The Absurd And Wonderful – Weird Wedding Themes And Customs

My eye recently caught the headline wedding story about Swedes Jossie Sockertopp and Sonnie Gustavsson who tied the knot in the tradition of ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’.

Not only was it a ‘themed’ wedding in the extreme, but it also took place at the ‘Destination Star Trek London’ three-day convention at the ExCeL Centre. All five actors who played captains through the 46-years it took to film the series attended the event.

The wedding couple have ‘boldy gone where no other has gone before’, said the news article, tongue in cheek, ‘by tying the knot in Britain’s first Klingon wedding ceremony’.

How many other weird and wonderful themes and customs are there out there in the world of weddings?

Themes

When it comes to wedding themes, the world is your oyster, and there are some very interesting ideas out there, many of which have already been done by couples.

Goth (where ’til death do us part’ takes on new meaning)
Zombie (the idea of resembling the living dead, somehow, does not do it for me)
Ghetto (clue: hip-hop influence)
Twilight (as in the book series that has what can only be described as a cult-following)
Underwater (we’re talking tanks, goggles – the works)
Lord of the Rings (high fantasy)
Star Wars

Customs

In Scotland it has been known to cover a bride in oil, eggs and feathers and then parade her around town
In Germany, the best man can ‘kidnap’ the bride from the reception and take her to a local pub where they drink champagne until the groom finds them
In India some women born when Mars and Saturn are both in the 7^th house are regarded as cursed (they may cause their prospective husbands an early death), and as such are required to marry a tree first, which is then destroyed and the curse lifted
The Neur tribe in Sudan believe that a marriage is incomplete until a woman has produced two children; a man can seek a divorce if she fails
In Belgium a bride has a handkerchief embroidered with her name, which is passed down over the generations to each new bride in the family
In Ireland a bride’s feet must stay on the floor whilst dancing or fairies will steal her away