In a traditional Romanian wedding custom, the playful act of taking the bride away from the reception is called bride kidnapping.
At some Romanian weddings, friends may theatrically “kidnap” the bride and take her to a public place, while the groom negotiates for her return. The group may request bottles of alcohol, a public declaration of love, or another humorous task. In this modern wedding-game form, the bride generally participates knowingly.
This custom must be distinguished from actual bride kidnapping, a serious and sometimes violent practice in which a woman is abducted for forced marriage. The same phrase can describe both the staged wedding prank and the criminal practice, so context matters.
Romanian wedding customs are regional and family-specific. The staged version is entertainment rather than a legal or religious step in marriage.