| Wedding Traditions
Q: Why is getting married often referred to as 'tying the knot'?
A: In Celtic, Hindu, and Egyptian cultures, the Bride's and Groom's hands are sometimes tied together at the wedding to symbolize the couple's commitment and bond in marriage.
Q: Why to we wear our engagement and wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand?
A: The ancient Romans and Greeks decided that the fourth finger of the left hand was connected to the heart by a vein, and so it was the appropriate finger to bear the mark of romantic promise.
Q: Why do brides wear white?
A: Bridal gowns in ancient times were brightly colored to symbolize joy. Queen Victoria started the white wedding dress trend in 1840. Wealthy families, who could afford to buy their daughters a dress that would be worn on only one day, followed suit.
Q: Why do brides wear veils?
A: Ancient Greeks and Romans thought the veil protected the bride from evil spirits.
Q: Why is there a train on some wedding dresses?
A: In the middle ages, train length indicated rank in court. The greater the Bride's stature with the King and Queen, the longer her train.
Q: Why do brides carry something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?
A: Something old symbolizes continuity with the past, while something new gives the bride optimism for the future. Something borrowed stems from the superstition that happiness can be borrowed (so you should borrow something from a happily married person), while something blue symbolizes fertility, good fortune and love.
Q: Why does the bride stand on the left side at the altar?
A: In the olden days, the Groom would have held his bride with his left hand and wielded a sword with his right. This was reportedly done to fend off any remaining suitors or evil spirits.
Q: Why do we have wedding attendants?
A: In Victorian times, when evil spirits were suspected to be lurking everywhere, the attendants dressed identically to the Bride and Groom and stood with them at the altar. This was done to confuse the evil spirits and demons, which might do something to try to botch the ritual.
Q: Why are so many weddings held in June?
A: The Roman Goddess Juno rules over marriage, the hearth, and childbirth, hence the popularity of June weddings.
Q: Why do we throw things at the Bride and Groom?
A: In the middle ages, wedding guests threw handfuls of wheat over the couple as a sign of fertility. The cast wheat was then picked up, baked into biscuits, and eaten. A tradition evolved of baking the wheat into biscuits before the wedding and handing those out to throw at the Bride and Groom. Uninvited guests on the street wanted to throw something too, and they used rice because it was clean and cheap. Later, the biscuits were coated with sugar or almond paste and became the precursor to the modern day wedding cake.
Q: Why do Brides throw banquets?
A: This tradition has roots in England, when guests would tear at the Bride's clothing and flowers to take a little bit of her happiness. While fleeing from the onslaught, the Bride would toss her bouquet to placate the hordes of happiness thieves.
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Did you know...?
It was considered bad luck for the Bride to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as her name.
It was bad luck - tempting fate - for the Bride to practice writing her new name before being married.
Red and white flowers were never used because it was believed they represented blood and bandages. The Groom's flower for his buttonhole matched a flower in the Bride's bouquet, a tradition stemming from a time when a knight would wear his lady's color as a display of his love.
... and finally, it was believed the first purchase of a new item by a Bride or Groom after the ceremony would determine the dominant partner in the marriage. Many Brides assured they would be the dominant partner by arranging to buy a small item from a Bridesmaid immediately after the ceremony.
Good luck... and happy wedding planning! |
