Wedding Traditions from ATW: Germany

I fall in love everytime I see European towns and cities that look like they are straight out of a story book or fairy tale. Such magnificent details with unique architecture — there is no other place like it — unless you visit Disney’s Epcot, then there’s a small chance you’ll feel transported to a european lifestyle for just a minute! Each country, not only in Europe but around the world has its own treasure trove you’ll be dazzled by. In Germany, you can be in the Alps or on the shores of the North or Baltic Sea.

Rothenburg, Germany Right out of a Fairytale✨ Photographer Unkown

German cuisine varies in each region but they share similarities with close regions such as Switzerland and Austria. Bread is one of the most significant parts of their cuisine, along with meat & cheese. Sounds like my kind of cuisine! Germany produces about 1500 different varieties of Bratwurst and of course you cannot eat anything without a beer in hand! Beer is the country’s most popularly consumed alcoholic beverage. I love that Germany is also known for many folk-festival traditions such as Oktoberfest and many traditional Christmas customs we celebrate in the US today. As of 2017, Germany was said to be the 9th most visited country in the world!

Now, I’m sure you’re here to find out more about German wedding traditions. Thanks for joining me ATW❤️

Photography by Daniela Knipper Hochzeiten

Our first wedding tradition to discuss is called Polterabend. Polterabend is similar to a rehersal dinner which is set either the night before the hochzeit (wedding) or even the week before. It’s a gathering of many family and friends of both the bride and groom. The tradition is that each guest brings old porcelain to smash into shards at the party in celebration of love and commitment. Then, it is usually the bride and grooms responsibility to clean up the mess entirely on their own. By doing so, it shows their great efforts in teamwork as they work together to clean up the mess. The shards are said to bring luck as well as banish any evil spirits. Don’t be surprised if you hear of guests bringing truckloads of dishes or even porcelain toilets — as long as it isn’t glass, which is bad luck to break in German customs, than the more, the merrier! Below is a photograph I found of a lovely personalized shadow box for the bride and groom to save porcelain shards as a keepsake.

Image by @brautgefuehle on Instagram

Image by @jeettee_ on Instagram

Another big tradition is the customary Log Sawing or otherwise known in German as Baumstamm sägen which is the sawing of a tree trunk. After the wedding ceremony, the couple must saw a log in half together as their first challenge as husband and wife. This is once again a testament to their strength and ability to work well as a team. Once the log has been cut in half, confetti is thrown and horns will honk in celebration of this achievement!

As for wedding rings, it is traditional for a German bride to wear her engagement ring on her left ring finger but once she is married the wedding ring goes on her right ring finger. Many couples will marry in the months of May to September and there is usually a civil ceremony held before the church ceremony. A civil ceremony is held either days or months before the wedding day with a smaller group of friends and family to act as witnesses. A civil ceremony needs to happen in order for the marriage to be considered legal.

The next tradition may seem peculiar to Americans however it is a fun game to play with the Bride & Groom in Germany! It’s called “abducting the bride”. The best man is left in charge of taking the Bride on a fun pub crawl and hints are left along the way for the groom to find later on. The bride and best man can keep drinking at the pub until the groom finds them and the only way to set her free is by paying all the bar tabs! This is a tradition that normally takes place in smaller German villages because it would be a rather expensive night of fun if it took place in a big area like Reeperbahn!

Image by @brautgefuehle on Instagram

Once the ceremony is over, the next step is the reception! Wedding receptions in Germany are an all night affair. Coffee and cake is served before the couples first dance. In some areas the bride does a bouquet toss to her single friends however, a more common tradition, is the German Veil Dance! A veil dance, otherwise known as “Schleiertanz” is when a few guests hold up the brides veil while the bride and groom dance underneath. Once the music stops, all the single women at the wedding try to rip pieces off the veil. Whoever tears the largest piece is said to be the next to marry.

Zu guter Letzt ( At last), the wedding cake! Although it’s said that many American styled wedding cakes are making their way to Europe, countries like Germany still stick to their own traditions. At a German wedding you are most likely going to see a rich sponge cake that is soaked with a liqueur or syrup, filled with either a jam, nougat or marzipan and covered with either fondant or ganache. No artificial coloring but packed with tons of natural flavors. Save a piece for me please!

Image by Miho Photography & Cake by Cafe Kommod

Thanks again for taking a tour with me around the world (ATW) to learn some fun German wedding traditions. I can’t wait to see where we might land next! Prost! 🥂