Top ten tips for planning a Swedish wedding
Bouquets, rings, the bride taking the groom's name...? Sweden is the country where the church has publicly said it disapproves of fathers walking brides down the aisle. The Local's soon-to-be-wed-to-a-Swede Patrick Reilly gives us his top ten tips for planning a wedding in Sweden without going insane.
Marriage may not be as common a ritual in Sweden as it is in other countries but there are still an estimated 50,000 of them a year. Recent legislation allowing same-sex marriage means that number is likely to only increase in future.
Getting hitched to a Swede in their native country means you are going to be exposed to some bizarre rituals, particularly if you are a foreigner yourself. There's the tradition of the bride carrying coins in her shoes, a silver one from her father and a gold one from her mother to ensure she never goes without.
Remember Aislegate? That's when the Swedish church went out and complained in public about Crown Princess Victoria wanting her daddy, the king, to walk her down the aisle, which they said was a patriarchal non-Swedish tradition (one wonders if before mentioned princess had watched a few too many bad US rom-coms?). In Sweden, the bride and groom walk down the aisle together... or the bride and bride, or groom and groom, and let's see what trios and quartets end up aisle-meandering if the polygamy-friendly Centre Party ever gets into power.
IN PICTURES: Top ten things to keep in mind when getting hitched in Sweden
Swedes also buck the trend of some customs associated with weddings like the rings or throwing the bouquet. The Local's Patrick Reilly has compiled a list of the top 10 things you need to know if you are planning on tying the knot in Sweden (and some info if you're just attending one).
Patrick Reilly
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Marriage may not be as common a ritual in Sweden as it is in other countries but there are still an estimated 50,000 of them a year. Recent legislation allowing same-sex marriage means that number is likely to only increase in future.
Getting hitched to a Swede in their native country means you are going to be exposed to some bizarre rituals, particularly if you are a foreigner yourself. There's the tradition of the bride carrying coins in her shoes, a silver one from her father and a gold one from her mother to ensure she never goes without.
Remember Aislegate? That's when the Swedish church went out and complained in public about Crown Princess Victoria wanting her daddy, the king, to walk her down the aisle, which they said was a patriarchal non-Swedish tradition (one wonders if before mentioned princess had watched a few too many bad US rom-coms?). In Sweden, the bride and groom walk down the aisle together... or the bride and bride, or groom and groom, and let's see what trios and quartets end up aisle-meandering if the polygamy-friendly Centre Party ever gets into power.
IN PICTURES: Top ten things to keep in mind when getting hitched in Sweden
Swedes also buck the trend of some customs associated with weddings like the rings or throwing the bouquet. The Local's Patrick Reilly has compiled a list of the top 10 things you need to know if you are planning on tying the knot in Sweden (and some info if you're just attending one).
Patrick Reilly
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