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Best Man Tradition
There are legends of prospective bridegrooms
kidnapping their brides from neighboring villages.
His strongest friend or "best man" would come along
to help in the capture.
Bridal Showers
When a bride's father did not approve of the
husband-to-be, he would not provide her with the
necessary dowry. The bride's friends would then
"shower" her with gifts so she would have her dowry
and marry the man of her choice.
Today, bridal showers strengthen the ties
between the bride and her friends, provide her moral
support, and help her prepare for her marriage.
Cake Traditions
The ancient Greek custom of breaking loaves of bread
over the couple's heads to symbolize wealth,
happiness and fertility, has been replaced with the
bride and groom cutting a wedding cake. They cut the
cake together, his hand over hers, symbolizing
unity, their shared future,
and their life together as one.
The cake is
traditionally white, for purity, and the cake topper
is often a bride and groom standing together as a
symbol of togetherness. Today's couples often choose
a cake topper that reflects their personalities and
their wedding theme.
Sharing the first piece of wedding cake is a Roman
wedding tradition based on the belief that eating
the wedding cake together would create a special
bond between the couple. The wheat used to bake the
cake was symbolic of fertility, and sweetness of the
cake was believed to bring sweetness to the couple's
new life.
Guests eat
pieces of cake for good luck. And folklore says that
if a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding
cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future
husband.
Since the late 19th century, couples often save the
top tier of their wedding cake to enjoy on their
first wedding anniversary. The idea behind this
tradition is for the couple to remember the happy
memories from their wedding day as they celebrate
their first year together.
The Groom's Cake is a
gift from the bride to the groom and is usually
"masculine" in design. It should be the groom's
favorite flavor of cake, and may be decorated
according to his hobbies or interests. It is
generally served along-side the wedding cake, or it
can be boxed up and sent home with the guests as
favors.
The Charm Cake is sometimes served at a
bridesmaids luncheon. Each guest pulls a
ribbon from the cake with a charm dangling from the
end. Charms might include a heart for true love, a
coin for good luck, or a telephone for good news.
Carrying the Bride Over the Threshold
Traditionally, the bride had to enter her new home
the first time through the front door. Since
tripping or stumbling was considered bad luck, the
groom would carry the bride over the threshold.
Diamond Engagement Ring
An engagement ring symbolizes
the promise of marriage, sealed with the giving and
accepting of a ring.
Diamonds are the
most enduring gems and so symbolize an engagement and marriage
that would endure forever.
Flowers
From the earliest times, brides have worn flowers in
their hair and carried bunches of flowers.
Flowers symbolize fertility, purity,
new life, and never ending love.
In Victorian times each type of flower had a special
meaning. For example,
daisies symbolize loyalty, violets modesty, and red
roses signify true love.
The groom's
boutonniere, worn on his lapel, usually
matches one of the flowers in his bride's bouquet.
This tradition goes back to medieval times when
a knight wore the colors of his lady in
tournaments.
Garter and Bridal Bouquet Toss
Since
a piece of the bride's clothing or was thought to bring
good luck, brides began throwing their garter belts
and their bouquets to their guests. Current
tradition is that singles who catch the garter belt
or the bouquet are the next to marry.
(however, this tradition is no longer as common as
it used to be.)
Giving Away The Bride
Young women were considered to be the
property of their fathers. When it came time for
the daughter to marry, the father was transferring ownership
of his daughter to the groom.
Today, it is seen as
a blessing and support of the marriage, and often
both parents "give away the bride."
Honeymoon
There are several legends about the origin of the
honeymoon, but one legend is after kidnapping his
bride, a groom would take her and go into hiding
where her relatives
couldn't find them. They hid for 30 days, while the
moon went through all its phases, and drank a brew
made from honey.
Kiss the Bride
The ceremonial "you may kiss your bride" at the end
of a wedding ceremony represents the couple sharing
and joining their souls. Also, from Roman
traditions, the kiss "seals" a couple's agreement to
join in a life-long commitment.
Loud Noises
Loud noises were believed to chase away evil spirits,
so during the ceremony guests would make loud noises to keep the spirits away. Today, it's
traditional for the bridal party to honk their car
horns while leaving the ceremony.
Love Knots
Bows or love knots look similar to the infinity
symbol and symbolize eternity. To add this tradition
to your wedding, ask your florist to hang ribbons
from your bouquet and tie several knots on each one.
Rain on Your Wedding Day
While most brides don't want it to rain on their
special day, it's good to know that, if it does, it
symbolizes good luck, abundance, and fertility!
Rice Throwing
Rice is a symbol of fertility and a
wish for a prosperity and a "full pantry."
Birdseed, flower petals, confetti, and bubbles are often used today instead of rice.
Ring
From early Rome, a gold band symbolizes
everlasting love and commitment in marriage.
Ring Fingers and Wedding Rings
Engagement rings and wedding bands are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand
because the ancient Egyptians thought the "vein
of love' ran from this finger directly to the heart.
Wearing the wedding ring on this finger then speaks
of eternal love.
Seating
This goes back to ancient days, when daughters could
be a
peace offering to a warring tribe. The warring families
sat on opposite
sides until ceremony was over and the families united.
Something Old,
Something New,
Something Borrowed,
Something Blue …and a Six Pence in Your Shoe
The tradition of items that are
"old", "new", "borrowed" and "blue" comes from
Victorian England. Something old signifies continuity
of the bride's love for her family. It could
be a piece of family jewelry, or a locket with a
family photo. Something new represents hope and
future happiness for the bride and groom. It could be
new clothing, the wedding gown, or a wedding ring. Something
borrowed from a happily married woman represents future
marital happiness. Also, borrowing symbolizes
that friends and family will be there when help is
needed. Something blue symbolizes fidelity
and love. (It often is the garter.) A
sixpence in your shoe symbolizes good luck and
prosperity.
Tin Cans
The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the
newlywed's vehicle originated it was thought that
the noise from tying items to the back of
the couple's carriage would scare away evil spirits.
"Tying the Knot"
Handfasting
is a wedding ceremony in which the couple’s clasped
hands are tied together by a cord or ribbon- and so
the phrase “tying the knot”.
Veil
Red or yellow veils were worn in ancient times as
protection against evil spirits.
Veils
once symbolized the bride's virginity, innocence,
and modesty or signified submission.
In some cultures with arranged marriages, veils hid
the bride's face until
after the ceremony was over.
Nellie Custis, the daughter of Martha Washington,
who wore a veil because her husband thought she
looked beautiful behind a filmy curtain, made veils
popular in the U.S.
White Aisle Runner
The white aisle runner represented God's holiness, and
walking on holy ground.
White Wedding Dress
In various cultures, white is a symbol of the bride's purity and
her worthiness of her groom, or a symbol of a joyful
celebration.
Why the Bride Stands to the Groom's Left
The groom placed
his bride on his left to protect her, leaving his
right hand free to wield a sword in case of sudden attack.
The best man would stand on the groom's right as his
right hand man.
Why It's "Bad Luck" for the Groom to See the
Bride Before the Ceremony
Back when marriages were arranged, the
marriage of an unattractive woman was often arranged
with a prospective groom from another town without
either of them having ever seen their prospective
spouse.
If seen ahead of time, an unattractive bride might
be left at the altar! Today, many brides
prefer to stay in hiding in order in their wedding
finery to surprise their waiting-at-the-altar grooms
with their breath-taking beauty! |
