We do not give away a bride to a groom at the altar – we sell her, for a lot of money…and that is why we are getting married two years after signing some papers in the city hall – Thibaut needed to save up.
We do not wear black to the wedding, we wear black to the funeral. So if you show up in black, don’t be surprised if we don’t smile back at you …OR, I have a better idea, we will have some bunny costumes available for you to get changed (obligatory action).
It’s not about food! We like food and we will have food, no worries! Maybe it will even be some good food….but it’s not the centerpiece of the party – we are! No, but to be serious, the most important is to have fun – dance, sing, participate…so usually Ukrainian weddings are rich on different kinds of entertainments (including massive fights to close up the night).
Dinner. We are social and sharing people…so usually we serve food for the table and not a personal plate for each. But hey, half of us will be French, so no idea how we will be serving! Timing and planning of the party…Well, let’s be realistic, even if there are any traditions about that…we are not so much of a well organized people. So if you ask us during the party when is the food coming, most likely we don’t know… Gor’ko!! Means Bitter, and that is usually what people shout if they want to see a bride and a groom kiss…twisted tradition we don’t really support. The root of it is coming from people wanting to drink vodka, so they shout it usually after a toast, wait for the couple to start kissing, so that they could drink without being seen (or smthg like that). Good news, you can drink whenever you like without all that nonsense. Plus, the bride will be wearing a lot of makeup, so constant kissing will result in a very questionable look closer to the end of the night. ???
VODKA
Speeches! We love speeches, and since speeches should come from the heart – we don’t expect people to have a piece of paper to read from, climb up the podium and declare! We are OK if somebody, caught up by emotion, just grabs a microphone and says few nice words from it’s place…Yes, you are right, we say speeches all along the dinners, we call them toasts and no, it does not usually turn into bordel, because if the wedding entertainer sees that you are drunk, he/she will not give you that microphone!! Though we’d love if you prepare a speech and record it in your own setting, really, that would be a great gift! Finally, you are welcome to do it or not do it in your own preferred manner.
First of all in France, we don’t drink vodka all through the celebration. It is usually kept for the end…or normally not even. But since we will be doing the wedding in Ukraine… Forget about it :) For those curious in French tradition, we normally start with champagne then gradually move to white wine, red wine after that and we finish up with a Mirabelle. France is the most «chic» country in the world, not to be too subtle. So we have our special way of celebrating the weddings. The routine is strict and followed by every French couple! We start of with a cocktail were everybody walks around and talks with each other, drinking a glass of champagne and eating some « amuse-bouche » in a meanwhile (beer is accepted, but frowned upon :) ). Then, we have the dinner served in individual portions while sitting at the table (luckily not alone, except if you will be mean to us during the cocktail). The serving would usually include a starter, then the main dish, then the cheese and finally dessert. We always keep the cheese for after the main meal! But since we will do the wedding in Ukraine… Forget about it!
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Flowers…we are very strict on the flower traditions, there are so many rules and regulations that it’s harder than you think to get it right! Ok, if you chose to bring a bouquet (and that is what the guests usually do), make sure that: the quantity of flowers is not paired, but also not 13 – that is appropriate only for the funeral flowers are not yellow – means that you will split up soon don’t opt for carnations – also a good choice for the funeral Maybe it’s easier not to bring flowers after all.
If you will like coffee during the cocktail, dinner, or basically any time before it’s time to leave – well that is your problem, because we never do and just consider it as bad manners. But since we will do the wedding in Ukraine… forget about it! French are very gentle, considerate and nice people. Tradition is so, that once the newlyweds go to bed (let’s say for the first time together), we start looking for them and try to keep them up till the early morning. But since we will do the wedding in Ukraine… forget about it! Toast is something we do really rarely. But since we will do the wedding in Ukraine… Forget about it ! (and be kind with a French trying to do one) When a toast is done, we don’t usually drink a full glass in one go. But since we will do the wedding in Ukraine… Forget about it!
French traditions? “..Since we will do the wedding in Ukraine... Forget about it!” guesswhat.com.ua