German wedding
German wedding just like any other wedding starts with engaging and there is no obligation for a woman to marry man she doesn't like. The wedding is usually desirable by both fiancé and bride. So, people meet each other and they fall in love with each other. The proposal has to be a surprise for a bride. The main rule of proposal is to shock the bride. Man buys a ring with a rock without woman's agreement. She knows nothing about his intentions about proposal he is going to make. So, he buys a ring with a rock and proposes her with putting that ring into a cake or a glass of wine. It is necessary for woman to find a ring as a surprise.
In case if she agrees to marry him she has to wear its ring on her left fourth finger. That is the engaging ring and it is ringed with acceptation of proposal and has to remain where it is. On the wedding day the fiancé rings his future wife with wedding ring. That ring is usually not as expensive as the engaging ring. So, German women have two rings on their hands: the engaging ring on their fourth finger of left hand, and the wedding ring on their forth finger of right hand.
There are a number of interesting customs previous the wedding. Those customs are rather ancient but still people carry them on nowadays. There is a day before wedding when the party at bride's house is held. At the beginning of that party people smash brown wear. The noise of that smashing is a noise that will frighten off the evil spirits that may cause harm for just married. Germans still believe in this tradition and there are a number of families that perform such ceremony. After the party is over the fiancé and bride have to collect crocks together. That party is called Polterabend and it is held on the very day before wedding.
Another interesting custom of German wedding is ... planting of trees. The just married have to plant rosebush together as a symbol of their love, loyalty and devotion to each other. There is another interesting tradition connected with planting. There are still people who follow the rule that a man is not allowed to marry woman until he plants six fruit trees. It is an obligatory tradition and a lot of people follow it even nowadays. There is even a city where those fruit trees have to be planted. Moreover, it is a law legislated by the government of town near the Leipzig. People who live there are obliged to do that, otherwise they are not allowed to get married.
As you can see there is a number of customs of German wedding. Most of those customs are carried on from the ancient times; still people follow those customs nowadays. The customs make German wedding rather peculiar and bright. It is a marvelous tradition about planting the rosebush, and more marvelous tradition about planting six fruit trees. Big deal for German wedding is myrtle that is worked into bride's crown. It is a symbol of everlasting love. The bride's crown and bunch are kept at her family's house for a long time.