Dutch Wedding Customs

Many of the ceremonies Marriage Celebrants take today are either bi-cultural or with couples who share the same cultural background. I always make a point of researching or asking about the customs associated with these cultures and recently found out some interesting information of Dutch wedding customs on www.worldweddingtraditions.com

 Some Dutch Wedding Customs
 
·    After their ceremony, the Bride and Groom are seated under a canopy of fragrant evergreens, symbolising  love everlasting.

·    Family and friends plant Lilies of the Valley around the newlywed's home as the flower symbolises a return to happiness and each year, when the flowers bloom, couple renews their vows.

·   People may not know that the 'Bridal Shower' concept originated in Holland. Folklore says that a bride was denied her dowry when she intended to marry a poor miller. Her broken heart was mended, however, when the groom's friends "showered" her with the gifts she needed to set up her home so she married her true love after all..

·    Traditionally, Dutch wedding feasts are very heavy, with plenty of liquor as the staple. Two very traditional foods are sweetmeats known as "bruid suikas" (Bridal Sugar) and a spiced wine containing thin gold leaves called "bride's tears."

·    Bridal sugar, a sweetmeat candy, is given to guests of the wedding in a tulle bag. The five pieces symbolize love, happiness, loyalty, prosperity, and virility.

·    It is said of the Dutch that they are as indulgent with wedding feasts as they are practical and staid in everyday life.