Jean shopping is probably everyone’s least favorite kind of shopping. Jeans are a fashion staple and perfect for loads of occasions, but it’s not easy to find the right pair. If a pair fits your waist it mightn’t fit your hips, and if they fit your leg, they might not sit well on your butt.

These jeans were advertised as being 32 inches long. Unless this person has incredibly long legs, it looks like that can’t be the case.

You would think that clothing sizes would be standardized in some way. You know — everything labeled a size eight would have to have the same dimensions. That way, when you’re trying to find clothing that fits, you would know where to begin.

In reality, clothing stores just make up what their sizes mean. A size eight in one store could be a size 14 in another. This picture shows several pairs of jeans that are all supposed to be the same size. Outrageous!

Ripped jeans have been in fashion for decades now. While they were once associated with farmworkers, distressed denim is now a trendy look for just about anyone. The only problem is, when jeans are ripped, they keep on ripping.

Some ripped jeans are designed so they don’t pull anymore, but others are like a constantly unraveling ball of string. One minute we look great in our jeans, and the next we feel too exposed because our skin is showing!

Ugh, how annoying is the way strapless tops slip down? Though tops, dresses and rompers without sleeves look great, they don’t always stay up. This tends to be based on the shape of people’s bodies, and the fabric used. Those with a larger chest can usually keep their tops up, while others are constantly tugging at theirs.

Apparently, the best way to deal with this common clothing issue is with a little bit of double-sided fashion tape. This way you can make sure your neckline isn’t going anywhere.

People have since noticed that Princess Diana’s iconic ’80s wedding dress was rather wrinkled. This was because the Princess of Wales was stuffed into a carriage with her dress crinkled around her. Alas, the look was a hit anyway.

This person has a similar issue. Their wedding gown is made from crepe which quickly creases. If this bride wants to keep her dress looking ironed, she’ll need to stay upright all day long. Hopefully somebody brought a portable iron.

Surprisingly, though polo necks and turtle necks were the staples of moms in the ’90s, they’re now back in style. It’s important to remember to put your polo neck on first so as not to destroy your hair and makeup.

You see, if you spend ages perfecting your contour and then pull a polo neck on top, your makeup will rub off onto it. Likewise, if you finally get your hair sitting in place, then put on your tight necked sweater, it’s not going to last!

Women have complained about this particular clothing problem for years now. And why would we stop? We deserve pockets! Basically, while men’s clothing has pockets, women’s clothing usually doesn’t. Instead, women get fake pockets just for decoration. Typical, right? These fake pockets often have real zippers or buttons, giving us false hope.

When women do get pockets, they tend to be shallower and smaller than the men’s equivalent. Don’t designers know that women also need to shove things in their back pockets? Sometimes purses aren’t enough!

Now, this problem really grinds our gears. When we get a wonderful new pair of sweatpants, leggings, or jeans, we quickly notice the silhouette changing. You see, soft cozy sweats change shape when your knee repeatedly moves in them, creating space around the knee area.

This results in the appearance of baggy knees, with big loose swathes of material around the knee. Presumably because of the fabric used, some pants become totally unwearable once this happens.

There are numerous ways to destroy a white item of clothing. This is so true that lots of people just don’t bother buying or wearing white because they know they won’t be able to keep it clean. However, even the people that do wear white can end up with yellow armpit stains.

This is supposedly caused by body salts or storing clothing wrongly. While chlorine bleach would remove the stain, it can also go yellow if used too much.

Overalls, rompers, and jumpsuits are usually sold as practical items of clothing. After all, they’re a top and pants in one so you don’t need to pick a matching outfit when you wear them. Plus, they look laidback and casual, so they’re perfect for working at home or lounging around.

The thing is, the idea that these items are practical is false. Any woman that’s worn dungarees and then tried to use the bathroom in a rush knows that. Plus, it’s freezing to strip every time!

When you buy a pair of dark jeans, the labels usually warns you about the dye. You see, these jeans could slightly change color after being washed, or they could rub off onto other items. That’s just what’s happened here.

This person has paired a light colored purse with indigo denim jeans and suffered the consequences. All the rubbing between the two items has caused the denim dye to ruin the white purse. Time to buy a navy one!

Lots of people share bedrooms as kids, or when they live at home. This can have its ups and downs. While some people love the company of a sibling in their space, others wish they could just get some peace and quiet.

This person shares a closet with two of their siblings and they’re clearly very messy. This picture shows a hanging rail of clothing and a pretty impressive floordrobe (wardrobe on the floor) but none of it actually belongs to this person. Our condolences.

Though high heels are undeniably not as comfortable as flats, plenty of people wear them anyway. Stilettos, pumps, and towering sandals are difficult enough to walk in on solid ground — but even worse on grass, cobblestones, or pebbles. With each step the wearer risks breaking an ankle, or getting wedged in the ground.

Thankfully, the world has finally caught up with this problem. Now, you can buy stoppers that go over the heel and prevent it from sliding into the mud.

At the moment, the biggest trend in swimwear is cutouts. In fact, Kylie Jenner’s upcoming swimwear collection is rumored to have tons of them. This trend is pretty limiting, as most people aren’t comfortable with large sections of skin exposed. It’s a trend that’s most popular amongst influencers.

This picture shows another problem with cutout swimwear. This person donned a lace-up bathing suit and ended up with some lattice shaped burns on her chest. Now, that’s even worse than a tan line.

Lots of stores put tags on their clothing to stop people from shoplifting. Some of these are electronic and send off the store’s alarms. Others spill ink on the item so the thief can’t use or resell what they’ve taken. All of this makes sense when it comes to shoplifting.

The problem arises when employees forget to remove these tags from actual customers. This means shoppers get home to wear their new item and discover it’s unwearable. Not fair!

We’ve seen the constantly slipping strapless top, and this is the inverse problem. People that wear bodycon dresses or skirts know that their hemline isn’t likely to stay in place. Rather, every time you take a step, your dress will shimmy upwards, making it look shorter and shorter.

It’s not a great look to walk around constantly tugging at your hemline. In fact, it makes people think that you’re uncomfortable with the length of your own skirt.

Here’s something that should be banned from clothing — those weird loops inside every single thing we own. These little looped ribbons are to help hang clothing up. You put the loops around the center of a hanger and that makes sure the item won’t fall off. This is more of a thing in stores than in people’s homes.

Generally, people only encounter these ribbon loops when they’re hanging out of their neckline or armpit. Can we just stop making them already?

Fans of knitwear know how crushing it is to end up with a bally sweater. This phenomenon is known by several names, with some calling it “pilling” and “pill balls.” Basically, it’s when your sweaters become covered in tiny little balls that you can’t help but pick off.

There are ways to resolve this issue without just throwing the clothing away. You can carefully shave the pills with a razor, or lay the garment on a flat surface and use a pumice stone.

We’ve already discussed the potential problems of polo necks, but about regular necks? For some reason, some companies make ridiculously small neck holes that are very difficult to get into. This person tried to put on their new Pretty Little Thing top and instead got trapped inside. Seriously, that neck hole looks tiny.

This clothing problem is even worse when it happens in a changing room. No-one wants to be sweaty and stuck in something that won’t come off!

Many people spend years trying to find the perfect pair of jeans or leggings. You want to silhouette to be right, the fabric to be comfy, and the design to be wearable. Usually, once you find them, you wear them over and over and over again.

This repeated wear leads to holes like this one. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen this exact hole caused by thigh friction. In some corners, this is affectionately referred to as “chub rub.”

In general, it seems like clothing is made for people that don’t really exist. While it’s designed for and initially worn by models, fashion then trickles down to ordinary people. And ordinary people have ordinary bodies!

Belts and shoe straps usually have one set of pre-made holes that bear no relation to actual human bodies. This means that if you have narrow feet, tough luck! A thick waist? Not for you! These items are made for imaginary people with imaginary proportions.

This clothing problem should have died out by now, but alas, it’s still here. In years gone by it was seen as trashy to have a bra strap showing, but now it’s fairly normal. However, having one strap hanging down is still seen as sloppy.

Many people seem to forget that these straps are adjustable so you can just tighten them. Of course, then you can get stuck with the opposite problem — a bra strap digging into your shoulder.

No matter where we put our dirty socks at the end of the day, they somehow don’t make it back to us in one piece. Even if we place our socks carefully in the laundry basket and wash everything together, we’ll still end up with a random sock.

Then, if you decide to grab an odd set in a rush, you just perpetuate the problem. Soon, you can’t remember having paired socks, and have to buy some new ones.

We’ll admit that this picture isn’t exactly pleasant to look at. However, it is a picture of someone’s feet covered in fluff, rather than their feet covered in mud and soot. And we think that helps things.

This snap is showing yet another clothing problem. When you wear new socks (or use a new towel), you’ll end up covered in fluff. Washing items before wearing them gets rid of this problem, but then you miss out on the joy of slipping on new socks.

We’ve seen yellow pit-stains on white shirts so far, but we haven’t even mentioned deodorant marks. This is when you apply deodorant and then somehow it ends up staining your clothing. Even when you’re extra careful, somehow the white powder makes its way onto the exterior of your clothing.

Thankfully, some deodorant companies have developed a no stain formula. Though apparently you can remove these stains by dabbing them with some nylon pantyhose. You heard it here first!

We’ve ranted and raved about fake pockets, and we’re going to do just the same for decorative drawstrings. You see, drawstrings are rather useful things. If your shorts are a little too loose, you can pull them nice and tight. If your joggers are looking baggy, you can put them in place by cinching in the waist.

So, why then would manufacturers put fake drawstrings on their clothing? This just reminds us that our clothing is actually missing a feature.

So far on our list of clothing troubles, we’ve seen a rather impressive floordrobe. Of course, this is when your clothes migrate from the wardrobe, to your body, to the floor. Many floordrobe experts know exactly where each item is, even though it looks like chaos to everyone else.

From the looks of this picture, we’d guess that these clothes are piled on top of a chair. It’s a year’s long problem that we can’t put our clothes away — thank goodness for empty surfaces!

Jewelry is always in fashion; it just depends on what the trends are each season. One persistent problem that’s cropped up over the years is keeping a jewelry clasp where it belongs. Particularly in the cases of necklaces, clasps often shimmy around and hang with whatever’s on the chain.

This isn’t the end of the world, it’s just really annoying. Thankfully, now you can buy balance beads that keep the clasp where it belongs — at the nape of your neck.

We’ve called for the canceling of annoying ribbon loops inside clothing. And now we’re calling for the canceling of these little plastic tags attached to clothing labels. These pesky plastic tags hold paper tags in place, and are a nightmare to remove.

When you firmly pull a label off, it often leaves behind the plastic tag. Then, when you try to firmly pull that out, it can end up causing a fray, or even a small hole. Plus, they dig into our skin!

While we’re at it, let’s talk about useless store hangers. This example comes without a hook, making it pretty pointless. Stores also produce specific hangers for underwear that are useless once brought home. Obviously, this is a massive waste of plastic — there must be a better way!

In many countries, clerks now ask if you’d like to take the hanger home. In some cases, this is convenient. However, when the hanger looks like this, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

There are various different names for high heels depending on their style. These are high heeled pumps with a pointed toe. For some, they would be stilettos since their heel is pretty high. For others, they would be winkle pickers, named by the 1950s British rock ‘n’ rollers who wore them.

One problem with winkle pickers is that you can end up with a crease across the toe. Depending on how you move your foot, your pointy shoes can end up rather ruined by an ugly mark.

Washing machines were amazing inventions that massively affected women’s lives when they were first released. Before domestic washing machines, women had to wash clothing by hand, and dry them using punishing tools like a mangle. Now, we’re lucky we can just stuff our clothing in the machine, push a button, and come back later.

In saying that, modern laundry machines do have some issues. For one, they can tangle all of your clothing into a jumbled mass like this one.

Generally, when you buy something made of suede, you should also buy some suede protector. This is something most people think of when they buy suede, but don’t actually follow through on. Come on! We have better things to do than buy suede protector!

Sadly, this negligence results in some sad looking suede. Because the fabric is leather rubbed until it’s velvety, this same material can be damaged by water. Thankfully, it can be fixed if you’re quick!

For some reason or another, pantyhose are a normal item of clothing that we’re expected to wear. We get why they’re necessary, but they seem practically disposable because they rip so often. All it takes is a long finger nail or a skirt zipper and suddenly your pantyhose are useless.

This means that when you wear pantyhose it only makes sense to carry another pair with you. That way, you can slip into a new set when you inevitably ruin the first.

We like to think that if we designed the clothes dryer, we’d come up with a better name for the settings. Look, we know that sounds arrogant, but hear us out. You see, we’d like it if we could set the dryer to a certain temperature.

You could start low, and then gradually increase when necessary. Instead, we’re faced with vague terms like “cupboard dry,” “extra dry,” and “damp dry.” Surely dry is dry is dry, right?

It’s time to debunk a popular myth. Most people believe that wearing cheap jewelry can turn your skin green. This is basically the case, but it’s actually because of a chemical reaction that happens between your skin and the metal in the jewelry.

So, if you’re wearing jewelry that’s made from copper, oxidation happens, and that makes your skin go green. This can happen with other metals too, and is usually caused by skin acids or body lotions. This isn’t the same as an allergic reaction.

We understand why labels are necessary. Really, we do. We know that they contain important information about washing. But maybe that could go on the internet? After all, does anyone really peer at those tiny symbols before stuffing their jeans in the laundry?

Some clothing labels can be very irritating. They can rub the inside of your leg, arm or back. Or, they can hang outside of your clothes making you look like a fool! We say banish them.

Here’s a piece of clothing that’s managed to injure the person that owns out. We’d bet this nice new shirt came from a fancy store and was folded up along neat creases. We’d guess that these pins were used to keep the shirt in place, and someone forgot to remove them at the register.

Or, maybe this person tried on their new shirt and had it tailored to fit them. Then, they left with a new shirt packed full of pins. Sounds painful!

Zippers are pretty great. We’d take them over Velcro any day, and they’re on par with buttons too. Although, once a zipper loses its zip, it usually becomes pretty redundant. In these situations, you’re stuck pointlessly tugging at a zipper that will never zip again.

Other times, broken zippers will open and close, but only along one side of its zig-zag tracks. In these cases, the zipper is mocking us, gliding up and down knowing its zipping days are gone.

We’ve all been there over the past few years. We’re in a store, and we’re casually looking through some t-shirts. Suddenly, we see something we like in a color we love, and we reach to take it from the rail.

Only then do we realize that our cute new staple tee is covered in a brash slogan that means nothing. Enough already! We’ll take slogans when you have something to say, but otherwise let’s just stick to plain tees.

Whether you’re a laundry master or not, we’ve all experienced this exact situation at least once in our lives. You’ve just finished a load of wash that you now want to throw in the dryer.

When you open the door to the washing machine, though, you notice one sock hanging out by its lonesome. You pull the sock out and, of course, it’s sopping wet. While it’s not the end of the world, it can put quite a damp(er) on your day. Ha, get it?

Drying racks are a great solution for those that don’t have access to a dryer. Still, there’s a certain method that you should follow when it comes to hanging your clothes on the rack.

Although this particular technique isn’t necessarily wrong — as the clothes will definitely dry — one t-shirt takes up an unnecessary amount of room that could be used to hang other articles of clothing or linens. If you live with someone, this could be a potential issue considering that you’ll have to share the rack. Well, unless you each buy your own, that is.

Man, if only this drawer was one inch wider! We’ve all been here, although we have to admit that we never thought of the most obvious solution — to put the shorts away vertically rather than horizontally.

That way, there’s no need to worry about creases! Perhaps this OP already thought of that but was just truly hoping that her dresser would be big enough. Alas, we can’t always get what we want!

Ugh! Just because “the customer is always right” doesn’t mean that they should be able to get away with something like this. Working in retail is hard enough as it is but having to deal with inconsiderate customers makes the job that much more challenging.

Take this poor OP, for example. They had just finished organizing this display only to return to it five minutes later and find it like this. What is wrong with people?!

This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen or spoken about this kind of issue, and it’s certainly not the last! We’re not entirely sure why manufacturers seem to have trouble understanding that we women also use pockets.

With that in mind, it would be highly appreciated if clothing companies began creating more functional pockets for the ladies of the world. After all, we’d like to be able to fit more in our pockets than just the tip of our finger.

This clothing mishap may not be totally apparent at first glance but upon closer inspection, you should notice a slight discrepancy. While the label says “The Essential V-Neck,” this t-shirt actually features a crew neckline.

Not the biggest deal, right? In fact, this could easily be Gap’s way of playing a joke on their customers. That’s what we’d like to think, at least — it would be pretty funny if they decided to do that.

There are just some mornings that you wake up totally out of it, even if you got a good night’s sleep. When you do wake up super groggy, it may take you more time than usual to complete certain tasks — from brushing your teeth to getting dressed.

This OP did everything she was supposed to do when she got out of bed but suffered from a brain fart along the way. Let’s just hope this “look” doesn’t become a fad.

We’ve already seen Gap mislabel their t-shirts so, naturally, we have to check out what kind of tricks Old Navy has up its so-called symmetrical sleeves. The woman here was stoked about wearing her newly-purchased Old Navy cardigan.

Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived. Once she tried it on and realized just how lopsided it was, this Snapchat user couldn’t help but call Old Navy out. Our only question is, why didn’t she try the sweater on at the store before buying it?

Every woman knows this struggle all too well. You’ve just purchased yourself a new dress to spice up your wardrobe and you decide to wear it to work. Not a problem, right? Wrong! If it’s even slightly breezy out, you run the risk of flashing total strangers.

Sure — that doesn’t seem like a huge deal considering that you’ll probably never see them again. But, if you have any sense, you’ll still wear stockings or tights underneath that dress, as this gal did.

Let’s be real — this had to have been a pretty frustrating moment. After all, imagine that you ordered this dress online and had to wait weeks for it to arrive. When it finally does, you open the package only to discover that the item isn’t even in the right size.

Like the other clothing troubles on this list, it’s not the end of the world by any means. Still, when it keeps happening to you over and over again, something’s gotta give.

If you’re anything like us, then you spend a day every year getting rid of or donating clothes that you no longer wear or want. Once you’ve done that, you then set aside some time to organize the clothes that you did hold onto.

That, our friends, is what we call a successful spring cleaning — even if you’re not as meticulous as this OP. After all, they arranged their clothes by style and color. Not too shabby…

Fashion trends and fads constantly change. Ultimately, people are influenced by popular culture and everything that comes with it such as actors, musicians, athletes, influencers, and even royalty. So, it makes sense as to why fashion fluctuates so much.

However, it seems like — as time has gone on — crop tops are getting tinier and tinier. Ladies went from showing off a bit of their tummy to totally exposing their mid-drift. Now, though, they might as well wear no shirt at all. Why do clothing manufacturers think we all want to dress like Barbie?!

Ah, our eyes! First and foremost, sir, we hate to break it to you but your wife is totally right. Not only is this outfit completely and utterly unacceptable, but it’s also slightly embarrassing for your poor partner.

She obviously loves you for you — which is absolutely beautiful — but why would she want to walk around with you when you decided to stick stripes and plaid together?! Too…many…patterns!

To be honest, we don’t think that a slightly creased or wrinkled skirt will make or break your chances of landing a job. Still, we do understand why this gal was a bit apprehensive about her interview.

After all, you want to do the very best you can during an interview — and, in order to do your very best, you have to feel that way too! That doesn’t mean, though, that you should lose hope if your outfit does have a few crinkles.

It has to be pretty inconvenient having to live out of a box because you don’t have enough storage space. We’ve all heard the expression, “Living out of boxes,” which refers to those that have moved into a new place but have yet to unpack, meaning that their possessions are still packed away.

In the case of this OP, they’ve been fully moved in for quite some time now — to the point that they’re fully unpacked… well, except for one box.

Cat lovers know that the downside of enjoying feline company is cat hair. You see, when you have a kitty, they tend to rub themselves all over you. Or, if they aren’t the cuddling type, they’ll rub themselves all over your clothing instead. No matter where it is.

So, cat owners can be having a great time and suddenly realize that they’re coated head to toe in cat hair. And it turns out other people aren’t really into that…

Women get the raw end of the deal pretty often. After all, we’re supposed to be fashion’s main consumers, so why can’t we get a proper t-shirt? Even when women go to high end stores, its common to try on a shirt and find that it’s actually see-through.

This means women have to buy, not just a t-shirt, but a slip, bodysuit or camisole to go underneath it. That way, we have to spend even more money. It’s a scam!

Last but not least, we turn to the dangerous lack of inside pockets in women’s jackets. This is just like the fake pockets problem, and the decorative drawstring problem. Essentially, designers like women to wear pretty things, but not to have practical things.

Well, we’ve got news for them — fashion can be both pretty and practical. While we know that women traditionally carry purses, we think we deserve the option of a nice inside blazer pocket. Get it sorted!

Alright, let’s start off with something most of us can get behind. When an item is labeled “dry clean only,” we’re pretty confident it will never be washed. That might sound a little gross, but actually, it’s just realistic.

You see, if an item can only be dry cleaned, then we’re much more likely to just dab stains off with a wet cloth. Who has the time to take their clothing to a dry cleaner? We’re not movie characters!

Sure, sure — clothes dryers are great inventions, but only if they’re used properly. For lots of us, putting our clothes in the dryer is a gamble, and we don’t know what we’ll get back. While we love the idea of warm, gently tumbled clothing, we don’t love the reality of shrunken, itchy items.

It seems that’s different materials react differently in the dryer. Because of this, some fabrics shrink after being tossed around in a hot, enclosed area.

When a Ghanaian man proposes to a woman, they don’t exactly have privacy. The traditional way to propose is to visit her house – with his entire family in tow. He better hope she says yes…otherwise it could get embarrassing. Ghanaian couples usually match their ceremonial attire to each other. The outfits will be made of kente, a type of cloth handwoven in Ghana, and it’s custom for them to feature bright, colorful patterns and intricate geometric designs. These unique outfits should emphasize the couple’s unique love.

The Matyo people are a subgroup of Hungarians who have inhabited Hungary’s northern regions for many centuries, retaining their culture amid many surrounding political and cultural shifts. In Eastern Europe, a proverb is often heard that goes, “You’re no Matyó embroidery!” This developed in admiration of their intricate and flawless embroidery of the Matyo. The dress features many florals, as flowers are representative of fertility. Wheat is woven into the headdress to symbolize this too, as well as prosperity and fortune for the new family.

In India, bridal gowns are no joke. Layered and layered with symbolism, the dress will have sixteen embellishments in total – all considered crucial to ensure a happy marriage. The wedding dress, or sari, is usually red to represent the rising sun. In addition to everything the bride is already wearing when she arrives, one more feature will be added later in the ceremony: the jaimala, in which the couple place flower garlands on each other in a promise of love.

Although Scandinavia is divided into different countries today, its different regions share plenty of history and customs. But one of the longest surviving cultures there is called Sami. The Sami people are indigenous to the far north of Scandinavia, stretching across parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula. Reindeer are native to this region, which the Sami are famous for herding. Their traditional clothing communicates many things about the person wearing them, such as their marital status.

In Morocco, the wedding ceremony can last for up to a week and includes many parties. Fist, the bride and groom have separate parties to celebrate with their own families. Then, they come together for the legal procedure and a joint celebration, which symbolizes their marriage and the marriage of their two families together. The bride wears a dress called a takchita, and the groom and his family carries the bride on a 4-legged amariyah to demonstrate his ability to support her.

In South Korea, the traditional wedding outfits of both the husband and wife are called a hanbok. The bride’s hanbok includes a short jacket with long sleeves, called a chima-jeogori, and a wrapped skirt. The groom’s hanbok is composed of a short jacket, called a durumagi, and lose-fitting pants, called baji. Ancient tradition insists that the groom carry his wife around a sacred table on his back – an act that demonstrates a sense of reliability to the bride.

Eritrean weddings last for an entire week! First, the families exchange gifts to each other. The next day will be full of song and dance, celebrating the match. Then the two families share a large feast, to symbolize long health. Following the feast, two traditional songs are mandatory to sing: the Awelo, naming and honoring each member of the family, and the Masse, honoring the women who prepared traditional food for the feast. The bride and groom have their outfits matching colors as a symbol of their bond.

A traditional Japanese ceremony has many stages. It begins with a dinner for the two families to exchange gifts; each family has prepared part of the wedding dress for the other family. The husband’s family will give the bride a wedding sash to wear over a white kimono, called an obi. The bride’s family will give the groom a type of pleated trouser, called a hakama, and a jacket, called a haori, which he will wear on top of his usually black kimono.

Wait…you haven’t heard of Gora? Don’t panic. It’s a region, not a country. But its bridal dresses will surprise you. Gora sits between Kosovo and Albania, and has long been inhabited by the nomadic Gorani people: ethnically Slavic, religiously Muslim, but retaining some traditions and customs from ancient pagan beliefs in the area. Their weddings are a three-day affair, carrying the bride on a white horse covered with a custom scarf and decorated umbrella to the husband’s neighbor’s house, who hosts the wedding.

In Mongolia, two people who want to get married have to make a trip together to the groom’s house to ask for permission. If they agree, they will also then be in charge of preparing the wedding. Brides and grooms in traditional Mongolian weddings wear patterned clothes called a “deel.” Though deels refer to Mongolian clothing in general and include a lot of everyday wear, custom deel garbs have been made for centuries that are typically reserved for weddings and holidays.

Traditional Portuguese weddings are layered with old pagan styles and somewhat more recent Catholic values. The brides traditionally wear a full-length tunic, covering them from head to toe and adorned with lots and lots of jewelry. This jewelry has influence from a few different cultures – beads from the time of the Moors, crosses to honor the Catholic church, and gold in homage to the prosperity of the long line of Portuguese royals. In the past, these precious decorations would also serve as a dowry to the groom’s family.

Nigeria is a big country with around 250 ethnic groups of many religions and ethnic backgrounds, meaning that wedding ceremonies can be quite different from region to region. But one thing that is true of almost all these areas is that Nigerian brides will wear brightly colored wedding clothes, along with a unique head tie called a Gele in most parts of the country. As is the case in many African cultures, brides and grooms in Nigeria usually match the colors of their wedding outfits.

On the island of Sri Lanka, east meets west in a way that is especially easy to see at a traditional wedding. Their heavily embroidered silk saris are shared culturally with nearby India and beyond, while their long lace veils show an influence from Europe. Along with the sari and veil, the bride will wear a headpiece called a nalapata Grooms will wear a 4-cornered hat, a velvet jacket, and a long white waistcloth called a mul anduma.

“An nglacfaidh tú liom mar chéile?” That’s Scottish Gaelic for, Will you marry me? If you’ve seen or heard of Scottish men in skirts, it’s not quite what it sounds like. Wait-wrapped clothes in Scotland, called kilts, bore the colors and emblems of the clan they were born into. On their wedding day, men in Scotland traditionally wear the kilt of their clan. After the ceremony, the groom’s family gives the bride a shawl in the colors of their clan to signify her transition into his family.

Much like the architecture in the region, most Indonesian weddings across many regional subcultures feature a lot of gold, featured especially on headdresses and jewelry from head to toe which results in the bride and groom sparkling literally all over their bodies. It’s easy to see from its architecture that Indonesian empires had their fair share of glory and richness in the region, with many gold-adorned monuments. By wearing gold, the bride and groom as honor Indonesia’s past as well as its kings and queens.

Color is the name of the game at a Peruvian wedding. Women wear bright handwoven skirts, called polleras, and men wear headdresses. The bride and groom will both also wear a cloak, or poncho. These decorations and styles are reminiscent of the powerful Incan empire that once inhabited the region and beyond, with their capital Macchu Picchu in the mountains of Peru. Peruvians even decorate their cakes in the same colors as their dress – as well as hiding a ring inside on a ribbon.

At traditional Chinese weddings, brides and grooms often opt for red outfits, as the color is culturally recognized as lucky. It keeps away evil spirits, as well as representing love and prosperity. Like in many other cultures, they are dressed by their respective families. The groom will then go to the bride’s family house, but he will first be blocked by her chosen bridesmaids. Once she gives him permission to pass, the families join each other for a tea ceremony.

In Sardinia, the dresses can be very elaborate, with ornate details that display influence from all around the Mediterranean from Northern Africa to Greece and northern Europe, including jeweled stitching, a velvet jacket, and a long veil. Unique to this island, there is even a special wedding pasta that you’ve probably heard of. Ziti has long been a local wedding tradition, with hollowed centers that can hold all kinds of pasta toppings. This was designed to fill up the bellies of famously large Italian families, who will all be celebrating, of course.

In Iraq, a wedding proposal is accepted with rose water, cordial, and sweet Arabic coffee. Iraqi weddings are quite a long and epic affair: the engagement is known to take up to years even, and once the actual ceremony takes place, it takes 7 days. Just before the wedding week, the bride will receive gifts from both families including many dresses of many colors. Then, on each of the seven days, she will wear a different color for each of the seven colors of the rainbow.

Traditional Polish weddings are not hard to find today. Bridal outfits include a special veil/cap (welon) that has its own ceremony (oczepiny) during the wedding. The groom puts on a flower matching the bride’s bouquet. During the ceremony, brides will move their dresses to cover their husband’s shoe – believing that this will give her a position of dominance in the relationship. Polish also believe that a bride can die of unhappiness, and the flower crown is created for her in the days before her wedding to manifest a happy, fertile marriage.

In the Caucus mountains of Georgia, wedding customs have stayed the same for many centuries. Many of their traditions reflect the warring nature of these mountains, where various groups of people have had to fight constantly for their survival. The bride is carried under a four-post canopy to symbolize her protection, while the groom wears a sheath in his belt. Towards the end of the ceremony, the bride will be kidnapped by her family, in order to make the groom prove he’s capable of rescuing her.

Like many other Polynesian islands and cultures, Tongan weddings are strongly symbolic of the environment around them. As can be seen from the hand-made attire from Tiare ‘O Patitifa, women wear a colorful wrap that covers their bodies only from the torso to the knees, while the men’s wraps will cover everything from the waist down. The priest who marries them wears a feathered headdress to symbolize the divine right given to him by higher powers, and the couple go to sea in a canoe to symbolize the isolation of their love from the world around them.

At Greek weddings, ancient pagan traditions are combined with those of the Greek Orthodox church. Older tradition demands that the bride’s family places a lump of sugar in her glove to ensure a sweet life, and a gold coin to the inside of her shoe to bring good fortune. The groom puts a piece of iron in his pocket to ward off evil spirits throughout the day. A priest places crowns joined by a ribbon (called stefana) on the couple’s heads, representing their new unity.

Near the border of Ukraine and Romania live the Hutsul people, who are most likely descended from the old Rus tribe and still practice many of their customs. At their weddings, they ride to church on horseback, and celebrate for two or three days in a large wedding tent. Their dresses are made by the delicate handwork of women in both families. Like certain other cultures, they strictly invite an odd number of people, believing odd numbers to be luckier because they can’t be divided!

Traditional Kazakh weddings involve the bride wearing a headdress called a “Saukele.” This tall, conical hat is trimmed with fur and is the most expensive article of any wedding ceremony. For wealthier women, the upper part of the hat is often decorated with semi-precious stone, blue velvet fabric, or gold thread. However, less prosperous women tend to make their “Saukele” from cheaper materials such as satin and will often use less precious beads made from glass to decorate the headgear.

Weddings in Oas are an important event in the Northwest part of Transylvania. The wedding is organized by the parents as well as the bride and groom-to-be and various different rituals are involved including the preparation of the dowry, the costumes, and choosing the godparents. The ‘fotă’ is the traditional wedding skirt that is generally made from cotton or wool and the maramă’ is the unique headwear that must be worn by the woman during the wedding procession. She is usually also adorned with a variety of colorful beads.

The Yakan are an ethnolinguistic group that mostly inhabit the island of Basilan in the Philippines. Traditional weddings usually consist of two ceremonies – an Islamic one, and an older, pre-Islamic ritual. The weddings are arranged by the parents and both the bride and groom wear face paint for the ceremony. However, non-Islamic families tend to follow a more traditional Catholic wedding style. This also includes a veil for the bride and a rope in an ‘8’ shape (representing infinity) which both bride and groom wear around their heads.

Russia has over 185 different ethnic groups, and many of these have their own separate wedding traditions. However, many Russian weddings last for at least two days and some go on for as long as a week. However, the most predominant form of wedding tradition around Russia is that of the Eastern Orthodox Church. These weddings look much like regular Western weddings do, except for the fact that the bride and groom wear a crown after saying their vows. This can last for up to a week!

In Turkmenistan, the traditional wedding ceremony sees the bride dressed up in a red dress made from homemade silk studded with silver or gilded pendants. Over the course of the day, the bride is expected to be quiet and not talk to her groom. She is also expected to wear a red cloth around her mouth as a symbol of her piety. The bride is not meant to make eye contact with people and should keep her eyes on the ground.

In a Maasai wedding, the bride is required to wear a bold and colorful necklace made of beads and shells. On the night of the wedding, a party called the “kupamba” takes place. During this party, the bride is allowed to take off her veil and show her hairstyle and jewels. The woman’s head is also shaved before the wedding ceremony which is meant to symbolize her new life in the wedding. The woman is expected to arrive at the wedding with all of her personal belongings.

In Germany, traditional bridal headdresses vary from region to region. In the Black Forest valley, the headdress is large and decorated with hundreds of beads and glass balls, while in Buckenburg the emphasis is more on flowers than beads. However, the majority of traditional weddings are centered around the traditions that take place during and before the wedding. This includes a night for breaking porcelain as it’s thought to be a symbol of good luck.  Brides also tend to wear very minimalist white dresses with short trains.

In a traditional Yemenite Jewish wedding, the bride wears traditional jewelry and an elaborate headdress decorated with flowers and jewels. These are believed to ward off evil. Gold threads are also woven into the fabric of her clothes and wedding celebrations traditionally last five to seven days. Traditionally speaking, a bride is also expected to decorate her hands with henna, much like Hindu brides. The bride is also generally confined to her parents home during the preparation for the wedding.

In the remote southwestern town of Ribnovo, the practice of “gelena” involves covering the bride’s face with paint and colorful sequins. In a private rite open only to female in-laws, her face is covered in thick, chalky white paint and decorated with colorful sequins. The girl and her husband-to-be will then lead a traditional horo dance on the central square, joined by most of the village’s youth. A long, red veil covers her hair, her head is framed with tinsel, her painted face veiled with silvery filaments.

In traditional Vietnamese weddings, brides wear extravagant dresses, translucent cloaks, and a headpiece called a khăn vấn. The clothes are heavily embroidered and beaded with symbols that have historically represented the emperor, such as phoenixes, dragons,and other imagery from nature. Early on in the ceremony, the bride wears no jewelry, and is bestowed with some later on. The family and friends of the groom go to his future bride’s home with an odd number of gifts, which represents luck for the marriage.

In the remote island culture of the Tonga, engagement takes a somewhat unusual first step: friendship. Before any official dating can happen, the groom-to-be has to convince his bride-to-be that she wants to accept his hand in friendship – called fai kaume. Once he’s convinced her, he then has to convince her parents he’s worthy of engagement by going to her house and asking their permission to see her every time – called faitohi. If everything is a go and they become engaged, there will be an important celebration before the wedding called a fakalelea.

Khakassia is a remote area in Russia, which shares many wedding and other traditions with Siberia. Because their weather is so hard, their clothes are designed to be as warm as they are beautiful. This is especially important since traditional weddings take place outside, specifically in the bride’s yard. Bride, groom, and their respective friends and families will all be bundled up with fur coats – though the bride’s will naturally be the most beautiful.

At Uzbekistani weddings, the wedding follows a ceremony of engagement, called a Fatikha-Tui. It’s performed with the permission of parents of a bride and groom. If the bride’s parents agree, they break bread together in a tradition called sindirish, which signifies that the girl is engaged. The groom’s family proceeds to pay for the entire wedding. On the day of the wedding, the men first party in the morning by blowing two-meter-long horns and doing dances on stilts. In the afternoon, the groom and his male party heads for the bride’s home with song and dance, getting smeared with flower when they arrive.

Throughout Mexico and Central America, many indigenous groups whose roots lay with the ancient Maya wear various huipils for different ceremonies – especially weddings. They are loose-fitting tunics, rich in symbolism with different mythological imagery like animals and flowers. Today, they are still popular in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Campeche, Hidalgo, Michoacán (where it is called a huanengo), Veracruz and Morelos.

In Malay weddings, grooms traditionally wear a long sleeved shirt and trousers called baju melayu, and brides wear a sarong over a long dress, called baju kebeya. They come in many bright and beautiful colors, and are usually embroidered with beautiful gold thread. They also cover their heads with elaborate cloths. Before the official unification, there is a two-day ceremony called the bersanding ceremony, in which the couple visits the homes of both bride and groom and sit on decorated thrones, being lavished with blessings and gifts, yellow rice, and flower petals (symbolic of fertility). Then, the bride serves her groom a meal for the first time, called makan berdemai.

Like any other African wedding, they are known to be a vibrant musical, colorful, with plenty of dancing and feasting. But a Zulu wedding takes the lead in popularity, magnificence, and grandiosity. On the wedding day, the bride is adorned with white and red ochre, and bags of pebbles are tied on her feet to add to the rhythm when dancing. She wears a veil made of beads and twisted fig-trees, ties oxtail fringes on her arms and knees, and wears goatskin on her neck. The highlight of the ceremony comes when a dance-off between the groom’s and the bride’s families takes place.

Weddings in Saudi Arabia are, culturally, a huge and expensive deal. There is no religious ceremony, but instead, the celebration is a combination of an extravagant fashion show and a bachelorette party. The guests typically arrive at 10 p.m. The men enter one ballroom to hang out with the groom, and the women come into another hall to wait for the bride. In Saudi Arabia, weddings in public venues are always segregated, making them very private and intimate affairs.

In a traditional Andean marriage ceremony, locals gather outside to celebrate a couple’s union in the presence of their most revered goddess: Mother Earth. Both the bride and groom’s family have been working day and night, putting up decorations and preparing food. The bride and groom wear beautifully detailed traditional Andean clothing. The bride wears a Montera hat, a sequined Jobona jacket, depicting scenes from nature, and – the showstopper – a beautifully detailed pollera skirt. Andean wedding ceremonies are known as a celebration of the two things they value most: family and Mother Earth.

In some parts of Papua New Guinea, it is still customary for a groom to pay a bride price before the wedding ceremony. In some instances, this is paid in golden-edged clamshells. In other areas, an endowment is payable instead. Weddings are also an essential occasion to wear special clothing and is an excellent opportunity to show off glitzy accessories, like seashells and wear colorful face paint. The bride wears dyed grass aprons, open at the sides, and in some places, it is common to smear the body with mud or clay.

The Datoga people are known as a nomadic tribe, residing in north-central Tanzania. Tanzanians still place great importance on traditional social organization systems in their everyday lives, and kinship provides a strong support network that is especially visible through all of life’s meaningful ceremonies. Interestingly, unlike many other parts of the world, for many Tanzanians, it is customary for the groom’s family to pick the wedding dress. Once married, the girl must wear a unique skirt made of thin leather strips, which is symbolic of fertility given by a Goddess to the Datoga houses.

Bedouin tribes live in parts of north and northeast Africa and the Middle East. The word “bedouin” comes from the Arab word “Badawi,” which means a nomad. The groom has to pay the bride’s father a dowry. He uses part of this money to buy traditional Bedouin jewelry for the bride. Sometimes the dowry includes animals like camels. The cloth for the wedding dress is provided by the female members of the groom’s family. The bride’s friends apply henna tattoos on her hands and feet. This is known as the “laylat al henna.”

In the Ivory Coast, the government abolished polygamy back in 1964 and set the legal marriage age limit at eighteen for boys and sixteen for girls. However, polygamy is a widely accepted lifestyle among many native ethnic groups. Although marriage traditions and norms are changing and becoming more Westernized, a vast majority engage in traditional native wedding rituals. The fabric used traditionally used for wedding attire is called Kente/Kita, which is very popular all around West Africa.

Status is of the utmost importance in traditional Samoan culture, so people marry mostly within their social class. But once a couple is set to be married, weddings are paid for by both families equally. The reception takes place immediately after the ceremony,  with the bride performing a traditional Samoan dance for the guests, called a taualuga. Girls in Samoa grow up learning this dance from a young age, in preparation for their wedding day. When the dance ends, the guests may be served food.

Over the past couple of years, Bhutanese weddings have become popular among tourists. A Bhutanese wedding is much more than an exchange of vows and rings. The wedding represents the significance of the bond between a husband and wife. A traditional Bhutanese wedding includes several religious rites performed by Buddhist monks. Along with the rituals comes the traditional wedding attire – the groom wears a gho, and the bride wears a kira with a scarf.

Each Native American tribe has its special customs and wedding traditions – but they all differ greatly from conventional modern weddings. The Native American wedding dress traditionally features four colors. Each color is related to a direction, black (north), blue (south), yellow (west), and white (east). The traditional jewelry is mainly made of silver, and the jewelry isn’t just to add beauty, it has a protecting purpose against all evil things that the newlyweds may face in their future.

Celtic wedding customs and traditions come from clear springs. From ancient times till modern-day location is critical when it comes to planning a Celtic wedding. Clothing is a major part of many British Isle region weddings. Some brides sew their dresses, while others have their mothers or other close women friends sew it for them. Swiss Amish have many specific customs that are uncommon in non-Swiss communities.

Amish wedding dresses can vary in different communities. In some Amish communities, the brides will wear a black dress matched with a white apron and cape. In other communities, the bride chooses her dress color but wears a white apron and cape. Some brides sew their dresses, while others have their mothers or other close women friends sew it for them. Swiss Amish have many specific customs that are uncommon in non-Swiss communities.

Aboriginal Australians believe that smoke has cleansing and healing powers that can ward off evil spirits. They burn plans in a fire or use a smudge stick – the fragrant smoke is fanned over the people. The tradition of acknowledging who the land belonged to and those who came before you is also thought to bring you good luck and start your marriage off positively. Bright body paint is another traditional custom that reflects the individual’s family, ancestors, and is a very spiritual practice, especially at weddings.

A Wiccan wedding, otherwise known as a Handfasting ceremony, can be held at any time of the year, although some days are considered special like the Summer Solstice or Mayday. Weather is an important factor in a Wiccan wedding as most ceremonies are held outside. The bride and groom do not have particular outfits, but certain styles are seen more often than others. For brides, this includes long, light-colored dresses. The groom will most likely be wearing an embroidered shirt or a kilt.

The Persian wedding ceremony begins with the Khastegari, asking a woman’s hand in marriage. The Khastegari is a ceremony in which a woman and man meet for the first time at the woman’s house with the intention of marriage. It is somewhat like a traditional date – both people can decide whether they want to end it with the first meeting or not. If all goes well and the two individuals decide to get married, the bride would usually choose to wear a light color that is not white.

A traditional Spanish wedding dress includes a lace headdress called a mantilla, which the mother of the bride will have embroidered for her daughter. The mantilla is a lace veil that is worn over a high comb called a peineta. Some brides decide to wear the mantilla without the peineta, directly on their hair. The bridal dress will typically include fine lace details, a lace collar, and sleeves. Although most brides wear mantilla made of white lace, it is traditionally made out of black lace.

Alongside a traditional sarong, weddings in Java will feature traditional Javanese headdresses, called a blangkon for the groom and a selendang for the bride. Preparation for the wedding involves a procession called a hajatan, which wards off an ill outcome of the marriage. Then, the bride and groom are showered with water by their seven closest companions, a process called siraman. After this, the mother serves a sweet called ‘dawet’ while the father holds an umbrella over her head, which symbolizes the cooperation that makes a marriage work.

One very longstanding tradition at weddings in Pakistan is the youthful status of the bride and the groom – no matter how few or how many decades old they are old, they will always be referred to as a ‘boy’ and a ‘girl’. During the day of festivities before the wedding, the bride has oil and turmeric rubbed on her face and hands by her friends and family. The next day, it’s purported to make her look beautiful and glowing.

In Estonia, being a bride is a very colorful affair. They traditionally wear intricately stitched folk dresses, paired with floral head-wreaths. Typically, the couple ties the knot at the local Office of National Statistics, but its more popular nickname is the Õnnepalee (the Palace of Happiness). In between the official registration and the reception, they have a wedding train parade, called a pulmarong, where all the guests drive behind the married couple. At the reception, the couple is presented with tasks to solve, usually related to building a home and becoming parents.

In Tibet, weddings are often suggested by elders in the family. In order to propose a match, an elder from the man’s family would visit the other family bringing gifts and tea. If the woman’s family accepts the gifts, then they accept the proposal. The groom’s family then prepares the wedding dress, a headdress adorned with silver coins, and a small metal Buddha amulet for the bride, which the groom brings to her on the day before the wedding.

Traditional weddings in Fiji are quite the spectacle and it’s not unusual for most of the local villagers to take part. The bride’s dress is fashioned from the bark of the mulberry tree which is essentially pressed into a thin but durable material which the dress is then fashioned from. The material is known as Tapa and it’s popular throughout Polynesia. The bride will also wear a customary Tapa necklace and the dresses tend to have long trains.