Turkish weddings usually start with months of preparation. The tradition includes honored steps such as "isteme" (asking for the parents' blessing), "söz" (literally meaning promise, a step toward engagement), the engagement and finally the wedding ceremony.

Wedding ceremonies are often held in the spring and summer.

Turkish wedding traditions are an important part of Turkish culture; some traditions have changed over the years. First of all, the ceremony of "isteme" is held, in which the groom's family and relatives go to the bride's house and seek approval for the union.

"Isteme" can be defined as the first step to formalizing the relationship between two people.

In this ceremony, the bride wears an evening dress and the groom wears a suit. The bride-to-be makes and serves Turkish coffee; usually, some salt is added to the groom's coffee and it is observed whether he will drink it and how he will react when he drinks it. If the groom drinks the salty coffee, it means that he will endure a lot of trouble for the woman he loves and is focused on making her happy.

When speaking with the woman's family, the groom's father openly declares that the young people love each other and want to get married. In return, if the bride's father approves of the marriage, the first step is completed. The promise/engagement rings are then exchanged. They serve as a symbol of two people promising each other to get married.

Then there is the custom of engagement bohça (literally meaning bundle), although it is often forgotten today.

The engagement bundle is the groom's gifts for the bride and her relatives after the engagement, and the bride buys various gifts for the groom and his relatives, and some items for her dowry. You shop for gifts such as clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. The gifts are carefully decorated, packaged and taken to the other side with a ceremony attended by relatives.

After the wedding date is clarified, preparations such as the house the couple will live in and the shopping for their belongings begin.

If the bride has a dowry, with a small festivity, the groom and his relatives take the dowry from her house and place it in the house where they will live together.

The bride and groom celebrate separately the day before the wedding by their close friends and family.

Henna night

The henna night held by the bride's family is a special event organized by the bride-to-be's relatives. On this night, henna is applied to the hands of the bride-to-be and the last night before marriage is celebrated.

There are several reasons for applying henna.

Beauty and adornment: Applying henna to the bride-to-be's hands and feet aims to preserve and protect her beauty. Henna adorns the bride's hands and harmonizes them with her dresses.

Protection from bad luck: According to traditional belief, the bride-to-be is blessed with henna before the wedding to protect her from bad luck. It is believed that henna removes negative energies and brings happiness and abundance to the bride's married life.

This event, which was traditionally held at the bride's home, is often been held in a variety of venues. Traditional songs are sung, and the bride is expected to cry when she realizes she is leaving her family. The bride does not open her palm during the henna application until a gold coin is put in her palm by the groom's mother; then she opens her hand and the henna is applied.

Wedding day

On the wedding day, once the bride is dressed and ready, the ceremony called the bridal reception begins.

"Taking the bride" is when the groom, his close friends and family officially arrive to transport the woman to the wedding ceremony. It is symbolic of the woman leaving her family home to start a new life with her husband. In the ceremony, there are customs that vary in the regions; the bride's brother or other relatives ask for pocket money by saying that "the door does not open" or the groom's shoes are hidden. So, the groom has to give out pocket money until the door opens or his shoes are found. When the parties are satisfied with their money, the groom can escort the bride into the wedding car.

Thus begins the wedding convoy.

The wedding convoy consists of successive vehicles from the bride and groom's house to the wedding hall. Throughout the convoy, horns are tooted and joyful words are said.

When the wedding hall is reached, the bride and groom dance to romantic music. Wedding guests usually consist of close relatives and friends. Traditional Turkish dishes and various entertainment programs are offered to the guests. These programs include traditional Turkish dances, folk dances and live music performances.

The gift ceremony at weddings is also an important tradition. The guests pin their gifts, usually gold coins or cash, to the bride's gown or the groom's lapel, thus sharing in their happiness.

After accepting the gifts, the young couple cut the cake together and fed each other, a traditional happy custom for them to live a happy life together.

As I said, there are some varying traditions across Türkiye for weddings. In Trabzon, traditional folk dances called "horon" are important in weddings.

In Muğla, a tradition is called "belly throwing" at weddings. In this tradition, the wedding guests form a ring around the bride and groom, and they dance to music. This means exuberant fun and adds energy to the wedding.

In Izmir, there is a tradition called "eight-coupled halay." In this tradition, the bride and groom are carried by a group of eight people and then form a halay with them.

In Antalya, a traditional meal called a "bridal bath" is arranged. The day before the wedding, the bride and her close friend go to a hammam and here, a feast is organized.

Finally, at the end of the wedding, the relatives leave the bride and groom at their new home, and the wedding ends with a small celebration here.

These are just a few examples of local traditions regarding the bride and groom in various regions of Türkiye. Different traditions can be found in each region and these traditions create a colorful and cheerful atmosphere at weddings.

To young couples getting married, it is tradition to say as a good wish: "Bir yastıkta kocasınlar," which approximately translates to "May they grow old together (on the same pillow)."