Let’s take a look at some of the most common Swedish traditions that have been passed down through the generations…

1. The Swedish wedding day: Swedish weddings, or “Bröllop”, typically take place in an afternoon ceremony. As a common Swedish custom, the couple usually walks down the aisle together.  It’s quite rare that the father of the bride gives his daughter away, after all, that would be a very patriarchal gesture for this rather egalitarian society.

2. The bridal crown: This is an age-old tradition for Swedish brides, although not as common today and often substituted with a modern tiara or veil. However, traditionally the bride would wear a garland of myrtle leaves on her head (a symbol of innocence) often

accompanied with the traditional Swedish wedding folk costume.

3. Simplistic wedding entourage:  Swedes, in general, tend to have a very minimalistic approach to weddings. Rather than selecting a Maid of Honor with four or five bride’s maids and a Best Man with a couple of ushers, Swedes keep it simple. The Swedish bride and groom will normally have one bridesmaid and one best man. After the ceremony, the couple is greeted by their family and friends who kindly throw ‘uncooked’ rice on the couple.

4. An old Swedish wedding custom:  Swedes have an adorable tradition. In Sweden, the parent's of the bride- to- be practice an old traditional wedding custom. Before their daughter leaves for the church to be married, her mother gives her a gold coin to go in her right shoe, and her father hands her a silver coin to be placed in her left shoe. This way they know she will never go without.

5. Swedish wedding rings: After a Swedish couple exchange their marriage vows on their wedding day, the new bride will wear three bands on her wedding finger. One is an

engagement ring, another is her wedding ring and the third is a ring for motherhood.

6. The Swedish bridal bouquet:  In Sweden the lucky bride gets to keep her bouquet – Swedish wedding customs don’t have a history of tossing it away!

7. Swedish wedding speeches:  During the reception, the normally subdued Swedish persona is thrown out the door, as any guest that wishes to give a speech is allowed to at any time. Although this part is often planned, (no one wants a drunken relative taking over) expect the speeches to stretch out over the whole dinner!

8. The kissing tradition: No, not just between the bride and groom, in fact as a guest you might just be lucky enough to plant a kiss on the bride or groom yourself! Tradition has it that if the groom leaves the room for any reason, then the other men at the wedding are allowed to kiss the bride! And vice versa! A unique Swedish tradition without a doubt ! 

9. “Snapsvisor”:  Traditional Swedish wedding folk songs of course! As is common practice in just about every Swedish celebration, the custom of drinking a snaps (vodka) and belting out silly songs is of course ever present at the Swedish wedding dinner.  Don’t stress out if you don’t know the Swedish songs, each table will usually have a print out of the lyrics (or, if you’re lucky, a tipsy Swede who is happy to teach you). Plus, after a couple shots of snaps you’ll be fluent. 

10. The shouting match:  The one who really wears the pants in the marriage will say, ‘I do!’ the loudest.

11. The dinner & cake: Swedish wedding receptions will normally serve a three course meal or a buffét. Rarely will a Swedish wedding have a separate day and night reception, which means if you are invited to a Swedish wedding, you are normally invited to the whole event. Other typical starters are Skagen toast, which is shrimps in mayonnaise and dill on toast often served with kalix löjrom (fish eggs), or Carpaccio on fillet of beef with rocket salad and

Made By:Shivangi Arora

truffle dressing, or a variety of herring served with potatoes and hard bread.

Main courses usually consist of slow cooked meat, chicken breast, salmon, or some game fillets. As a rule fish, unless it’s salmon, is not recommended because long-running speeches could cause the fish to be overcooked. Desserts tend to be quite small since guests will usually be served a piece of the wedding cake with coffee and avec.

A Swedish wedding, like any other around the world, is a mix of traditions – old and new.