I think wedding traditions are very interesting and I sure don't know all of them! To marry for love is a new thing, as you know this was not always true. It was more to make sure property was kept within a family, often to make alliances, and to make sure the right people would inherit the property! To make sure (or try to!) that the children born to the wife were the children of her husband. So it was a social contract before it was a religious one, or a legal one.
So we have witnesses! At least two but there can be hundreds! And a religious figure to hear the vows, and lots of ceremonies! Which evolved over time. Like 'stealing' the bride is a custom in some places, a tradition now but it used to be a real thing, taking a bride from a different clan. And we don't allow multiple marriages in most places now, which I think is a good thing!
Anyway, in my country a handfasting is not a usual thing. Like I said, no one in the audience had ever seen one before. It is more common to be married in a church and each church has a formal marriage ceremony that the minister reads. The same for everyone who marries in that religion. My friends wanted something different.
My husband and I had a small but traditional church ceremony. (Like the Royal Wedding, but a thousand times smaller!) The only thing we did differently was our wedding cake was decorated with fresh flowers instead of a bride and groom figure on top.
So you have wedding rings but don't wear them? (Don't know where they are?) So that isn't a big tradition or your personal choice?
A prenuptial agreement is not required. (A marriage license is, and it must be signed and recorded in the county where the marriage took place.) Prenuptial agreements are usually made by people of wealth, so that if there is a divorce the property is divided fairly. Or in the case of a couple who were previously married, perhaps each with children from another marriage, it could also ensure the children would inherit fairly. It is a legal document and not considered to be very romantic, just practical.
Wedding rings is not a big tradition at all😂 but most people in my country now have it. Thanks to mass medias which spread the new tradition to our people. My husband knew that I like the stones (I'd prefer diamond but he couldn't afford it even for a tiny one😂) but never really care about rings or other jewelries too.
And here is another story about the prenuptial agreement. I want to have one before but hubby refused to do so, it's not always about the wealth😉 my friends made the prenuptial agreement based on the principles of their way of life or beliefs. They evaluate the agreement every 10 years, sometimes annually after they have children.
It is not part of tradition too, but I think it would give a different responsibilities to the couple.
Oh, that is a very different use of a prenuptial agreement than here! Is it more commonly done if they are from different cultures or religions? Those kinds of decisions here would be discussed and agreed to before marriage but not put in writing. I'm curious as to what sorts of agreements would be included?
I had an engagement ring with a small diamond and a plain gold wedding band. After about 20 years my fingers got fatter but I didn't want to have those rings made bigger because my hands were too often in the garden dirt and I worried to lose the stone. Now I wear a "rose gold" band, plain gold with raised rose buds in pink ("rose") gold connected by stems of green colored gold. I think it's more romantic for a gardener to have!