A wedding makes two people’s commitment to each other official, making this ceremony that is a celebration of love with friends and family one of the happiest. We have here some statistics and facts about this special day. 

Weddings Myths and Traditions 

1. An Italian bride may choose to stay away from pearls during her wedding day because they are deemed to carry evil spirits. Among the Greeks, pearls are beloved as they are believed to take the place of the bride’s future tears. (Source: Pearls UK)
2. The tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding was established in the pre-18th century when arranged marriages were rife. It prevented the groom from changing his mind until it was fairly late. (Source: Wikipedia)
3. White symbolizes purity, which the people in the Roman Empire valued tremendously during weddings. Ergo, white wedding gowns. (Source: Osu.Edu)
4. White was not the most practical color for most brides in a world that experienced water shortages, and it was almost impossible to wear this gown again after the wedding. So, after the fall of the Roman Empire, brides started wearing any new dress of choice. In China and India, white is synonymous with mourning, so you won’t find brides in it. (Source: Hagen History)
5. Queen Victoria wore a white wedding when she married Prince Albert in the 1800s, bringing the color back and making it popular to date. (Source: Fashion History)
6. The garter toss is the bouquet toss for the bachelors in the crowd. Traditionally, it would signify the successful consummation of a marriage. Wedding guests would wait by the groom’s bed chambers until he tossed the garter to the crowd. (Source: MasterClass)
7. Back in the day, women were treated the same way as commodities and a wedding was just another business transaction. The bride’s father would ‘give them away’ by handing them to the groom, who would be in charge of them henceforth. (Source: A Perfect Blend)
8. In Ancient Rome, the groom carried the bride over the threshold and into her new home to avoid tripping and falling, which would anger the house gods. (Source: Dartmouth Edu)
9. Why have bridesmaids? To confuse the evil spirits or jealous rejected suitors. The bridesmaids needed to look and dress like the bride for this to work. (Source: Sven Studios)
10. In ancient times, when brides did not necessarily choose their grooms, groomsmen would come in handy to capture and deliver her to the groom. They were chosen for their strength, not looks or emotional proximity to the groom. (Source: Wikipedia)
11. Ancient Greek is the originator of stag and hen parties. Before tying the knot, brides and grooms get one last night of fun with their closest friends. Back then, women would take the day off with their friends to pray to the god of weather and fertility to bless their union. Today, a hen will likely feature a male stripper or two. (Source: Brides)
12. Rice/grain toss: it is still common for couples to be sprayed with grains such as rice, millet, and wheat. This ancient tradition borrows from medieval times, and it symbolizes wishing the couple prosperity, happiness, and fertility. (Source: Todd Dan)
13. Handfasting, a Celtic tradition that dates back to 7000 BC, symbolizes the binding of two people together for eternity. It’s similar to ‘tying the knot’ as observed in Egyptian and Indian cultures. (Source: Brides)
14. Veils were used to protect brides on their special day. Evil spirits featured highly in the Ancient cultures. (Source: Cosmopolitan)
15. Wedding cakes and fertility: In Roman times, grains – like wheat – represented fertility, which was important for the continuity of lineages. They would break bread over the bride’s head to wish her fertility. (Source: UC Press)
16. The Roman goddess Juno is the guardian of marriage, fertility, and childbirth, so most weddings were planned for June, the month she’s named after, for said blessings and benefits. (Source: Wikipedia)
17. Honeymoons were not what they are today. The bride and groom would drink a beverage made of honey for 30 days – one moon – to boost fertility.  (Source: Mead Batch)
18. The Western superstition about Friday the 13th has always barred it from being picked as a wedding date from back in the day. No one needs bad luck on their special day, superstitious or not. (Source: Wikipedia)
19. Most people are afraid of spiders. Now imagine finding one on your wedding gown! In England, that was considered a good omen. (Source: Wedding Wire)
20.  Waiting to sew that little hem on the gown literal minutes before the event? It was considered good luck by ancient aunties. (Source: Bourton Hall)
21. According to Indian folklore, rain on a wedding day signifies good luck and blessings since a wet knot is pretty hard to untie. (Source: The Pink Bride)
22. Sugar’s sweet, right? So, the Greeks believed that placing a cube in the bride’s glove sweetened the marriage. (Wikipedia)
23. The Chinese wedding traditions include a mother or maternal figure combing the bride’s hair a day before the wedding to symbolize the transition from childhood to adulthood. (Source: East Meets Dress)
24. Traditionally, a Chinese groom would lead a procession to the bride’s home to pick her up for the wedding ceremony. (Source: CHCP)
25. Henna, anyone? In Indian culture, the darker the henna applied to your body before your wedding, the stronger your marriage will be. (Source: Bollywood Shaadis)
26. Grey, black, and blue may be beloved colors, but they are not welcome at Chinese weddings as they signify sadness. (Source: JKKN)
27. Actress Grace Kelly’s wedding gown was made of 100 silk net yards. It remains one of the most popular pieces in a museum in Monaco. (Source: Tatler)

Statistics and Facts on Spending

1. If you are on a budget, you might be happy to know relatively cheaper weddings have been seen to last longer. The focus for the day is on you two, not some elaborate flower arrangements. (Source: The Knot)
2. Kissing at the end of the ceremony was a way of sealing the contract at weddings during Roman Empire times. (Source: Latin Language Blog)
3. Serena Williams wore one of the priciest wedding gowns of all time at $3.5 million. (Source: Brides)
4. Of lavish weddings, one of the most expensive was between Chinese actors Angela Yeung and Huang Xiaoming. It is estimated to cost $31 million. (Source: Forbes)
5. In 2018, a typical wedding cost $44,000. (Source: Brides)
6. Wedding cost: who shoulders this burden? Cultures differ. The bride’s family pays for the ceremony in the US, among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Irish, Tamil, Polish, and Gujarati. Among the Romanian, Kenyan, and Korean, the cost is on either the couple or the groom’s family. Many other cultures not covered here have various ways of sharing these costs. (Source: Wikipedia)
7. Wedding services are a big business, generating over $160 billion worldwide. (Source: Allied Market Search)
8. The biggest wedding expense is the venue. Catering and music follow closely. (Source: The Knot)
9. New Jersey was the most expensive wedding destination in 2022, averaging $51,000, mainly due to its appeal, creating a high demand for venues. Utah was the cheapest at $19,000. (Source: Bank Rate)
10. Saturdays are almost the designated day for Christian weddings but are also the priciest for obvious reasons. Other expensive days include Christmas and Valentine’s. (Source: TLC)
11. England and Wales have reported fewer religious weddings and more civil marriages. (Source: Online MFT)
12. Photographers and videographers will set you back 10-15% of your budget. (Source: She Knows) 
13. A wedding cake that serves 100-150 guests costs $500-$700. (Source: Go Airmat)
14. An average, beautiful wedding gown costs between $1,500 and $2,500 with alterations. (Source: Zola)
15. Most couples start with a clear budget but always go above it eventually. (Source: Fortunly)
16. At least 45% of couples go into debt when covering their wedding costs. (Source: Lending Tree)
17. The average American wedding has 167 guests. The upper limit is usually 200. (Source: Brides)
18. The bridal gown market was worth over $44 billion in 2022. (Source: Globenews Wire)
19. In 2022, the US accounted for 25% of all wedding revenue at over $70 billion. (Source: Wikipedia)
20. Wedding destinations are dreamy, beautiful, and quite expensive, and they made up 18% of all weddings done in 2018. (Source: The Knot)
21. Thanks to the cost associated with them, 20-30% of guests might RSVP no to destination weddings. (Source: The Knot)
22. Weddings are not only expensive; they are time-consuming, too. Couples spend 2 hours of every day going through the plans. (Source: Wedding Wire)
23. Every year, 17 tons of gold go into wedding bands in the US alone. (Source: National Today)
24. A destination wedding will set you back at least $1,000 per person before including lodging and airfare. (Source: Travel Bash) 
25. The average cost per person in a regular wedding is $200. (Source: Wedding Forward)

Random Fun Facts

1. Wedding cakes can range from small to extremely extravagant, depending on budget. The biggest wedding cake ever made weighed over 15,000 pounds and could feed 59,000 people if served at a ceremony. (Source: Yahoo Life)
2. Las Vegas is the ‘Marriage capital of the world’ because of how easy it is to get married there on a budget. (Source: Wikipedia)
3. The importance of music and entertainment at a wedding is underrated, and if more couples knew that it was the most memorable thing to 81% of guests polled, maybe they would spend more time there. (Source: Orange Crush Band)
4. The ‘Money Dance’ is a real thing in some cultures, mainly Cuba and the Philippines. You are to pin money on the bride’s dress if you dance with her to wish the couple prosperity in the future. (Source: Wikipedia)
5. The longest wedding veil was 22,843 feet and 2.11 inches long. It was Maria Paraskeva’s dream, so she researched and found all the tule needed for the veil before her 2018 wedding. (Source: Guinness World Records)
6. A typical Zulu wedding involves meetings, dances, interactions with ancestors, and negotiations that could last all day, so guests know to set the day aside for the events. (Source: Lux Review)
7. The largest wedding reception held had 150,000 guests and cost over $23 million. India’s Jayalalitha Jayaram must have been very pleased with her grandson to throw such a party. (Source: Guinness World Records)
8. Underwater nuptials, anyone? Divers Hiroyuki Yoshida and Sandra Smith dove 130m underwater to tie the knot. (Source: Guinness World Records)
9. The largest mass wedding involved 2,143 couples married within 12 hours. (Source: Economic Times)
10. Brides prefer to be prepared so they buy 7.5 million bridal magazines annually. (Source: Rockford)
11. In Egyptian cultural practice, the bride’s unmarried friends may pinch her during the ceremony for good luck. (Source: Where Brides Go)
12. Topical destinations can have weddings all year round, but couples in the West have to consider the weather before choosing a date. June – association with Juno aside, September and Oct are the favorites. (Source: Florianni)
13. The Tujia people of China still practice crying marriages where the bride is to schedule an hour-long cry session every day for a month until her wedding day. What will the tears do? Ensure a happy marriage. (Source: Zhangjiajie)
14. The Congo takes weddings with a seriousness most would not. The bride and groom are forbidden from smiling if they are serious about the ceremony and their marriage. (Source: Medium)
15. A wedding ring goes on the fourth finger of the left hand because ancient Greeks believed it was the one with the ‘vein of love’ that connected to the heart. (Source: Beldiamond)
16. Flowers for your bouquet? Why didn’t they use herbs like jasmine and rosemary to fend off evil spirits, as was the practice in the Middle Ages? (Source: Rose&Blossom)
17.  Germans and Greeks would smash plates at their wedding ceremonies to fend off evil. The bride and groom would then clean the mess to show the unity they were bringing into the union. (Source: Elxis)
18. The groom would pick up his group and serenade the bride outside her bedroom window the night before the wedding. Sweet, right? (Source: PM Photography)
19. Venezuelan couples will sneak away without being noticed once the ceremony is over and everyone is at the reception. This is said to bring them good luck. (Source: Wedding Details)
20. Single ladies assemble! If you are looking for a husband, attend a Greek or Iraqi wedding and write your name on the sole of the bride’s shoe, and you could be next! (Source: TWC)

Conclusion

Is any of these traditions new to you, or do you already know about them? Many cultures still practice their unique traditions that make their days beautiful and unique. To more joyous celebrations of love!