In Scandinavia, some countries share certain wedding traditions while some traditions remain specific to one country. Today, learn more about important Swedish wedding traditions and what you expect during a Swedish wedding.
From Swedish gifts to other Scandinavian products, browse our selection of gifts in the Scandinavian Shoppe. From wedding gifts to other pieces of Scandinavian history, you can find just what you’re looking for in our shop.
Swedish Weddings
Swedish weddings, called Bröllop, commonly take place in the afternoon. These different wedding traditions have been carefully passed down from generation to generation. Take some time and learn about unique Swedish wedding traditions and see how they compare to your own wedding or wedding traditions.
Sharing the Aisle
In Swedish weddings, it is common for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle together. Part of this is because, in traditional American and British weddings, it is traditional for the father to give the bride away. Sweden does not have this tradition. Part of this comes from the culture not wanting to see the daughter as owned by her father and needed to be given away.
Prepare for the Speeches
Swedish weddings have speeches — a lot of them. The reception will start with a short toast to the bride. But during dinner, there can be upwards of eight to 12 speeches. Additionally, there might be different videos shown from the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Rings for the Bride and Groom
The tradition of wedding rings in countries like America is reversed in Sweden. When the couple gets engaged, they will both exchange wedding rings. Then, at the wedding, the bride will be the one to get her second ring. Traditionally, the ring exchanged at the wedding ceremony is the one with the stone while the bride and groom have already exchanged plain wedding bands upon their engagement.
Wedding Kisses
Weddings are traditionally remembered for the iconic first kiss between the new bride and groom. But, with Swedish weddings, it’s also custom for the guests to also kiss the new groom or bride.
This means that if the bride leaves the room for any reason, the other guests may kiss the groom. The same thing happens to the bride if the groom leaves the room!
Wedding Coins
In Swedish weddings, it is customary for the bride to have coins in her shoes: one silver coin from her father in her left shoe and one gold coin from her mother in her right shoe. This ensures that the bride will never go without.
Keep the Bouquet
In Swedish tradition, the bride gets to keep her bouquet!
Simple Wedding Party
Swedish weddings prefer a much smaller wedding party. This usually means going without a Maid of Honor or Best Man. In fact, some Swedish weddings will have one bridesmaid and one best man to complete the wedding party.
Sweden and the Scandinavian Shoppe
Whether you’re Swedish or have friends from Sweden, our Scandinavian Shoppe is filled with Swedish and Scandinavian products that make great wedding gifts.
Show the couple your appreciation for their Swedish history with this Swedish wooden dala horse. Or, if you’re looking for a gift for the happy couple — or yourself — Swedish dishcloths, like this penny pig or sommar green design.
Make sure you watch our blog for more posts about other Scandinavian countries and their wedding traditions!