Today's popular wedding traditions have evolved over hundreds, even thousands of years of people joining together in some form of matrimony. Some wedding traditions that have endured are based on blessing the couple with good luck; others are a means for the couple to convey their feelings for one another. Regardless of the wedding tradition itself, all wedding traditions share the same essential symbols of unity, happiness and prosperity; messages that stand the test of time. Many cultures have different traditions please feel free to read them all and comment on the once that are of interest to you.
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| TIME OF THE YEAR As for the time of year, the saying 'Marry in the month of May, and you'll live to rue the day' dates back to Pagan times. May, the start of summer, was dedicated to outdoor orgies (ie the summer festival Beltane), hardly the best way to begin married lif | |
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 | FLOWER POWER Flowers have always been a big feature at Weddings. The Groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the Bridal Bouquet in his button-hole. This stems from the Medieval tradition of a Knight wearing his Lady's colours, as a declaration of his love | |
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 | SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW This rhyme originated in Victorian times. 'Something Old' signifies that the Couple's friends will stay with them. In one version of the tradition the 'Something Old' was an old garter which was given to the bride by a happily married woman so that the ne | |
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| WEDDING CAKE In early times, a loaf of bread was broken over the bride's head and the guests would scrammble to pick up the crumbs for good luck. Later on it was tradition that the couple kiss over a pail of cup cakes. Thank God none of us have to get cracked in the h | |
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 | STEPPING ON THE GLASS We have heard many different meanings to this one. Here's the origin of why a Jewish groom steps on a wine glass wrapped in cloth. This ritual symbolizes the destruction of The Holy Temple in Jerusalum and that even during a festive ceremony a Jew can nev | |
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 | HANDKERCHIEF The tears of a bride are good luck and must be caught. Farmers used to think that if a bride cried, there would be rain to water the crops. Also, it is said that if you cry on your wedding day, you'll never have a reason to cry in your marriage.
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 | VEILS Veils were not always made of tulle. They used to be made of a heavier cloth so that if any other man was in love with her he wouldn't try to kidnap her on her wedding day, because no one could see who was under the veil.
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| DECORATING THE VEHICLES The noise from the cans dragging on the ground is meant to chase away evil spirits. Tying shoes to the car comes from an Irish ritual. Way back when, a bride would give the groom one of her slippers. This symbolizes the fact that he would take care of her | |
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 | GARTER TOSSING This is an old British ritual called "flinging the stocking". After the couple was married the guests would rush into the couple's bedroom and take their stocking, and the first guest to throw the stocking and hit either the bride or groom on the nose was | |
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| HONEYMOON Brides used to be captured and held hostage until her family called off the search. A friend of the groom had the job of fending off and stalling the bride's family until their escape, that's where the bestman started. The term "honeymoon" comes from the | |
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 | COLOURS Married in white, you have it right
Married in blue, your love is true
Married in pink, your fortune will stink
Married in green, you'll never be seen
Married in red, you'll wish you were dead
Married in yellow, ashamed of your fellow
Married in bro | |
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| WEDDING PARTY Ancient Romans believed that jealous demons where out to get the married couple. That's why we have bridesmaids and groomsmen, for protection. The wedding party would all dress similar to the wedded couple so that the demons couldn't tell who was getting | |
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| WEDDING RINGS The wedding band itself has always symbolized love, right from ancient Egyptian times. The ring is placed on the third finger of the left hand because it's believed that one vein from the finger runs straight to your heart.
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| ENGAGEMENT RINGS The original purpose for an engagement ring was a sign that a woman was purchased and belonged to the groom-to-be. The first people to use rings in a romantic way were the French. In the sixteenth century they used gimmal rings. These rings are intertwine | |
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 | RICE Your guests throw rice at you because rice symbolizes fertility. Whatever your guest chooses to throw on you can represent that they are showering you with the good things in life. In Asia throwing rice symbolizes a "full pantry". | |
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