, wedding, baby, and various other topics. For more ideas or to browse through some Italian wedding favors, visit the wedding favors section of Bridal and Wedding Favors. Note: This article may be reprinted in your ezine, blog, or website as long as the credits remain intact and hyperlinks remain active.

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