Wedding Traditions
Nearly everybody enjoys a wedding, and many will tell you about the expected rules ad superstitions at a wedding. However the modern couple should choose the traditions that suit them and not be under any particular pressure to conform! All that considered, what is the history of some of these traditions?
The word “bride” is an old English word meaning “cook.” Take that as you will!
Bridal party - back when men “caught” their brides, the groomsmen were his friends helping him fight off the bride's relatives. Bridesmaids came into fashion after weddings were planned and they helped prepare the bride and the reception. Initially, the bridal party were all dressed identically to the bride and groom so as to confuse the evil spirits as to who was actually getting married.
“The Ring Finger” Romans and Greeks believed that the vein in the left third finger runs directly to the heart. Putting the wedding ring on this finger binds the couple's hearts and destiny.
“The Diamond Engagement Ring” In mediaeval Italy , it was believed that diamonds were created by the flames of love. Thus, engaged couples traditionally have a diamond ring to symbolize their betrothal.
Throwing the garter. Having something associated with the bride has always been considered good luck. Many brides ended up in rags as guests pulled off part of her dress – 14th century Italian brides countered this by wearing ribbons and flowers on their dresses for people to grab. In England and other places, the bridal couple was walked home and escorted to the bedroom. One of the bride's stockings was thrown at the couple – the thrower getting closest to the bride's nose was the next to marry. Later, brides carried spare stockings so the real ones were ripped from them. Eventually, it changed to throwing the garter and moved to the reception rather than the bedroom, thank goodness!
Carrying the bride over the threshold ~ again, the Romans started this one. They believed it bad luck for the bride to trip the first time she entered her home, so she was carried for safety. However, it used to be done by several members of the bridal party, not just the groom! Maybe men are meant to be stronger now?
Honeymoon ~ in Northern Europe, the groom needed to kidnap and “keep” his bride for one month, or ‘moon', to consider her his wife. By drinking metheglen, a wine made from mead and honey, the groom hoped to keep the bride docile enough to manage this feat! Drinking honey mead for one moon equals honeymoon.
“To tie the knot” - this expression is based on the Roman tradition of brides wearing a knotted girdle for the groom to undo later.
Wedding bells - when literacy was not common practise, the ringing of bells informed all locals that a wedding had just finished. The noise of the bells was also thought to scare away evil spirits.
Wedding cake - originally, many small cakes made of wheat were crumbled over the bride's head for luck and fertility. Many guests often ate the crumbs. In medieval England, guests brought small cakes as gifts and these were piled as high as possible for the newlyweds to kiss over the top. This eventually became the tiered wedding cake of more recent times.
Wedding cake tiers - the top tier represented the couple as a couple and the bottom tier as a family. All the layers in between represented the number of children hoped for. The top tier is often reserved for the couple to share on their first anniversary.
