Italian Wedding Traditions
Traditional weddings are not exactly phased out. And in some occasions, you will have couples opting to have traditional weddings for their destination weddings. For those couples who are planning a wedding in Italy and wish to take up some of the Italian traditions, here are several age-old Italian “nozze” (wedding). You can include some of the traditions to make your Italian destination weddings without a doubt authentic.
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Rehearsal Dinner
During rehearsal dinner, before pasta is passed the best-man toasts to “A hundred years, as a way of wishing the new couple hundred years of good luck, with a prosecco glass (Italian equivalent of champagne). Brides in Italy once put on green attire on their wedding eve to bring them good luck.
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Wedding Ceremony
You can tie a ribbon across the church entrance to let passersby's know your wedding is happening. Superstitious grooms often take with them a small iron piece in their pockets for warding off evil spirits, while the brides tear their veils to signify good luck. Since less emphasis is put on bridal parties, only the best maid and man serve as witnesses.
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Exiting Your Wedding Ceremony
You can expect lots of “Auguri!" shouts and clapping from your guests meaning (“Best wishes!") having a vintage Alfa Romeo getaway car will attract a crowd. In place of roped clanging cans at the back, Italian tradition always decorates the front grill of your car with flowers to cover the road to the sweet married life (la dolce vita).
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The Reception drinks and Food
Food is the center of true Italian Festa . Be sure to offer fresh, seasonal dishes with spicy appetizers such as salami, olives, and prosciutto. You can have hearty entrees like pastas with some thick sauces, venison, and veal. You can get high-quality traditional wines from the countryside of Italy in flavors intended to match up with the local cuisine.
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The Budget
You need not worry when the wedding expenses don’t add up because your Italian guests can help you pay! Many Italian brides always carry satin bags (la borsa) at receptions for their guests to put envelopes with money in. this tradition is known as the “buste." bold brides will wear it around the necks for male guests to put money in money trading it for a dance.
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The Dance
Italian dancers hold hands and start racing clockwise till the music picks up the pace then they reverse direction. This reversing of direction goes on until the group gives in to the fast music. ‘The Tarantula’ ("La Tarantella") is a frenzied way Italian guests wish good luck to the newlywed couple.
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The Cake
Many Italian regions do not serve cake; instead, guests receive candy-coated Jordanian almonds to symbolize the bitter as well as sweet to come. If you must have cake for your wedding but still keep the tradition, you can opt for mille-foglia, the regional favorite. This is a cake made from several layers of the light filo pastry, vanilla and chocolate creams, plus strawberries. Or you can go for the zuppa inglese, which is layers of pound cake, filled with vanilla custard, chocolate, rum cream, plus fruit, then topped with candy dove or sugar flowers to symbolize lasting love.
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