Looking for German Traditions

Bay21

So, as my fi and I are planning a small elopement ceremony and while it's a little over a year away we've already decided that during the ceremony we are going to be incoporating the Irish Loving Cup ceremony. Simple, inimate and with lovely wording we're really happy with it. But as we are approaching the time when we'll be over in Northern Ireland for our study abroad trip, and during free time searching for the loving cup to use in our ceremony, I begin to feel that we've kind of shunted his ancestry a little bit. 

Which brings me here. He's German, and I am a bit too, so I'd like some suggestions on some German traditions we could bring into the ceremony or just about anything really. I'd love if somebody could tell me there are traditional german rings, that'd be perfect. I am really open to anything, as long as it doesn't require too many other people because our elopement will literally be us, the photog, and the officiant.

Also, please don't tell me to just "google" german wedding/engagement traditions: I want to hear about ones others have used or are planning to use. 

Thank you for your suggestions

artbyallie

I think it's a little strange to just pick traditions if they aren't already used in your/his family, That said, it is apparently a common practice to wear the wedding band on the right hand in Germany.

pockysquirrel

http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/01/07/my-hunt-for-german-wedding-traditions-part-2/

Bay21

Thanks for your suggestions everyone! 

artbyallie: I agree that it might seem strange but we are starting our own family and would like actually honor our roots as opposed to how his and my family don't really do that. 

Schatzi13: Thanks for the suggestion, but as you said, they won't really work for a mega-secret elopement! I do like the idea about the bilingual readings, I might look into doing something like that for ours

pockysquirrel: thank for the awesome link

For a little clarity: his family really honor their roots. The only German thing my family does is hide the pickle during xmas eve. We don't really mind what the suggestions we get  are, or where they are from within Germany because we don't know, sadly, where we are from so we're open to anything

eospassion

My grandmother told me it is traditional for the attendants just to be honored guests, noone else walks down the aisle. But since you are eloping it doesn't fit very well.

[Deleted User]

The best thing to do for an elopement would be to have some readings in German... but do either of you speak German?  If not, it seems a bit silly.  Rings are traditionally worn on the right hand but more and more people are starting to wear it on the left.

Cutting the log directly after the wedding is still common.  It's supposed to symbolize working together to complete a difficult task. 

If you weren't having a secretive wedding, you could also throw a polterabend.  It's a wedding celebration, traditionally the night before the wedding, where people gather, eat, dance, and break plates.  Apparently, although it goes against US tradtion, not everyone that's invited to the polterabend needs to be invited to the wedding.

Also, most Germans don't know the tradition of hiding a pickle in the tree.  I want to visit the town where it originated from to see if they actually do it there or not.  However, I have yet to meet any Germans (living in Germany) who heard of it. 

Bay21

Schatzi13-- thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea of switching ring hands...that would actually solve a few things we've been worried about as far as getting him a ring that he likes and still matching

ahope108--neither of us do speak german, but weirdly enough our officiant might. Cutting a log would work if the location were right, i'll keep it in mind.

about the pickle, my parents actually picked up the tradition during their stay in germany when my father stationed there for officers school during vietnam...so maybe it's a regional thing? haha I don't know. 

TeadaCailin

I live in Germany and a German friend of mine just got married a few weeks ago. They did this cool German tradition where when you leave the church/courthouse some of the guests hold a giant heart in front of the threshold of the door-I've mostly seen it done in paper. The bride and groom each take scissors and starting on different sides, cut the heart out of the paper and then walk through the heart shaped opening together. It's kind of a race, and a lot of fun. My friend did a twist on the tradition by creating a wire heart wrapped with silk flowers, with balloons attached around the heart that they had to pop before walking through. Very German!

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_looking-for-german-traditions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:7f70a4c0-adf8-4736-aff3-745bf65ae847Post:aaf57be0-3fd8-453a-acc5-a1ba5ee76a0b">Looking for German Traditions</a>:
[QUOTE]So, as my fi and I are planning a small elopement ceremony and while it's a little over a year away we've already decided that during the ceremony we are going to be incoporating the Irish Loving Cup ceremony. Simple, inimate and with lovely wording we're really happy with it. But as we are approaching the time when we'll be over in Northern Ireland for our study abroad trip, and during free time searching for the loving cup to use in our ceremony, I begin to feel that we've kind of shunted his ancestry a little bit.  Which brings me here. He's German, and I am a bit too, so I'd like some suggestions on some German traditions we could bring into the ceremony or just about anything really. I'd love if somebody could tell me there are traditional german rings, that'd be perfect. I am really open to anything, as long as it doesn't require too many other people because our elopement will literally be us, the photog, and the officiant. Also, please don't tell me to just "google" german wedding/engagement traditions: I want to hear about ones others have used or are planning to use.  Thank you for your suggestions :)
Posted by Bay21[/QUOTE]

LaurenRae25

A friend of mine recently showed me a drinking goblet that she had at her wedding. It's an old German folk tale of this princess (? Some sort of royalty) fell in love with the goldsmith. Her father wouldn't allow them to marry and actually imprisoned the goldsmith. After the girl became ill at the thought of her love being imprisoned her father made a deal with the goldsmith. If he could create a drinking vessel that both he and the princess could drink out of at the same time, he would release the goldsmith and allow the two to marry. The goldsmith worked and worked and eventually came up with a design that worked, and the princesses father was true to his word, the two were married. It is an old tradition for German ceremonies to have this goblet as part of the service. You could look into something like that. Plus the goblet looks so different, your guests will be amazed and will remember it. You could have the story printed and framed for it to go next to the cake and goblet. Just google "German wedding cup"

LaurenRae25

A friend of mine recently showed me a drinking goblet that she had at her wedding. It's an old German folk tale of this princess (? Some sort of royalty) fell in love with the goldsmith. Her father wouldn't allow them to marry and actually imprisoned the goldsmith. After the girl became ill at the thought of her love being imprisoned her father made a deal with the goldsmith. If he could create a drinking vessel that both he and the princess could drink out of at the same time, he would release the goldsmith and allow the two to marry. The goldsmith worked and worked and eventually came up with a design that worked, and the princesses father was true to his word, the two were married. It is an old tradition for German ceremonies to have this goblet as part of the service. You could look into something like that. Plus the goblet looks so different, your guests will be amazed and will remember it. You could have the story printed and framed for it to go next to the cake and goblet. Just google "German wedding cup"