A wedding in the USSR was one of the most vivid and memorable events in the life of newlyweds. In the USSR, weddings were usually the final chord of painstaking preparation for starting a family. Usually, the wedding ceremony took place in the registry office (a custom-made hangar for wedding celebrations) or in a church, and was summary and almost impersonal – there was no individual approach to each couple. However, the newlyweds organized a celebration for relatives and friends who could enjoy abundant food and drinks. The menu always included dishes with meat, and red wine and champagne. Usually, relatives and friends were invited to the wedding, but inevitably neighbors and even acquaintances could come to the wedding. In different periods in the USSR, there were different requirements for the design of the wedding, but it was always an important event, celebrated not only by the newlyweds, but also by all their relatives and friends.
Alcohol-free wedding
A non-alcoholic Komsomol wedding is a typical event that took place in the USSR within the framework of the Komsomol organization. Such weddings were organized in accordance with the ideology of the Communist Party, which implied the rejection of alcohol and any other form of celebration that could violate public morality and norms of behavior.
Non-alcoholic Komsomol weddings were organized by the worldwide Komsomol movement and were held according to certain requirements and recommendations, including the bride and groom’s clothing, music, decorations and photographs. Usually, a hymn ensemble, a joint dance and two/three toasts were used everywhere.
Such weddings were considered more “pure” and “correct” from the point of view of the ideology of the Communist Party. However, in practice, many newlyweds added some kind of illegal alcoholic beverages to the banquet, since many relatives insisted on the presence of alcohol at the wedding. Thus, many Komsomol weddings were considered not very successful and not as entertaining as regular weddings in the USSR.