This clip from the movie Borat will give you an idea of the old Greek tradition of ‘Kidnapping The Bride’.

According to WeddingChannel.com it is common for the grooms family to ‘kidnap’ the bride before the wedding.

In the ‘old days’ the brides family was expected to pay a dowry to the grooms family. If the bride’s father was not forthcoming with the expected dowry, the groom and his attendants would kidnap the bride and negotiate with her father for her return.

Over time, many traditions have changed and i don’t think it would still be considered appropriate to kidnap anyone or to expect an official payment for the bride. However these old traditions have taken a modern form and are now celebrated in a slightly different way.

Some Greek or Greek-American grooms conspire with their male attendants for a pre-wedding “kidnapping” of the bride, whisking her off to a nice dinner with her future husband and his attendants.

This tradition sounds like a bit of fun, but should not be taken too seriously.

So how would you plan to kidnap a bride? Any interesting stories?

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