Canadian Wedding Traditions

Canadian Wedding Traditions

Canadian marriages carry their own special traditions and celebrations. Though all weddings undoubtedly cherish the principle of marriages (love), wedding traditions vary by region, religion, and bride and groom love stories. Canadian Weddings enjoy specific wedding traditions that differ from American culture.  VIP Sparklers loves exploring new and old traditions no matter where they are from.  Our goal is to learn as much about tradition with weddings and hope our knowledge assists brides looking for ideas and answers for their very own wedding.

For instance, once the engagement is announced, a party takes place to celebrate the engagement. In America, a party is simply a gathering with food, music, and dance. In relation to weddings in Canada, this form of party acts as a fundraiser for the wedding itself. Guests purchase a ticket to attend and enjoy the usual party favors such as refreshments, food, and games. The bride and her family, who normally plan the fundraiser, also host auctions to raise additional money for the wedding.

A very common American pre-wedding tradition is a bridal shower. A bridal shower in the United States consists of the brides closest female friends and family attending and bringing a small gift. Anyone attending a bridal party is most likely attending the wedding. Canadian tradition is quite the opposite; bridal parties are a special gathering for female friends and family of the bride who will unfortunately not be able to attend the wedding. We feel this is a very special twist to a bridal shower. No matter how much you wish certain people could attend your wedding, some times schedules do not work out. Hosting a party with special guests who will not be able to attend your big day is truly admirable! They will be able to spend time with the bride-to-be, an opportunity that would otherwise not exist unless they were attending.

Canadian Wedding Ceremonies

In Canada, grooms do not wait anxiously at the church to see their bride for the first time. Movies have definitely added to the anxiety with their “left at the altar” endings. In Canada, it is custom for the groom to go to the bride’s family home in order to break the ice on their special day. Bride and Groom will be able to see each other, celebrate the fact that their special day is finally here, to hug and laugh and enjoy the beginning of their new journey together.

One special Canadian trend takes place during the wedding toast. The bride and groom have the opportunity to share to the wedding party who their role models are in terms of a happily marriage. They can happily mention couples whom they feel taught them about being in love such as parents who’ve been married for 20 years, close friends who might’ve just tied the knot, or a quick shout-out to attendees who might be celebrating their first anniversary. It is a sweet Canadian Wedding custom that embraces the idea of sharing and appreciating happiness and the triumph of love.

Canadian Wedding Reception Traditions

Similar to American Weddings, Canadian Wedding reception traditions are all about having a great time. In both cultures, food, music, and drinking is involved as well as wedding speeches and toasts. Specifically in Canadian Weddings, wedding speeches and toasts are geared toward teasing the newlyweds! Close friends and family have the opportunity to lightheartedly tease both the bride and groom for some great laughs (at their expense of course)! Participants are respectful and keep the jokes appropriate.

Another fun game that takes place during the reception is a dance known as the Sock Dance. Any unmarried siblings of the bride and groom are invited to do a silly dance where they showcase their silly socks. The audience (remaining wedding party) donates any cash to these “street performers,” which is later given as a gift to the bride and groom.
Canadian wedding guests are happy to help alleviate the wedding cost or honey moon cost of the newlyweds. In addition to the Sock Dance, wedding guests can “pay” for a chance to dance with the bride or groom. Male and Female wedding guests will dance around the wedding dance floor so that the next participant in line will have his/her opportunity to dance with the bride or groom.

A modern, growing Canadian tradition are wedding sparklers for sparkler exits. Sparklers compliment any wedding theme for any time. Though a growing trend in Canadian weddings, there is a common alternative to wedding exits. Guests will create two parallel lines in which each guest will face each other. The bride and groom will be a part of the end of the line. Next, each guest will hold hands with the person whom they are facing to form an arch. The couple at the beginning of the line will then hold hands and dance or skip through the entire runway. Once they reach the end of the line, they will become part of the runway (just as they originally were in the beginning). The next couple follows suit until it’s the bride and groom’s turn. At this point, the bride and groom take their turn down the runway but instead of joining the line once again, they take off to their honeymoon! The guests will continue the party without the bride and groom.

Wedding Sparklers in Canada

One last fun fact about Canadian Weddings is the term “presentation only” on the wedding invitation. If your wedding invitation states “presentation only” it means that the bride and groom prefer money as their wedding gift.  In addition, ViP Sparklers is now happy to announce we can ship to Canada for all wedding sparkler orders.  That means all brides in Canada can now enjoy true wedding sparklers for their big night!  Shipping is quick and easy when it comes to receiving orders as well.  Most wedding sparkler orders only take 3-6 business days to arrive.

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