Weddings in Russia

Traditional Russian weddings are of grandiose scale, lasting from two days to sometimes even a week, limited only by the family’s financial situation. Although some marriages resemble that of a western tradition, with priests and marriage vows, these are exceptions, rather than rule, in modern Russia. The registry office (where marriages are officially registered) are known as загс. Couples submit applications a few months in advance (at least one month of a “waiting” period) and will receive an official marriage certificate (свиде́тельство о бра́ке) on the wedding day.

It is common to hire a toastmaster (тамада́). This person will arrange many different parts of the wedding, as well as announce who will be performing or announce who will be giving toasts. In modern-day Russia, the wedding ring is called обруча́льное кольцо́ or сва́дебное кольцо́. The distinction became no longer prevalent after 1755, when betrothal (обруче́ние) and crowning (венча́ние) merged into the same ceremony. 

Engagement rings are a fairly new idea in Russia – it is a trait from the Western world. Wedding rings, however, are worn on the ring finger of the right hand (similar to countries such as Germany, Austria, and Poland, but unlike the United States or Switzerland). In Russia, a ring worn on the left hand on the finger next to the pinky generally denotes that this person is either widowed or divorced).

One amusing tradition that takes place on the wedding day is after the bride arrives to the ceremony. The parents of the bride pretend to steal her and request a ransom from the groom. The groom will pay either a symbolic monetary figure or jewelry to save his bride. After the ransom is paid, the bride and groom will go to the загс to register their relationship as official. 

The wedding itself is quite simple – it includes the rings, the dress, cars and the reception. The rings are exchanged the day of the wedding and the dress is usually hand-made specially for the occasion since it is less expensive. There is a wedding train of several vehicles to collect the bride to go to загс and the reception will involve the family and friends with food and liquor, naturally.