Quick Answer
What is the Schleiertanz?
Schleiertanz ("veil dance") is a traditional German custom in which, typically around midnight, guests take turns dancing with the bride and snip a small piece off her veil, usually in exchange for a coin or small fee that goes toward the couple. By the end, the veil is reduced to nothing — symbolically marking the bride's transition from unmarried to married. The custom has declined significantly in modern practice and is now uncommon at most German weddings.
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Last updated:
What is the Schleiertanz?
Also called: veil dance, cutting the veil.
Schleiertanz is one of the more visually dramatic older German wedding customs: a full bridal veil, deliberately destroyed piece by piece over the course of a dance, until nothing is left. It belongs to an older generation of wedding folklore — most contemporary German weddings do not include it, and many younger couples have never seen it performed, but it still appears in wedding folklore lists and occasionally at more traditional or rural celebrations.
How the custom traditionally worked
At a set point in the evening — often around midnight — guests would line up to dance briefly with the bride, and each would cut a small piece from her veil with scissors, paying a coin or small donation for the privilege. The process continued, guest after guest, until the entire veil had been cut away, at which point the bride was considered to have symbolically shed her single life. Because it strips an expensive garment down to nothing, many families historically used a cheaper secondary veil for this specific custom rather than the ceremony veil.
Planning notes
- •If including this custom, use a separate, inexpensive veil rather than the one worn during the ceremony.
- •Brief the MC or a family elder to explain the custom to guests beforehand, since most modern guests will not recognise it.
- •Set a rough time for it in the reception schedule so it does not stretch on indefinitely as guests queue up.
- •Treat it as optional — most modern German weddings skip it entirely, so there is no expectation to include it.
Brief the wedding party on optional traditions in advance
Share a shared checklist note with your MC and wedding party so uncommon customs like the Schleiertanz are only run if the couple actually wants them.
Build your wedding checklist →Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Schleiertanz still done at German weddings today?
Rarely — it has declined significantly and most modern German weddings do not include it, though it still appears in older wedding folklore and occasionally at more traditional celebrations.
Do guests really cut the veil the bride is wearing for the ceremony?
Traditionally families used a cheaper, separate veil for this specific custom rather than destroying the ceremony veil itself.
What does the veil dance symbolise?
It represents the bride's symbolic transition out of single life — the veil being cut away piece by piece until nothing is left, marking the change to married status.
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By Mayank JaiswalLast updated