Polish Wedding Blessing

After wedding and before party, mothers of married couple bless them with bread and salt.

Also. if the wedding party pass through a village (where the locals know about the wedding) they will be stopped and offered bread.

Where I live they are more likely to be stopped by young guys who demand vodka before letting them pass. It's known as a gate. It's all done with great good humour and the wedding party usually has the bottle or its money equivalent ready.

After wedding and before party, mothers of married couple bless them with bread and salt. Mothers make wishes and end them with a wish, that newlyweds will never run out of bread (remember that this is very old tradition and in previous centuries parents literally wished that newlyweds will never suffer from hunger and would be prosperous). Next, the couple salt their slice of bread and eat it. In old times this blessing was not only reserved for newlyweds, but also for guests. By giving them bread and salt, their hosts showed them respect and hospitality.

Where I live they are more likely to be stopped by young guys who demand vodka before letting them pass. It's known as a gate. It's all done with great good humour and the wedding party usually has the bottle or its money equivalent ready.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the humour in having to give people vodka. It sounds dreadful...

how much vodka they have to give away a bit later in the day.

They get away lightly considering how much vodka they have to give away a bit later in the day. It's just a tradition which is part of the day. There's no intimidation involved.

A village tradition through and through - anyone doing it in cities nowadays is quite clearly of village stock.

Would you be so kind to give examples of city traditions.

This is old Polish tradition, that was observed by christian Poles (where they lived was irrelevant). If now some couples choose to do something else is their choice. People who live in village are normally more conservative and traditions tend to live longer there (that is case in Polish, German, French etc villages). Don't try to make divisions, where they don't exist.

Not inviting 150+ people to the reception is getting close to being a city tradition.

Well, 2 months ago I attended wedding in Warsaw. There were 300 hundred guests. So more than 150 is city tradition and less than 150 is village tradition? Thank you! Everything is clear now!

I can't imagine the horror of a wedding where endless drunk uncles were involved.

I've seen one wedding where the groom's family were getting stuck straight into the booze as soon as they got to the reception

I've seen one wedding where the groom's family were getting stuck straight into the booze as soon as they got to the reception - it was a disgusting sight. It's fine if you're 20 something, but to see a bunch of old blokes throw back vodka like there was no tomorrow was just...eh.

150+ people