In a Greek wedding the couple wear their wedding ring on their left hand until the ceremony when the ring is swapped and worn on their right hand to show that they are married.
The best man, known as the koumbaros, is of special importance in a Greek wedding. During the ceremony, he swaps the rings over between the bride and groom’s fingers and places crowns called stefana on the their heads. The bride and groom are crowned as king and queen of their own kingdom, their home. The ribbon that joins the two crowns is to symbolise their unity.
Unmarried friends of the Greek bride will write their names on the sole of the bride’s shoe. The girls whose names are not rubbed off at the end of the evening are supposed to get married themselves within a year – probably not for shoe- worshippers or Jimmy Choo groupies.
To bring fertility and prosperity to the newlyweds, a popular tradition is baby-rolling on the matrimonial bed. Babies of friends and family are placed on the bed and gently rolled from side to side.
Greek brides might wear a charm in the shape of an eye to protect the wedding from bad luck.
Greek favours
Bonbonierres – these traditional Greek favours are almond sweets covered in white chocolate. They are wrapped in netting and given to guests as they leave. Traditionally, an odd number of almonds must be in each favour to represent how the newlyweds cannot be separated.
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