This is a short conversational presentation about interesting marriage customs in different countries. Marriage discussion questions come before introducing the customs.

1. Marriage Around
the World

2. 1. How long do you want to be
married? 10 years? Forever? 50
years?
2. What are some strange
marriage traditions in China?
3. What’s more important in a
marriage? From the same
country or practice the same
religion?
4. What religion could you never
marry?

3. Discuss…
1. What is a
bachelor/bachelorette party?
2. Do you wish you could go to
more weddings?
3. Why do some people dislike
weddings?
4. Was it difficult to plan your
wedding?

4. Discuss…
1. What are the best and worst things
about weddings?
2. Do you think weddings in other
countries are better than China?
3. Do you think your wedding is the
happiest day of your life?
4. What kind of wedding would you like
to have?
5. Is it ok to invite your ex to your
wedding?

5. Discuss…
1. What is the best part of a wedding
the ceremony, the vows, or the
reception?
2. What do you think of adventure
weddings, such as underwater
weddings or a wedding on a
beach?
3. What words would you use to
describe weddings?

6. What is a…
1. Bachelor Party?
2. Wedding crasher?
3. Honeymoon?
4. Destination wedding?
5. Elope?
6. Double Wedding?

7. What is a…
1. Bachelor Party – a party the
night before the wedding for
the man about to be married.
2. Wedding crasher – a person
who goes to a wedding but
doesn’t know anyone there.
They only go to drink, eat and
pick up on lonely women.
3. Honeymoon – vacation after
the wedding.

8. What is a…
1. Destination wedding – a wedding that is
combined with a vacation to an exotic
place.
2. Elope – to run away and get married
without any guests or without permission
from parents.
3. Double Wedding – two close friends or
family members getting married at the
same ceremony.

10. What is a Shotgun Wedding?
When groom doesn’t want to marry, but he is forced to marry.
Usually, the bride is pregnant before the wedding

11. Who’s in a Wedding?
1. Bride: A woman about to be married.
2. Groom: A man who is about to be
married.
3. Marriage official: The person who does
the wedding. This person may be a
judge, justice of the peace, or a
member of clergy.
4. Best Man: The best friend of the
groom. Usually, a sibling or friend of
special significance in his life.

12. Who’s in a Wedding?
1. Maid of Honor: The brides best friend or
closest sibling.
2. Bridesmaids: The female friends of the
bride.
3. Groomsmen: The male friends of the
groom.
4. Page (Ring Bearer): The children who
carry the brides train. Or, the child who
carries the rings down the aisle.
5. Flower girl(s): In some traditions, one or
more children carry flower petals to drop
in front of the bride in the wedding
procession.

14. If your son/daughter wanted to marry a
man/woman 40 years older, what would you
say? Would you agree?

15. Scotland
The Scottish
bride must
endure being
covered in oil,
syrup and dirty
water in public
before her
marriage.
If she can handle
this, she can
handle marriage.

16. Is that true?
Brides of the Tujia people in
China cry for 1 hour everyday. Ten
days into the ordeal the mom
joins the picture, and then ten
days later the grandmother does
the same.

17. Northern Borneo
 For tribes from Borneo
newly married couples are
required to stay in their
house while not using the
bathroom for three days
and nights.
 How does this benefit the
couple?
 How long can you go
without using the
bathroom?

18. Sweden
 Whenever the bride or
groom leaves their table to
use the bathroom the other
gets kissed… So if the
groom has to go then
every man at the party will
get a chance to kiss his
wife.
 Would you be ok with this
tradition?

19. France
 After the wedding, friends of
the bride and groom put
chocolate in a toilet bowl and
the bride and groom must
drink it.
 Would you eat chocolate from
a toilet?
 What if the toilet was very
clean?

20. Breaking Dishes
In Germany the
newlyweds get
new dishes from
the guests. And
then they break
them.
Supposedly the
noise scares away
evil spirits.

21. Help from Mother
Some villages in Africa require an
older woman, sometimes the brides
mother, to stay in the bedroom and
“help” the newlyweds the first night
of their marriage.

22. Be Serious…
 In the Congo, Africa, In
order for the marriage to
be taken seriously the
bride and groom are not
allowed to smile during
the wedding.

23. White Dress
 Before 1840, brides never
wore a white dress,
because white meant you
were mourning a death.
 It became popular after
Queen Victoria wore a
white dress to marry
Prince Albert.