Traditional Wedding Customs in Manitoba

Manitoba weddings mix prairie practicality with older settler and Indigenous customs. Most ceremonies happen in a church, a hall, or outdoors on a farm. The focus is family, food, and a long party.

The engagement

• The couple tells both families first.
• A small gathering is common, often at home.
• Rings are exchanged, but the big party comes later.
• Parents still expect a formal visit in some homes.

The ceremony

• It can be in a church, a community hall, or under a tent on the land.
• The bride’s family usually hosts.
• Vows are short. Readings and music come from the couple’s background.
• Signing the register happens right after the vows.
• Guests stay quiet during the service.

Ukrainian and Mennonite touches

• Many families still braid the bride’s hair or wear a crown of flowers.
• A Ukrainian wedding often includes the blessing of the bread and the crowning.
• Mennonite weddings stay simple, with plain dress and hymns.
• Both groups still invite the whole church or community.

The reception

• It is a sit-down meal or a buffet in a hall.
• Perogies, cabbage rolls, roast beef, and pie are common.
• Speeches come after the meal. The best man and father of the bride speak first.
• Dancing starts late and goes past midnight.
• Polka and two-step fill the floor in many rural halls.

Gifts and money

• Cash in an envelope is the usual gift.
• Some older families still give dishes or linens.
• The couple opens gifts the next day, not at the wedding.

After the wedding

• The couple often stays with one set of parents for the first night.
• A small family breakfast happens the next morning.
• Many couples host a second gathering for people who could not attend.