Many say that getting married is one of the most important moments in a person’s life. And that’s something that definitely applies to Romania, where family is very important and where weddings are extremely important social events.

In Romania, traditional weddings are a world in themselves: they start early in the morning and sometimes end the next morning, passing through several important stages and taking the family to different places. The entire celebration is sprinkled with many traditions and customs. It all ends with a long party with music, dance and lots of food at small hours in the night. Here's the lowdown on weddings in Romania.

Old vs. new

There is a saying in Romania: Câte bordeie, atâtea obiceie (which would translate as Many houses, many customs). And this certainly applies to weddings in Romania, as the wedding traditions and customs differ from region to region and sometimes even from family to family. While the true traditional weddings (which are usually organized in villages or smaller towns) are still organized according to old customs, urban Romanians sometimes tend to make the event as simple as possible, while keeping some simplified traditions.

A traditional wedding in the Romanian region of Maramures (Photo source: Shutterstock.com)

There are couples who live in big cities who still include traditional elements in their wedding day. In some regions, the bride and the groom choose to wear traditional costumes on their wedding day, and not the classic white dress and black suit. This has also become a new trend among young people who marry wearing the traditional blouses Ie, often choosing to have their official wedding pictures taken in the Village Museum - for those in Bucharest.

But most brides and grooms in urban and rural communities would stick to the princess-like white dress and the black suit for men. In smaller communities (such as villages or towns), the happy couple and their families are still the ones who organize the whole event themselves. Often, even the food is usually cooked at home, alcoholic drinks are homemade, and sometimes the party is organized in their back yard.