Not every wedding has to follow the same old pattern. If you want your big day to be that little bit different, take a look at these marriage customs from around the world. Adapt one or two of them to your own wedding and you'll have an occasion everyone will be talking about

1. Moroccan brides start their wedding day by having a ceremonial purification milk bath before having their hands and feet intricately painted with henna.

2. In Estonia, the classic tradition of whichever woman catches the bride's bouquet being the next one to marry is adapted for men. The groom is blindfolded, then spun round. The single man whose head he puts his top hat on will be the next to get hitched.

3. Japanese brides change their outfit several times during the day. (The perfect excuse to hit the shops.)

4. Italians cut up the groom's tie, then sell the pieces to help fund their honeymoon.

5. An Anglo-Saxon groom would tap the heel of his bride's shoe to symbolize his authority over her.

6. In Ireland women braid lavender into their hair for luck.

7. Latvian brides are 'kidnapped', and the groom has to pay a ransom (a song or a round of drinks) to get her back.

8. The phrase 'tie the knot' comes from the Romans - the bride wore a girdle with lots of knots, which the groom had the fun of untying.

9. At Finnish weddings, the groom's mother balances a china plate on top of her head when the newly-weds begin their first dance. The number of pieces it breaks into when it falls predicts how many children the couple will have.

10. In a Russian Orthodox wedding, the bride and groom race each other to the carpet they stand on to make their vows. Whoever wins will be head of the household.