Italian Wedding Traditions
It is inevitable at every Italian wedding party that a male individual, after about his fourth glass of wine, will get up and say these words in a loud and excited voice: "evviva gli sposi" (hurray for the newlyweds). This always triggers a thundering applause from everyone and a plethora of other well wishing comments. As the celebration continues if even the slightest decrease in the boisterous enthusiasm occurs someone else will then again get up and shout the phrase again and the crowd will respond with another round of applause and with incredible enthusiasm.

A Kiss for the Bride
Next, as in any predictable series of events some young and mischievous individual, always a man, will say bacio, bacio... (kiss, kiss, we want a kiss). Then the bride and groom will slowly and reluctantly stand up and oblige the audience. This custom is also the root of the tradition of the wedding attendees using their fork or finger nails to flick wine glasses creating a small tinkling sound to encourage the groom to kiss the bride.

In some regions of Italy, the tradition exists for couples to shatter a glass at the end of the function as is also done in Jewish weddings, but at a different time. The number of fragments are supposed to represent the years of happiness the couple will have together. In some locations of Italy a pair of doves may be released.

Italian Wedding Parties
Wedding receptions in Italy are not over until all the guests feel so full they need someone to carry them home in a wheelbarrow. Gastronomic excess is the only way to get wedding guests to leave the Italian restaurant where the festive celebration is taking place, as exhausted waiters serve course after course of gourmet Italian food.

Joyful Italian songs and wedding music will be played as happy guests heartily eat away the best that Italy has to offer, chatting about politics, economics and soccer. Their discussions rarely reach a consensus or conclusion.
Men will protest about all the taxes they have been paying. Women will chatter about the latest romance of their favorite glitterati. Everyone will find enjoyment from the happy company and good food being served.

Bride and groom tour the wedding reception tables
Meanwhile, as the wedding reception begins to wind down, the newly married couple will always make a slow round of all the tables to greet everyone. Afterwards, they will quietly and inconspicuously leave for a romantic honeymoon vacation in Italy without even opening a single wedding gift.
Eager relatives of the bride and groom have already gladly reserved this last responsibility for themselves.