Photos: Bride-napping quaint custom gone wild

Posted Sep 04, 2012

It’s one of Romania’s more colorful customs: bride-napping. And the tradition of snatching the bride from under the nose of groom and guests with the wedding party in full swing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the Balkans’ undisputed party town.

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In this photo shot under iodine street lighting, a Romanian bride poses for pictures at the Arch of Triumph in Bucharest, Romania, after being "kidnapped" on her wedding night Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. It's one of Romania's more colorful customs: bride-napping. And the tradition of snatching the bride from under the nose of groom and guests with the wedding party in full swing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the Balkans' undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, a Romanian bride poses with mock kidnappers holding a toy weapons at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 photo shot under iodine street lighting, a guest struggles to help a Romanian bride off his shoulders after posing at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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CORRECTS DATE TO SEPT. 2 - In this Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 picture, Romanian brides pose for pictures under the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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CORRECTS DATE TO SEPT. 2 - In this Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 picture shot under iodine street lighting, a Romanian bride dances on a car at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 photo shot under iodine street lighting, Romanian brides pose for pictures under the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 photo shot under iodine street lighting, a Romanian bride holds toy weapons at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 photo shot under iodine street lighting, a Romanian bride and wedding guests cross the road through traffic at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, Romanian brides pose for pictures under the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, Romanian brides pose for pictures under the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, Romanian brides dance next to the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, a Romanian bride is carried by two women at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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In this Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 picture, A Romanian bride walking to a limousine as a mock kidnapper holding a toy weapon holds the door for her at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania. The arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the French capital, is a rendezvous place for brides on the wedding night for the bride stealing ritual. The ancient Romanian tradition of bride stealing is getting bigger, brasher and an increasingly common sight in the Romanian capital, the region's undisputed party town. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)