Traditional Wedding Customs in French-Speaking Belgium (Wallonia)

Weddings in Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium) blend strong French influences, Catholic traditions, and unique Belgian regional customs. They are generally elegant, family-oriented, festive, and focused on good food, wine, and long celebrations.

1. Two Ceremonies (Mandatory Civil + Optional Religious)

Civil Ceremony at the Town Hall (Mariage à la Mairie) is legally required and usually comes first. It is formal, with the mayor or official officiating. Only close family and witnesses typically attend.

• Religious Ceremony (Catholic Church) often follows the next day or later. This is where the emotional and symbolic vows take place.

2. Pre-Wedding Traditions

Engagement (Fiançailles): Families meet formally. The groom traditionally asks for the bride’s hand.

• Bridal Shower or "Cotte de Mariée": Friends and family may organize playful events for the bride.
• The bride often wears "something old, new, borrowed, and blue" (a widespread Western influence).

3. The Wedding Day Procession & Ceremony

The groom may collect the bride from her parents’ home.

Cortège (procession): The groom enters with his mother, followed by witnesses. The bride enters with her father.

• In church: The couple may be "enthroned" in special chairs near the altar, symbolizing their new status as husband and wife.
• Jarretière (Garter Tradition): Common in Wallonia — the groom removes the bride’s garter (often playfully or by auction), a lively and sometimes cheeky moment during the reception.

4. Reception & Feast

Belgian weddings are known for long, multi-course meals featuring local specialties (charcuterie, seafood, game, cheeses, and excellent wines or beer).

• Wine Parade or similar toasts and parades of drinks are popular.
• Speeches, games, and dancing last late into the night.
• Les Lacs du Connemara (a Michel Sardou song) is often played — guests wave napkins in the air and sing along enthusiastically.

5. Symbolic & Fun Customs

Dragées (sugar-coated almonds) are given as favors to guests, symbolizing sweetness and fertility.

• The bride may carry two flowers: one for her mother and one for the Virgin Mary (in religious weddings).
• Pranks and games are common during the reception to entertain guests.

6. Regional Walloon Flavor

Walloon weddings tend to be warm, expressive, and slightly more relaxed than in Flanders. Emphasis is on family unity, excellent food, and joie de vivre. Many couples choose beautiful châteaux, historic estates, or countryside venues.

These customs reflect Belgium’s mix of French elegance, Catholic devotion, and Belgian love for celebration and good living.