Wedding TraditionsDifferent Countries, Different Traditions
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In Holland, the couple goes to city hall, gets married and a church celebration might follow. They have a witness for the bride and one for the groom. The just married couple walks into the church together and has the church celebration. Pictures are taken, and then an open reception follows at a local restaurant. Here, anybody can come, congratulate the couple, give their gift and have drinks and snacks. This usually lasts 2 hours. Afterwards is dinner and dance for invited guests. Here in Canada we have a "Buck and Doe" party, bridal showers, general rehearsal followed by dinner, there is a large wedding party, consisting of best man, maid of honor and several bridesmaids and groomsmen. You buy tickets for the Buck and Doe party, where there are prizes, games, lots to eat and drink. The profits of the night go to the bride and groom. A party like this can result in barely breaking even, to several thousands of dollars of profit. At a bridal shower, given by both families, friends, co-workers and neighborhoods, people come and give gifts to the bride. Usually household related gifts. A bride can have anywhere from one to numerous bridal showers. The day before the wedding a rehearsal is held in the church, followed by a dinner for the bridal party. On the day of the groomsmen lead the guests into the church. When the ceremony starts the Groom goes to the back of the church and brings his parents to the front. The best man then brings the mother of the bride to the front. One by one the bridesmaids and groomsmen come from the back of the church, last one being the maid of honor and best man. Then the father of the bride brings his daughter to the front and hands her over to the groom.
My dad had seven daughters, I was the only one who got married in Canada, and as such, I was the only one he led down the aisle. An emotional event he enjoyed very much.In Canada you can sign the marriage papers in church as the clergy has the authority to sign the wedding registration papers. After the ceremony you can congratulate the party at the back of the church. Again, pictures are usually taken and there will be dinner and dance for invited guests. Other traditions at the party are for the bride to toss her bouquet to the single girls, and for the groom to remove a garter from his bride’s leg, and toss it to the bachelors. Whoever catches the bouquet or garter is to be the next bride or groom. Sometimes a breakfast or brunch will be held the next morning for the bride and groom and family, where all the presents are opened. Being the mother of the bride, I thoroughly enjoyed the Canadian tradition and I know my husband was thrilled to walk his little girl down the isle. Altogether, a Canadian wedding is a much larger event than a Dutch wedding, but from experience I can honestly say that the Canadian tradition is my favorite.  Interpreter & Translation Services Canada Vacations - Order FREE Brochure! Find the best insurance rates Find the best deal and read reviews on Hotels in Canada From Wedding Return to Immigrant Journal page Return to The Happy Immigrant Homepage This website was build with the help of Site Build It 
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In October we had a wedding, our daughter got married here in Canada. Most of our family lives in Holland, and some of them came over for the event. There is a lot of difference in tradition. 