When: A liberal bunch, Swedes often decide to marry after living together for a few years, or after the woman is pregnant with their first child. With almost 20 hours of sunlight each day, summer is prime wedding season.
Attire: A crown belonging to the bride’s family or church, and, although it hardly sounds comfortable, a gold coin in your right shoe and a silver one in your left for good luck. Making walking even harder, your shoes stay unlaced to improve your chances of easy childbirth.
Activities: If you want to follow a seriously old-school tradition, breathe as little as possible, since brides and bridesmaids carry bouquets of weeds that stink to high heaven in order to ward off trolls (don’t knock it -- trolls haven’t crashed anyone’s wedding so far). According to another old tradition, men dance vigorously around the bride to knock her crown off, and the victor has good luck.
The Food: The traditional Swedish smorgasbord lasts for three days and can include sill (herring), lingonsylt (lingonberry jam), and köttbullar (Swedish meatballs).
The Music: Throughout dinner, all of the guests sing drinking songs -- and they are also welcome to give speeches or toasts in honor of the new couple. Added Perk: A Swedish woman gets two gold rings: one for engagement and one for marriage, with the engagement and wedding dates engraved on the inside.