French Wedding Style offers deep insights into traditional French wedding customs, helping you capture the authentic spirit of a French celebration. Whether you’re planning your wedding in Paris, Aquitaine, the South of France, or any other beautiful French destination, understanding these traditions can truly enhance your experience.
What are the Pre-Wedding Customs in French weddings?
The Fiançailles (Engagement Celebration)
French couples celebrate their engagement with a formal gathering called “fiançailles,” where families unite. Traditionally, the engagement remains secret from friends until announced to family. While many modern couples skip the secrecy, they still host a gathering to announce the news and capture these early moments.
The Trousseau and Wedding Armoire
One of the oldest French wedding traditions is the trousseau – a collection of items the bride prepares for married life. This includes wedding dresses, lingerie, and linens for the new home, often embroidered with the bride’s married initials. These items are stored in a Wedding Armoire or Hope Chest, traditionally carved by the bride’s father. Today, many brides receive French bed linens during their bridal shower or bachelorette party.
What are the Ceremonial Traditions in French weddings?
The Civil Ceremony (La Mairie)
In France, couples must have a civil ceremony at the town hall, led by the mayor or an authorized official. This brief, formal ceremony typically includes close family and witnesses, with the public allowed to attend and voice objections if necessary.
Symbolic Wedding Ceremony
Following the civil ceremony, many couples hold a symbolic ceremony in a church, chateau, or outdoor venue. This more personal celebration often includes traditional elements like the groom walking with his mother and the bride being escorted by her father.
Le Cortège (The Bridal Procession)
The traditional French bridal procession begins with the groom walking down the aisle with his mother, followed by flower girls, ring bearers, and finally the bride escorted by her father, emphasizing the importance of family.
What to Wear at a French Wedding?
Bridal Fashion
French brides typically choose their attire based on region and season. Southern brides often select flowing dresses in breathable lace or linen, while northern brides prefer heavier fabrics like silk mikado, satin, and crepe for cooler months. The French bridal style emphasizes simple elegance over intricate designs.
Guest Attire
Female guests, especially at traditional rural weddings, often wear fascinators or hats during church ceremonies, adding sophistication and showing respect for the occasion.
The Witness System
Unlike other countries’ traditions of bridesmaids and groomsmen, French weddings feature “witnesses” – one or two per couple – who play an official role in the ceremony. Children serve as flower girls and ring bearers.
What are the Traditional Reception Elements in a French Wedding?
Le Vin d’Honneur
After the ceremony, guests enjoy a lengthy cocktail hour called “le vin d’honneur,” lasting two to three hours. This social gathering features appetizers like pâté, veggie tarts, and French cheeses, accompanied by local wines.
The Wedding Feast
French wedding menus often showcase sophisticated dishes featuring beef, duck, and fish. The traditional croquembouche – a tower of cream-filled pastries bound with caramel – serves as the wedding cake.
Late-Night Celebrations
French weddings typically continue until early morning, often ending between 4 and 6 a.m. Before departure, guests enjoy la soupe à l’oignon (onion soup) to recover from the festivities.
What are the Unique Customs in French Weddings?
La Voiture Balai
A decorated car, often a Citroen 2CV adorned with ribbons and flowers, follows the wedding procession to ensure all guests reach the venue safely.
The White Ribbon Tradition
In some villages, children stretch white ribbons across the road for the bride to cut, symbolizing the overcoming of marriage obstacles. Modern couples often cut a heart-shaped white sheet instead.
La Coupe de Mariage
This engraved silver cup, passed down through generations, is used for special toasts by newlyweds. It’s also a popular wedding gift, typically engraved with the couple’s wedding date.
What are Traditional Wedding Gifts in France?
Les Dragées
Guests receive five sugared almonds symbolizing health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.
Traditional Gifts
French guests typically give practical or luxurious items like silverware, crystal, or home goods rather than cash.
The Champagne Tower
A popular tradition at French weddings is the champagne tower, where couples stack glasses in a pyramid and pour champagne from top to bottom, symbolizing joy and abundance.
What is the father-daughter dance in French weddings?
The father-daughter dance typically begins the dancing portion of the reception. The bride dances first with her father, then he hands her over to the groom to complete the dance together. It’s a touching way to start the celebration.
Why do French weddings have all-night festivities?
French weddings are known for their long, lively parties. After dinner, the dancing begins around midnight and continues into the early morning. The fun includes live bands, DJs, and performances from family and friends.
What is the cultural significance of French wedding traditions?
French wedding traditions are not only about celebrating the couple, but also reflect cultural values that are central to French heritage.
Why do French weddings focus on family unity?
French weddings emphasise the unity of two families, not just the couple. This is reflected in traditions like the engagement party and the active involvement of family members in the wedding preparations.
How is romance symbolized in French weddings?
French wedding customs are full of symbols that highlight love, unity, and lifelong commitment. Practices like cutting white ribbons and the first toast with the coupe de mariage underscore the importance of romance and dedication in French culture.
What are the differences between French and American weddings?
While there are some similarities between French and American weddings, the cultural customs in France make French weddings truly unique and authentic.
How are ceremonies structured differently in French weddings?
French weddings typically include two ceremonies: one at city hall and a symbolic or religious ceremony on a different day. In contrast, American weddings usually feature just one ceremony.
How are French wedding receptions different from American ones?
French wedding receptions are known for their long duration, elaborate meals, and dancing into the early morning. In comparison, American receptions often finish earlier due to curfew restrictions.
Who traditionally pays for the wedding in France?
In traditional French weddings, the bride’s family typically covers most of the wedding costs, including the venue, ceremony, and meal, while the groom’s family is responsible for the reception and honeymoon.
Today, it’s more common for both families, or even the couple, to share the expenses. In luxury French weddings, couples often take full control of the budget to influence the style and choice of venue, such as a château or church.
Why don’t French weddings have bridesmaids or groomsmen?
In French weddings, there are no bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, couples have witnesses (témoins), who play an official role in the ceremony, making the event feel more personal and less formal.
French wedding traditions combine sophistication, symbolism, and cultural depth, making them unique. These weddings celebrate love, family, and tradition, from the civil ceremony to the lively, all-night celebrations with champagne and dancing. By understanding these customs, couples can add a touch of French elegance to their own weddings, creating a truly memorable and heartfelt celebration.
