As promised, a thread on the steps & some traditions of the Tunisian wedding.

NB: There are different practices & dresses depending on the regions & families.
The variety is hard to capture in one thread.

Example of a vintage Baldi (bourgeois) Tunisois wedding from a movie:

Step 1: The Khutba & Fiancailles

The Khutba marks the beginning of the commitment.
The groom brings a gift, families set a day for the fiancailles.

In the Fiancailles the bride wears a ring (solitaire) offered by the groom. They recite Quran(fet7a) & eat cake (pièce montée)

Step 2: The Zdeq

It's the day where the bride and groom sign the marriage contract.

Traditionally a sheikh would go to the house of the bride with the groom's family and later publicize the wedding at the mosque.

But some prefer to do it directly in the townhall/Baladiya.

Video of a Tunisian Zdeq celebrated in the garden of the bride.

It's what it's called "Kitb Ktab" in the middle east.

It is common for the bride to wear a barnous over her dress.
The barnous is usually white, but it can be worn in different colors (here it's red for example)

Step 3: The Sabboun & Hazen Farch (zhez)

These days mark the beginning of the Tunisian wedding week.
The female relatives of the bride prepare the "Trousseau" (beddings, clothes, kitchen services, appliances etc) & expose them in front of the family in nicely decorated baskets

Zhez:

Everything a bride will need for her future household as well as her own clothes and accessories and gifts are prepared in her Zhez.

Step 4: The Hammam

The bride, her close female relatives and her friends go to the hammam (~spa)dressed in a traditional dress and covered in sefseri or Haïk. They carry hammam baskets with traditional motifs.
It's a relaxing girls-only day with chants, dancing and self care.

example of a Hammam day celebration:

Step 5: The Henna and Harkous

For a few days (~3) before the wedding, Henna and Harkous would be applied on the bride's hands and feet.

Each day of the application is a small celebration in which the bride can choose to wear a traditional dress from her region.

example of a Henna

Step 6: Outeya

The Outeya marks the last day of the Henna.
It also symbolizes the bride's last day at her father's house.
Usually the bride dresses in a traditional dress.

Step 7: The Dokhla.

This is the last day of the wedding celebration.
During this celebration, the bride wears the "alliance" ring (2nd ring), and the groom wears his ring.

This celebration comes after a one day break in which the groom organises a dinner at his house.

--Now that I exposed the general outline of the Tunisian wedding, I will show some examples of regional specificites!

I will try to add a video for each example to better portray it!--

Example 1:

In a traditional Tunisian wedding, the groom and his bride would enter the wedding venue with a Soulemiya, a group of men holding banners, candles, bkhoor and singing religious Sufi chants.

Another example of a Tunisian style wedding entrance:

2)Gold

In some regions like the south (but not only), gold is a very important asset for a bride on her wedding day.

Some families would gradually gather and collect gold starting from the girl's childhood in preparation of her future wedding.

3)Naggez 3al 7out (Sfax)

Fish symbolism is very common all over Tunisia. You can see it on dresses, doors, mosaics, walls, jewellery etc...

However, the people of Sfax take it to another level.
On the wedding day the bride & literally jumps (walks) over a fish for good luck!

Video of a bride wearing a Kairouanese Tarayoun jumping over a fish with the help of her groom.

In the background, a folkloric song about...jumping over a fish!

"Jump over the fish oh bride!"

4) The Jelwa

The jelwa is practised in different coastal region of the country: the Sahel, the Cap Bon & Sfax.

In Sousse, the bride would have elaborate motifs painted on her face.
I've read that the white dots represent the tears of the bride who is sad to leave her family.

A Jelwa from the city of Hammamet:

5) Je7fa

In some regions, especially in more rural areas and the south, the bride is carried on the back of a camel during her wedding day.

6) The dress

Depending on where the bride is from, the dress she chooses to wear on her Outiya and other celebrations vary.

Keswa, Kabbous Gharek, Tarayoun, Maliya, Tabdila, Fouta w Blouza, etc.

Each region, each city and sometimes each family has its own traditional outfit

7) La3b el Baroud

In rural areas like my grandfather's Sidi Bouzid, weddings would be accompanied with La3b el Baroud, either on foot like the video below or during Fururisya performances (Horse riding at high speed and shooting with the Baroud).

8)The mahr

For the past few decades, the mahr became a symbolic gesture in urban modern areas and can be as little as one dinar.

However this is often compensated by the multiple gifts that the groom and his family would bring prior to the wedding.

End of Thread!

Though most weddings aren't gender segregated like they used to be in the past, the wedding celebration is still largely a very feminine dominated event.

How do you do it in your family?

PS: I do not own any of the photos and videos, I found them on social media