Walk through the central streets of town ‘N’ on the right afternoon – parties of smartly-dressed people headed by a girl in a big white dress, queue to be photographed by the monuments. You might be forgiven for thinking the whole of Russia had decided to get married in the street! This is just one of the customs followed in the typical Russian wedding.

On the first morning of the celebration, the bride’s friends gather at her home, to help her dress. A little later the groom arrives, to be stopped at the threshold by these same friends, who now test how well he knows his love. Wrong answers cost money! Eventually, he is allowed collect his bride, and takes her to register the marriage.

Then it’s onwards to the most beautiful parts of the local area for photographs. I accompanied a Russian friend of mine to keep this tradition in London, and it really makes a beautiful album to remember.

Next, the group goes to the groom’s parents’ house (traditionally, this would be the bride’s new home). Here, they may be greeted with an icon, and a highly decorated plait of bread which the bride and groom eat from first. The parents of the bride and groom drink a toast with entwined arms to symbolize the joining of the families.

The reception lasts two days. The guests eat, drink and make merry. Among the many speeches, you will often hear the cry of ‘gorko!’. This means ‘bitter’, and at this point the couple kiss. They are sweetening the vodka for their guests, and the longer they kiss, the sweeter it gets. Presents are given, sometimes in the form of money, but any gift you would normally give at a Western wedding is also perfectly usual here.

The day after the wedding night, the bride’s mother makes a stack of pancakes. The groom makes a hole in the center, and they are served to the guests. When the plate is empty, the groom breaks it. What has he broken? I’ll leave you to ponder the symbolism!

Many details depend on finances;

The wedding reception of one oil executive and his bride took place in a hall in Moscow’s historic ‘Kololemenskoe’ park. The guests arrived in troikas (horse-drawn sleds) through the deep snow, wrapped in ermine blankets, to be greeted by a dancing bear and fountains of champagne.

At the other end of the scale, Katya’s summer reception for her friends was in the forest near Moscow, around a barbecue. The guests drank vodka and beer, and Katya’s grandmother had prepared pickles and salads, which were laid out on a board over some logs. It was a great day!

A Cautionary Tale!

In the early hours of morning, Yuliya and her date were taking a taxi across Moscow, tired, speaking little. It seems the taxi-driver was also sleepy, because when he moved onto the junction around a certain church, he forgot to turn off, and instead drove in a steady circle, once, twice, three times. And that was that! Although horribly ill-suited, the couple stayed together for three years, bound by a mysterious force. Or so says Yuliya…..