The centrepiece of a French wedding is a croquembouche, a tower of cream-filled, puff pastry profiteroles (choux) piled high in the form of a gigantic pyramid, and drizzled with caramelized sugar. A typical serving is about three or four per wedding guest.

Thai weddings will traditionally serve guests a cake topped with sugary Foy Thong noodles, made from egg yolks and sweet syrup. The long noodles (which translate to "golden silk threads") are meant to symbolize eternal love between bride and groom.

Brazilian weddings end with special parting gifts guests take home with them: traditional cookies known as bem casado (which translates to “well married"). These sweet treats are believed to bring good luck to the just-married couple.

Peking duck is a traditional entrée at a Chinese wedding, as the duck's red colour symbolizes happiness, but also because ducks mate for life.

At British weddings (and many traditional Canadian ones), fruitcakes are considered one of the most glorious wedding cakes. Even the guests at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton were served fruitcake.

Guests at an Italian wedding will traditionally be given a small decorative bag containing five sugar-coated almonds (sometimes called "Jordan almonds"), the sweet coating contrasting with the bitter almonds remind us of the bitter-sweetness of life and, by extension, marriage. While the number may not always be five, it must always be an odd number, as an even number of almonds would be seen as unlucky.

In these Nordic nations, weddings are celebrated with "ring cakes" called kransekake, a cone-shaped pyramid made from almonds, sugar and egg whites. The conical dessert is made of cake rings piled high and held together with icing.

This broth-based wedding soup — known as Hochzeitssuppe — is served as an appetizer during a German wedding. Made from chicken broth, it typically containing small chunks of chicken or small meatballs called Fleischklößchen.

During Hindu wedding ceremonies, it's traditional for the bride's father to present the groom with an offering of yogurt and honey.

A Nigerian wedding isn't considered to be complete until the bride and groom have shared a kola nut. This caffeine-containing nut is used for medicinal purposes among Nigerians, and symbolizes the willingness of the couple (and their families) to heal each other throughout their lives.

Made from tapioca and mung beans, and wrapped in a decorative green banana leaf, this dessert known as Banh Xu Xe is a traditional food served at weddings in Vietnam. Loosely translated as "conjugal cake," the cake symbolizes the stickiness of the marital connection between husband and wife. The golden tapioca filling represents the "golden heart" that beats within the bride and groom as they pledge their loyalty and faithfulness to each other.

A traditional favourite at Irish weddings, whiskey cake isn't that dissimilar from a British fruitcake — but with loads of whiskey added to the mix. Typically, only the top tier of a wedding cake will be made of whiskey cake. It's also traditional for the couple to save a piece to be enjoyed together upon the birth of their first child.

One of the traditional dishes found at a wedding in Japan is kazunoko or herring roe, which is considered to be a symbol of fertility.

The centrepiece of a wedding in Sweden is the Prinsesstårta ("princess cake"), a marzipan-covered dome cake topped by a small fondant rose.

A staple at any traditional Ukrainian wedding is korovai, a sweet bread that is prepared by members of both the bride and groom's families. It symbolizes the families coming together for this union.

Originating in Spain, these shortbread cookies (known as polvorones) are traditionally served as a dessert to mark such special occasions as weddings and christenings.

Brent Furdyk is a freelance writer in Vancouver.