Different countries had had their own histories of weddings, where each tradition and custom involved in the weddings have had their own separate meanings.
For example in Japan, also known as the land of the rising sun, ‘Nakodo was employed to set up a marriage arrangement. This person was basically a go-between or an intermediary who assisted in the procedures of a marriage. Drinks, clothes and gifts were exchanged between family members once a proposal has been accepts in order to symbolize happiness and fortune. The Nakodo also attended the wedding, and sometimes also read the oath after the groom had done so on behalf of himself and the bride. The Nakodo, was therefore a very important figure in traditional weddings, and was released of his duties only after this stage has been completed.
A strange aspect of Japanese weddings was that the bride did not go to live with her in-laws but initially continued to live with her own family, where the groom would visit her every night. She could only move in her in-laws house if one of the following to conditions were met: Either she produced an heir or the groom’s parents had died.
Viking culture was one not known for its shyness. Therefore, most of its wedding celebrations were characters by loud music, drunkenness and hearty feasting. If the family was rich enough, the whole festivity could go on for a month. Lots of guests used to turn up for this event, since not only was all the booze, food and entertainment for free but they also received a gift for their attendance. The larger the attendance list, the more prestigious the wedding was deemed to be.
In contrast, in Scotland, the guests had to pay a lot for getting invited and attending the wedding. They were expected to provide food in contribution to the marriage banquet, and pay in cash or kind for the wedding festivities as well as give gifts once the wedding celebration was over. Therefore, lots of couples reaped a lot of profit out of their own wedding, and could live comfortably for a substantial period of time after their wedding. However, the highland communities were quite religious, and anyone who was found having broken their vows were made to stand in a barrel full of chilled water in front of the doorway of the local church before the service was called. The guilty was then forced to go into the congregation while still dripping wet and stand before the locals till the service had ended. The humiliation was further dished out by having the minister explain to everyone what the wrong act the guilty had done.
In Mexico, the couple getting married would be literally tied up together by a priest. After the exchange of vows, he would wrap a huge rosary around their shoulders, wrists and the waist, in eight loops. For rich families, the rosaries would be replaced with wooden rings, gold bands or strands of ribbons and flowers.