Traditional French Wedding

A traditional French wedding is a ceremonious celebration with varied customs, that are symbolic to the various aspects, of the institution of marriage. Here is some more information about a traditional French wedding.

France has always been synonymous with love and romance and a traditional French wedding reflects the same through its varied customs and ceremonies. All the customs and rituals in a traditional French wedding symbolize the many important aspects of marriage. Not all, but a few of the traditions are still prevalent. The symbolic meaning of the customs and the ceremonies of traditional French weddings are discussed below.

Traditions before the Wedding
Bridal Trousseau / Hope Chest / Wedding Amoire
A bridal trousseau is a well-known custom all over the world. It originated in France, wherein the baby girl was given a trousseau or 'hope chest' which means 'bundle', by her parents. Her family members and friends would give her gifts in the form of clothes, jewelry or any other items that she would require, once she moves into her husband's home. In recent times, the bride is presented with all the household necessities in a fancy stone-carved box by her family, before the wedding.

Wedding Costume and Decorations
The traditional French wedding dress for the bride is an all-white bridal gown embellished with embroidery, beads, bows and laces, bridal jewelry, etc. The all-white wedding dress symbolizes the purity, innocence and joy of the bride. The wedding decorations and wedding flowers used are also all-white. The traditional romantic French music is an essential feature of French weddings and receptions.

Wedding Procession
A traditional French wedding requires that the groom escorts the bride from her home to the chapel, on the wedding day. The procession consists of the parents of the bride and the groom, family members, friends and musicians. Children block the bridal couple's way with white ribbons which the bride must cut. In some French places like Brittany, beggars plait a hedgerow briar across the couple's way. The bride has to bribe the beggars to remove the hedgerow briars. These obstacles symbolize the common path that the couple will have to take after their marriage and the overcoming of the obstacles together.

Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony is held in the church decorated with white flowers and incense. After the guests have gathered, the groom walks his mother down the aisle. Then, the groom and the bride are seated on two red velvet chairs where they exchange vows. The priest's final blessing is received below a silk canopy known as a 'carre'. As the newly-weds emerge from the church and proceed towards the reception venue, they are showered with wheat and rice. These grains symbolize fertility and prosperity.

Wedding Reception
At the wedding reception, guests bring along small cakes and pile them together at a considerable height at the center of the table. If the couple is able to kiss without knocking out the pile, it would symbolize life-long prosperity. The couple then raise a toast to each other from a traditionally engraved cup known as the 'La coupe de marriage'. Traditional French food, French wine and the French wedding cake are the highlights of a reception. The traditional French wedding cake is known as 'Croquembouche' which means 'crunching in one's mouth'. It is made of cones of cream puffs which is filled with French pastry cream and coated with caramelized sugar. It is decorated with marzipan flowers and chocolate is drizzled all over.

Garter (La jarretière)
This tradition originated in the Jewish society and is incorporated in traditional French weddings. The bride throws her garter (a narrow fabric band) at the guests and it is thought to bring good luck to whoever catches hold of it.

These customs and ceremonies are an essential part of a traditional French wedding. They keep the ancient traditions alive and make the wedding a unique and memorable one.