I was at a wedding recently, which isn’t that odd, given my age. Sometimes it feels like I might as well block off the next three years of weekends to accommodate all of my friends and relatives getting married. Anyhow, after the ceremony, which was a beautiful outdoor affair, a fairly typical reception, for an American wedding, ensued. We had cake, we watched the bride dance with her dad, the groom with his mother, she threw the bouquet, and then?
The groom didn’t throw the garter. His groomsmen chided him, his family chided him, and everyone wanted the spectacle of the groom getting down on his knees and pulling the garter off with his teeth. Everyone except for the bride, that is. “Not in front of my grandma!” she proclaimed. I’d never really thought about just how risqué the garter tradition was. I don’t know how comfortable I’d feel hiking up my skirt either.
It made me wonder what kind of racy traditions were par for the course in other cultures. Here are the three best ones that I found.
Traditions of Iceland
In Iceland, home to only about 350,000 residents, engagements tend to last for a long time. Like four or so years long. When the wedding day finally comes around, though, things get saucy fast. The bridesmaids take the bride to the bridal chamber where they undress her until she’s nude, save for the bridal headdress.
Next, the groom enters the room and also undresses and hops into bed with the bride. They exchange gifts that they’ve gotten for one another. Then, in perhaps the strangest twist, the priest enters the chamber and blesses the pairing.
Traditions of Denmark
Does your prospective groom have hot friends? If you live in Denmark, you probably hope so. During a typical Danish wedding ceremony, the groom will leave the proceedings for a bit. Why? So that the bride can kiss all of the single men at the ceremony. One last hurrah before marriage, I suppose. But don’t worry; they keep it fair in Denmark. When the groom returns, the bride leaves and it’s time for him to kiss all of the single ladies.
Traditions of Northern Borneo
I’m not certain if this one is sexy or just, well, plain weird. When a couple is newly married in the Tidong tribe of North Borneo, they are shut off in a home together for three full days. Three days alone on honeymoon? Pretty sexy, no?
But wait. There’s a catch. The families of the bride and groom keep watch on the door to the house and the couple is not allowed to leave. Especially not for a restroom break. That’s right. The bride and groom are forced to hold it for 72 hours straight. If they can make it through the torture, sexy torture, then it’s assumed that they’ll make through just about anything.
Know of any risque wedding traditions? Let us know in the comments.
