When youÍve questioned the necessity of some element in the wedding, youÍve probably heard your bride say ñWe have to do (insert whatever) because itÍs a tradition.î ItÍs true, wedding are all about tradition, often customs that have been practiced for centuries. For example, todayÍs elegant white wedding dress might not be as modern as it looks; the style is an evolution of the white lace gown first made popularized by Queen Victorian during the 1800s. And, did you know the custom of having groomsmen is stems from European days of yore. Groomsmen were actually body guards for the bride, to ensure that she made it to the groomÍs home with her dowry! Now you know why itÍs expected to give groomsmen gifts.YouÍll be surprised, and perhaps scratching your head in confusion, to learn about some rather strange wedding traditions from the past.

Current research suggests a person’s level of happiness is related to whether or whether not that person is married. The Office of National Statistics in the UK polled 165,000 British people about their overall satisfaction with life and anxiety levels. What they discovered is that being married is 20 times more important to happiness levels than salary and 13 times more important than being a home owner. If you think about it, getting married could be the best gift you could ever give yourself – this wedding gift keeps on giving!

In our last blog post, we reported about the unusual law in India requiring a groom to provide proof to the state that he will be providing his future with toilet accommodations. This seemingly odd demand (which actually has public sanitation and safety implications) had us wondering about other strange-but-true wedding requirements across the world.

In India, getting married comes with a price. Oh, yes, I’m sure your saying, “getting married always comes with a price – an engagement ring, a big mortgage or even just putting up with a nagging wife.” Well, that may be how it is in the US, but in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, that price in the cost of a toilet. Yes, a toilet.

Laws can be very weird. We’ve found some doozies when it comes to getting married. For example, men in Saudi Arabia, despite their exalted status, have to make sure the bride gets her daily grind. Coffee, that is. Apparently, there is a law on the books that says woman in this country may divorce her husband if he does not keep her supplied with coffee. We say, give her a monogrammed coffee mug as a wedding gift to make sure she knows where her bread is buttered, err, where her java is brewed. Some might expect international laws to be strange to the American culture, but here are some very strange-but-true laws from states right in in the USA.

There is something about human nature that makes us want to “one-up” each other. From SAT scores and the square-footage of homes to the numbers of push-ups and zeros on our paychecks, people – especially guys – like to compare and compete. For goodness sakes, this is how the Guinness Book of World Records came into existence; man needed a way to record random accomplishments and set the bar higher and higher for the next guy to bust his butt achieving. Well, you will be happy (or horrified) that the details of your wedding are not immune to this drive to climb to the top of the heap and get noticed for being bigger, better, more expensive or some other sensational superlative.

While being the Best Man isn’t necessarily a hard job by any means, there are a few responsibilities a guy needs to follow through with in order to keep the title bestowed upon him after the wedding. No groom wants in the hard position of having to demote his Best Man for failing to live up to the minimal “must-dos.”

Your best buddy has confirmed the feeling is mutual in the most ultimate way. HeÍs asked you to serve as his wingman on the most important day of his life, his wedding day. Even though this is the same friend who has run interference with your ex-girlfriend, bailed you out of so many mishaps and would even share his last swig in a flask with you, you still have your concerns about saying ñyesî to this best man proposition. But donÍt worry; being a best man isnÍt hard, definitely not as stressful as being the groom! If you know what the job entails and the subtleties of getting each task done with finesse, youÍll probably be the ñbestî best man ever! How could you not?! Make sure you do a top-notch job so you donÍt get one of those awesome groomsmen gifts revoked.

They say ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ and we’re all for that, especially when it comes to eating gelato and watching gladiators battle each other. But, when it comes to wedding rituals, we’re not so sure that we want to mimic some of the unusual goings-on that took place before, during, and after the marriage ceremony in this ancient civilization. It seems like every culture has its strange wedding customs, and here are the weirdest I found for the ancient Romans.

What would you do if the President of the United States showed up on your wedding day? Well, this exact thing happened to a more-than-surprised Iowa bride and groom recently. Apparently, the leader of the free world, none other than President Barak Obama, crashed their reception to the amazement of friends, family and, especially the bride and groom. It all went down Sept 1 at the Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. Oops, the venue had planned a wedding and a campaign rally both on the same day!

There is something about human nature that makes us want to “one-up” each other. From SAT scores and the square-footage of homes to the numbers of push-ups and zeros on our paychecks, people – especially guys – like to compare and compete. For goodness sakes, this is how the Guinness Book of World Records came into existence; man needed a way to record random accomplishments and set the bar higher and higher for the next guy to bust his butt achieving. Well, you will be happy (or horrified) that the details of your wedding are not immune to this drive to climb to the top of the heap and get noticed for being bigger, better, more expensive or some other sensational superlative.

While being the Best Man isn’t necessarily a hard job by any means, there are a few responsibilities a guy needs to follow through with in order to keep the title bestowed upon him after the wedding. No groom wants in the hard position of having to demote his Best Man for failing to live up to the minimal “must-dos.”