Different cultures, different customs very different traditions. Every religion, region and country has different wedding traditions. There are close similarities, yet they are still very different.
I am most familiar with the traditional Catholic wedding but there are many other ways of celebrating such a joyous occasion. In thirteenth century Scotland, the announcement of intended marriages was a process of banns of marriage. Although this has recently been outdated, it leaves its influence on announcing marriages. After announcing the marriage proposal there is a fourteen-day waiting period before any arrangements are made for the couple.
Like bridal showers held before a traditional Catholic wedding, a show of presents is held for the bride to be. Instead of wrapped gifts bidding the bride good luck, all gifts are unwrapped and displayed as necessary. A simple card or the guest who brought the gift accompanies these gifts. After this show of presents, the bride is dressed up in traditionally a long dress and train made from any fabric. She is then escorted around town with guests making loud noises announcing the wedding to be. The bride to be carries a baby doll, "plastic potty" filled with salt and other small items. All these things are believed to bring good luck for the bride including prosperity and fertility.
Like a bachelor party for a Catholic wedding, the groom to be in a Scottish wedding is dressed up similarly to the bride to be and escorted around town with his friends. There, they may find a bar and partake in excessive drinking. Harmless practical jokes are traditionally pulled on the groom, including being stripped (partially or totally) of his clothes and dropped outside his home. "Creeling the bridegroom" is also practiced. A large basket is filled with stones and placed on the back of the groom. He is to walk around town with this until his bride to be frees him with a kiss.