You might have heard of the traditional folk costumes of Norway; the bunad. In case you aren’t familiar, here are some examples;

These are mostly worn for special occasions; constitution day, confirmations, anniversaries, christmas celebrations, graduation day, and of course - weddings, which is what this post will be about!

For Norwegian weddings, it’s most common to see the bride wearing white and some guests wearing their bunad. There is however bunader that are designed for the bride to wear, which is the bunad I will be showing you today; brudebunad! (trans. bride bunad)

Keep in mind that bunader are very region-specific, and traditionally you wear the bunad of the place you grew up, or alternatively where one of your parents is from (there’s also people who inherit their bunad from relatives; like me!). Some brudebunad consist of the regular bunad but with added jewellery and a crown; others have a specific brudebunad. Many are custom made or reconstructed from known older bunader.

Now, on to the brudebunad;

1. I’m starting us off with the bunad that my mom wore; Romsdalsbunad, from Møre og Romsdal. (that’s her on her wedding day in the picture!)

2. from Hallingdal, Buskerud

3. from Hardanger (general)

4. from Sørre Valdres

5. from Voss, Vestland

6. from Nordhordland, Vestland

7. from Ålmli, Aust-Agder

Hope this gave inspiration, whether it’s for your Norwegian characters who are getting married or for a fantasy people who is inspired by Scandinavia!<3

If I got any of them very wrong, please let me know!