On the subject of ‘Russian women marriage’, the etiquette and customs are very different to those in the western world. While a lot of Russian weddings are becoming more westernized, the overall protocol is different. For example, you will rarely see flower girls, a best man or bridesmaids.
There is no engagement as such. If a man wants to marry a woman, he simply asks her and that’s it. There is no engagement ring to mark the occasion and only very close family members and friends are informed about the proposal. An honorable man may give his bride-to-be flowers, but this is not obligatory.
The ceremony will be held between one and three months later. It all depends when the Department of Registrations has available dates. The couple will be married by a marriage registrar. A written letter of request has to be submitted to the Department. When this has been received, the couple will be given a list of available dates.
After this application has been made, the couple is then referred to as the bride and groom. When it comes to planning the ceremony, there is not a lot of fuss. The most important things are the rings, the bride’s dress, the bridal car and the reception. Items like invitations, flowers, bridesmaids’ dresses and music are not important.
There is no such thing as an engagement ring. The only rings exchanged are those at the wedding ceremony. The couple will shop together for the rings, but the groom must pay. This is a mandatory custom.
The rings are simple gold wedding bands. There are no ostentatious diamonds or other stones. Married Russians wear wedding bands on their right hands. If you see a Russian wearing a wedding band on the left hand, this signifies that he or she is either divorced or widowed.
The ceremony involves as many cars as possible. If the couple is wealthy, big black cars are preferred. This shows their status in society. In same cases, the bride has more than one car. The more cars used on the occasion, the better. The families and the couple will be very proud of this.
The actual ceremony is conducted at ZAGS (Zapis Aktov Grazhdanskogo Sostoyaniya) which is the name for the Department of Registrations. The wedding ceremony is called ‘brakosochetanie’. If there are only a few cars, the ceremony is attended by close family and friends only. If there are many cars, then additional people may attend.
When planning the reception, the main concern is that enough liquor is available. Everyone is expected to get inebriated at the wedding reception. Should a person pass out because of over-indulgence, this is quite acceptable. No-one will be surprised or shocked. It is also essential that there is an abundance of food.
It is customary for the reception to continue until the liquor runs out. Some receptions carry on for two days, while others have lasted a whole week. This makes the families very proud because it shows that there was enough alcohol to keep all the guests happy. If you would like to learn more about these interesting wedding customs, log onto the internet and search for ‘Russian women marriage’.
