Weddings are a time to celebrate that is evident when European brides stand at the alter with their future husbands. European brides are also about holding on to and embracing of tradition. They may come from different walks of life in comparison to their chosen partners but somehow they find themselves holding on to the tradition of marriage. Europe marriage is different from country to country in Europe. That is because although most of the European countries are joint together in the European Union they still have their own beliefs and cultures which may or may not be similar. But the connection that these countries have via the European union makes it easier for the Europe bride to find her mate on the other side her own country while at the same time she can keep her own countries traditions if she so chooses. European brides vary from country to country as they are also different individuals with different influences. This is why a European marriage is so different every time and why the European brides always have a great time at their wedding.
In Europe there are many traditions that the European brides and grooms must stick to. One of these is the engagement ring which is the oldest tradition in western Europe. There is also the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. This like many other of the wedding traditions that a European bride and groom try to stick to originated from England and now many western European countries use this tradition as well as the others; this tradition is now an important part of a western European wedding even thought the bridges and groom do not know the significance of the rhyme anymore.
The weddings in western Europe always have a white wedding dress. The white wedding dress however was not introduced to weddings until 1499 when Ann of Brittany popularized the white wedding dress. The white wedding dress is now an important part of any western Europe wedding.
In eastern Europe the traditions are somewhat different. The eastern Europe weddings concern long life, fertility, prosperity and happiness. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia the bride's friends would plant a tree and then the tree would be decorated with ribbons and egg shells. They do this so that they believe that the bride will live as long as the tree. Also as a tradition, a baby would be laid on the couples wedding bed as a sign of fertility. Also like many other countries the young couple after the wedding ceremony would break plates and then count the pieces. The more pieces there were, the more successful their marriage would be. That tradition is adopted by many other countries but with slight alterations.
Also in Hungary a new bride weares a headdress at the wedding which has woven strands of wheat. The wheat symbolizes fertility, also a new bride will be given an egg, and the bride must smash the egg to ensure the health of her future children. Then the bride can present her husband with seven scarves because seven is their lucky number.
A marriage ceremony is taken seriously all over the world and these traditions do go back hundreds of years. The young couples who are getting married like to keep these traditions going so that they can be preserved and passed on for another hundred years.