The History of Wedding Traditions

The bouquet was tossed in medieval Europe to stop people from ripping apart the bridal gown. In medieval Europe, it was common practice for single women to chase down the bride and rip pieces of her dress. The dress was seen as good luck for single women, a type of love for fertility charm, to create distraction and prevent guests from ripping apart the bride's dress. The bouquet would be thrown, symbolizing fertility. The bouquet was a cheaper option as the bride would not wish to keep it. Wedding cakes originated in ancient Rome, where a scone was crumbled over the couple's heads. The tradition of having a special cake at a wedding dates all the way back to ancient Rome. The ancient Romans would end a wedding ceremony with their scone-like cake that would be crumbled over the bride's head for good luck and fertility. The newlyweds would eat a few crumbs together as husband and wife, and this was considered one of the first unified acts as a married couple. The custom continued as the Romans conquered Britain. The Brits added a layer of tradition as they started using stacked biscuits, spiced buns, and scones to make a dessert tower the couple would try and kiss over. Bridesmaids would wear the same colour as each other and the bride to act as decoy brides. This dates back to ancient Rome and feudal China. It was common for a bride to have to travel far to her groom's tent, making her an easy target for bandits or rival suitors. With an entourage of bridesmaids dressed alike, it made it harder for the bride to fall victim to an assault. The practice eventually evolved into a legal requirement for Romans, as they had to have ten witnesses attend a wedding ceremony, all dressed in matching colours, for the wedding to be considered valid. The purpose of their dressing alike was supposed to confuse evil spirits that might wish the couple harm. Bridesmaids have their roots in biblical weddings. The tradition of bridesmaids may come from the biblical story of Jacob and his two wives. In the book of Genesis, both wives Leah and Rachel are accompanied to their wedding by their handmaidens. The handmaids, or bridesmaids, waited on the two women before the ceremony. In biblical times bridesmaids were not always relatives or friends, but instead they were domestic workers who saw to the bride's every need throughout her wedding day. The best man was really the best swordfighter. In centuries past, men resorted to capturing the bride-to-be from her family if they disapproved of the marriage. To stop anyone from recapturing the bride-to-be, the groom and his party were prepared to swordfight. The best man would act as the groom's backup in case the bride's loved ones tried to take her back from the groom or if she tried to run away. The best man was chosen based on his ability to swordfight and he would serve throughout the ceremony. The wedding veil was originally used to obscure the bride's features. In ancient Rome, a bride would wear a veil as she walked down the aisle to hide herself from evil spirits who wanted to snatch her happiness. Once the marriage ceremony was successfully completed, the veil was lifted. The veil could wrap the bride from head to toe to represent the delivery of a modest and untouched maiden to be unwrapped by her husband. Tying the knot comes from a Celtic tradition of binding the couple's hands. The phrase tying the knot dates back to a medieval wedding tradition known as hand fasting, an ancient Celtic practice that involves binding couples together in matrimony by tying knots of cloth around their hands, making two become one. The binding would usually involve tying a knot for each vow, creating a keepsake for the couple. The ritual is still in practice today, often taking place outdoors with nature surrounding the new couple. Now hand fasting is usually an extra element of a traditional wedding ceremony, keeping an old tradition alive. The garter toss was thrown as proof of consummation, the long-standing tradition of the groom reaching under the bride's dress to remove the garter and throw it to the male wedding guests dates back hundreds of years. Newly married couples were expected to consummate the union pretty much immediately after the ceremony. The family members and friends would wait outside their room to make sure that this had happened. After the marriage was consummated, the groom would give the bride's garter to the waiting crowd to prove the deed was done. Brides stood on the left side so the groom could easily draw his sword. Marriage by capture, where a man captures a woman to make her his bride, has been practiced for thousands of years. As is common in modern nuptials, the groom was to stand on the right and the bride on the left. This was so the groom could keep his right arm free to draw his sword in case someone came to take the captured bride away. Queen Victoria inspired the tradition of the white wedding dress. Before Queen Victoria's 1841 wedding ceremony, it was common practice for brides to wear bright colourful dresses that could be used again for other occasions. The 20-year-old bride chose to wear white to highlight the delicate lace of her gown. Though it was rare, prior to Victoria's wedding, white was sometimes worn by women on their wedding day to show wealth, showing the bride's family could afford to have the dress cleaned. Victoria asked that no one else wear white to the wedding, aside from her bridesmaids, starting a trend still in practice today. Something old, new, borrowed and blue was meant to protect against a curse. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe is a traditional Victorian-era wedding rhyme that describes the objects a bride should have on her wedding day for good luck. Back then, something old was usually an item of jewellery or clothing from an old or deceased relative. Something new was a gift to the bride from the groom. Something borrowed was usually an undergarment from a woman who already had children, supposedly tricking the curse into thinking the bride was already fertile. Something blue was usually a garter and used to protect against a curse passed through, a malevolent glare that could make the Though often left out of the rhyme in modern day, a sixpence coin in your shoe symbolised prosperity for the new couple. Ancient Egyptians saw circular wedding rings as a symbol of eternity and wore them on the finger they considered closest to the heart. The tradition of wearing a wedding band dates back to the ancient Egyptians. The ancient Egyptians believed a circle was the symbol of eternity and to marry meant to spend eternity with one another. The rings they exchanged were made out of braided reeds and worn on the left-hand ring finger which supposedly had a vein that ran directly to the heart. Though this love vein isn't actually a thing, the idea of the ring finger has stuck around to modern day. Rings continue to be part of wedding ceremonies as the ancient Romans began to use rings in lieu of giving the bride money or a valuable object. Centuries later, diamonds first made their appearance on engagement rings, with the first recorded diamond engagement ring being given out in 1477 by Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy.