Portugal Wedding Traditions

Weddings in Portugal are wonderful robust celebrations full of food, family, and love. Portuguese weddings have been modeled after modern ceremonies in the United States and Western Europe over the last several decades.

On the other hand, some of the olden ancient Wedding customs have seen a revival in recent years. Here are seven customs you are almost certain to witness at a traditional Portuguese wedding.

In addition, despite being predominantly Catholic, Portugal was one of the first countries in the entire world to legalize same-sex marriage.

We salute you, Portugal!

Golden Oldies

While the idea of our grandparents accompanying us on a night out may seem strange to some of us. In Portugal, the oldest Bride and Groom community members are expected to attend Buck’s party, where the Groom bids farewell to his single life and single friends.

Walking To The Church

While nearly all brides prepare for their walk down the aisle, the Bride’s journey in Portugal begins long before the church. The tradition of the Bride walking to the church with her wedding party, closely followed by the wedding guests, is still practiced in villages and small communities. You would undoubtedly want to wear comfortable shoes!

The Passing Of The Brides Shoe

You read that correctly; this ancient tradition involves passing around the Bride’s shoe during the reception and stuffing it with money. This is done to aid the young couple’s honeymoon and the start of their new life together. Many young couples still celebrate and embrace this festive tradition today.

Money Dance

There is also a money dance, where young men pay for the privilege of dancing with the Bride. As the couple collects monetary donations, the Bride’s shoe may also be present on the dance floor.

Let Them Eat Cake

The first slice of cake is traditionally offered to a single friend to bring them luck. Single guests are also encouraged to place a slice of cake under their pillow that night (not sure how that works) in order to dream of their future beloved.

Sibling Love

If a younger sibling marries before the eldest, the eldest must dance barefoot at the sibling’s wedding; otherwise, they will not find a partner. Wow, talk about stress!

The Great Escape

The Bride and Groom are expected to literally flee their wedding at the end of the night to spend their first night alone together. This is often easier said than done, with guests doing everything they can to keep them from leaving. The Bride and Groom’s escape becomes a hugely theatrical and humorous competition, with guests frequently playing a series of pranks ranging from hiding their luggage to taking away their car to keeping them under the spotlight all night.

Looking More Into Portuguese Wedding Traditions

Portuguese wedding traditions stem from a variety of Portuguese heritages, cultures, and ancient morals, all of which influence the entire wedding process in Portugal. Portuguese families are always deeply involved in the entire Portuguese wedding process, from beginning to end. Historically, the Bride and groom’s families organized the wedding simply to increase the size of the family and to pass on the family name to a new generation. Families from a higher hierarchy married into the same hierarchy, whereas families from a lower hierarchy aimed to marry into a higher hierarchy in order to achieve a better life goal. 

The wife’s family would host the wedding party, and a religious catholic ceremony would follow it. The groom’s family would usually present the couple with a large gift, usually a house in which to begin their new life. The Portuguese wedding traditions are incorporated into the wedding process in three major areas: the blessing, the marriage, and the afterlife. We’ll take you through all three areas, so you can see how many traditions are involved in the Portuguese wedding process!

The Blessing

Originally, marriages in Portugal were arranged; however, as time passed, families permitted love marriages to occur in Portugal. However, these marriages had to be approved by the family at all times. According to Portuguese wedding traditions, the groom must seek permission from the Bride’s father to marry the Bride. Marriage can occur if the father gives permission by blessing the couple. The blessing is as important for the groom as it is for the Bride because in Portugal, knowing your father accepts your husband and is happy for you to marry him is an honor. Although it is still considered a very cordial and respectful thing to do, most families choose to announce their engagement to their family instead of receiving the blessing from their father.

The Marriage

The family is completely involved in the organization of a Portuguese wedding in Portugal. Each person contributes in some way, and together they complete the wedding in Portugal. Traditionally, the Bride’s family organizes, plans, cooks, and decorates the wedding party in Portugal, but this has recently changed. In Portugal, the traditional wedding ceremony is a religious catholic wedding ceremony! The groom’s father walks the Bride down the aisle and hands her over to the groom. In Portugal, the catholic ceremony is performed by a priest in a church or cathedral. The Bride and groom appoint a maid of honor (madrinha) and a best man (padrinho) to accompany them on their wedding journey and to ensure that if they have marital problems, these two people will assist them.

The After

After the wedding, guests decorate the car with as many noise-making objects as possible, ensuring that the Bride and Groom begin their new life in Portugal in a positive and fun manner! In Portuguese wedding traditions, it is customary for the couple to move into their new home on the night of their wedding, and it is critical for the Bride not to trip or fall, as this may foreshadow difficulties in their married life. Traditionally, the Bride and groom were expected to consummate their marriage on their wedding night. However, that is no longer expected or shared with the rest of the family. Because the groom’s side provides a house in traditional Portuguese weddings, it is normal for the guests to offer the various items required to fill the house. Guests offer everything they can to ensure that the Bride and groom’s house is more than full for their new life, from the kitchen to furniture and bedroom appliances. In Portuguese Wedding Traditions, the family is still an important part of the couple’s life and is always there to support them no matter what.

The Wedding Nowadays

Nowadays, most Portuguese weddings have 150 guests. These are quite large because Portuguese families are typically quite large. Portuguese weddings used to be held at lunchtime, but nowadays, couples prefer the candle effect and illumination at night, so they marry in the afternoon, host a dinner wedding reception, and dance the night away. In Portugal, it is common for a wedding reception to begin at 20h and last until three h or four h o’clock in the morning. Food is an important part of Portuguese culture and one of the main components of a Portuguese wedding, so there is always plenty of it. 

Couples are most likely to serve fish and meat courses of their choice. Then there are the dessert, fruit, and cheese buffets that last until the wedding are over. The dessert table is brimming with regional and typical Portuguese desserts like crunchy custard pies and traditional egg pastries that are famous all over the world. The cheese buffet is stocked with a wide range of cheeses, from national to international, and is usually accompanied by grapes and various styles of chorizos, sausages, and a variety of cold meats such as ham on traditional wooden planks.

Modernized Weddings

A Portuguese wedding always has an open bar, and guests never have to pay for their own drinks. There is no limit on how much alcohol can be consumed or a set amount per person. The Portuguese people adore wine and beer, so a wedding in Portugal would necessitate the presence of both.

After dinner, the wedding cake is usually cut, accompanied by Portuguese sparkling wine or Port wine. A layer of almond marzipan typically surrounds Portuguese wedding cakes, and the filling is typically made with traditional Portuguese egg paste. Most couples have a wedding registry list of things they would like for wedding gifts, or guests offer money for the house or money to help with the couple’s honeymoon expenses. There are very few speeches at a Portuguese wedding because the Portuguese do not make speeches at weddings. There may be a thank you speech from the Bride and groom and one from the Bride’s father, but there is no succession of speeches as in other countries. 

Final Words

Portugal is known for its extremely friendly people and its highly professional waiters and staff. They are extremely attentive to all guests but show special concern for the Bride and Groom. Tipping waiters at weddings is not customary in Portugal because both taxes and service are included in your bill. Because the managers correctly pay all of the involved staff, the staff does not expect a tip from clients.