PolishForums LIVE  /  Archives [3]    
   
Archives - 2010-2019 / Love  % width 6

Wedding - bridesmaid for Polish friend; what things will remind her of home (customs traditions)?


specialdayhelp  
12 May 2014 /  #1
Hi , I'm going to be a bridesmaid for my polish friend soon , I'm not sure if her family will be coming from Poland ( we are in England and she is marrying an English man ). The wedding will be small and likely to follow English traditions. I would like to make the day really special for her even though she is far away from home and family. If you are a Polish woman can you tell me what little things ( we are on a tight budget ) would remind you of home ( customs traditions ) and make you feel loved and happy on your special day . I have booked them a night in a nice hotel for a wedding present , in England we would do things like put confetti in their bed and leave flowers , champagne and chocolate in their room for their wedding night. A bride over here would have something old, something new , something borrowed and something blue to wear on the big day for luck. Any ideas would be appreciated, thank you xx
cms  9 | 1253  
12 May 2014 /  #2
Well one thing that will work on even the tightest of budgets is bread and salt. Normally your new parents in law give you this after the ceremony (with a shot of vodka maybe).
OP specialdayhelp  
12 May 2014 /  #3
Thank you I have read about that , it was something I was interested in doing for her , her mum definitely isn't going to be there would it be ok for me to do that as her bridesmaid?
Morad83  1 | 19  
12 May 2014 /  #4
Have a look at this hope it helps: polandian.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/15-things-you-need-to-know-about-polish-weddings-the-survival-guide/
Polonius3  980 | 12275  
13 May 2014 /  #5
There are many different Polish wedding customs but the five most time-honoured ones are:
1. PARENTAL BLESSING: The groom comes to the home of the bride before the ceremony where the couple kneel before their parents who bestow a blessing on the them and sprinkle them with holy water. (That puts paid to the English notion that the groom may not see the bride before the ceremony.)

2. BREAD & SALT WELCOME: At the home or banquet hall where the wedding dinner is being held, the newlyweds are welcomed by the bride's mother or both her parents with bread and salt - a symbol of bounty, well-being and preservation from corruption. (If parents are no longer living or absent, another female relative or close friend, usually older than the bride and groom, can do the honours.)

3. BITTER VODKA: During the wedding dinner wedding guests time and again begin chanting 'gorzko, gorzko' (bitter, bitter), a sign for the bride and groom to kiss. It means the vodka has turned bitter and they must sweetened it with a kiss. BTW gorzko is roughly pronounced; GUSH-caw!

4. VEIL-REMOVAL CEREMONY: Towards the end of festivities the bride is seated at a central point (eg middle of the dance floor) as wedding guests gather round, and her veil is ceremoniously removed. Traditionally a wife's cap is placed on her head.

5. FOLLOW-UP: Follow-up festivities called poprawiny are held the day after the wedding (to use up the food and tipple left over from the wedding feast ).
OP specialdayhelp  
13 May 2014 /  #6
Thank you so much that's really helpful , It will fall to myself and my husband to do some of these things for her as none of her family will be present and since i'm older than her and a bit more wrinkly I'll have to do!

I'm hoping I can honor a little of her heritage and make her feel loved and special even though her family are not there.

These things seem easy enough to set up.
Where would I get things like bread for the bread and salt ( is it a special product for weddings? ) and a wedding cap for her?

I'm in the UK so pointers on where to source these things would be helpful. We have loads of Polish grocery shops but that's about it.

Archives - 2010-2019 / Love / Wedding - bridesmaid for Polish friend; what things will remind her of home (customs traditions)?Archived