In planning our wedding, we came across a plethora of interesting facts about various wedding traditions. So we thought we would share these tidbits of nuptial knowledge with you.
In Ancient Egypt, the original function of the bridesmaids was to dress as elaborately as the bride to confuse any evil spirits bent on doing mischief to the bride on her wedding day.
Putting a silver six pence in the Bride's shoe to bring wealth and prosperity was started by the Ancient Romans.
The Ancient Egyptians often traded sandals when ownership of something was passed to another. When ownership of a man's daughter was passed to her new husband, the father would give her sandals to the groom. The Romans later changed this to a more subtle way of showing authority by having the groom tap the bride's footwear, but they also had people shower the couple with shoes as they exited the church. The tradition has since evolved into the modern practice of tying shoes to the rear of the newlyweds' car.
Prior to Victorian times, royal women always wed in silver, and commoners in blue. Queen Victoria was the first to wed in white, and it has since become the traditional bridal color.
In Ancient Egypt, the bride would carry strong smelling herbs and flowers believed to ward away evil. The strong smelling herbs have since been replaced by sweet smelling flowers, but the intent is the same, and thus, we have our bride's bouquet.
The Roman Empire gave us the start of the wedding cake tradition. In Ancient Rome, a bride and groom were not considered married until they ate of something together. Originally, they used a loaf of bread. As the tradition carried across Europe to England, the bread became a three or four tiered cake.
It is thought unlucky for the bride to make her own wedding dress. It is also unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before she arrives at the ceremony. The bride should not wear her entire outfit before the wedding day. Some brides leave a final stitch on the dress undone until just before leaving for the ceremony.
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to wear the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand. They believed that this finger follows the vena amoris, that is, the vein of love that runs directly to the heart.
After the happy couple cuts the first slice, every guest eats a crumb to ensure good luck. Sleeping with a piece under her pillow is said to make a single woman dream of her future husband. In the late 18th century, the bride handed out tiny crumbs of cake that were passed through her ring for people to place beneath their pillows. This was stopped after ceremonial rules frowned on the bride removing her ring after the service.
In the past, wedding on a Saturday was considered unlucky. Fridays were also considered unlucky, particularly Friday the 13th. This old rhyme advises a wedding in the first half of the week:
Monday for wealth
Tuesday for health
Wednesday the best day of all
Thursday for losses
Friday for crosses
Saturday for no luck at all
(Sunday, being the Lord's Day, was of course out of the question.)
In Ancient Rome, a kiss sealed a contract. So when a bride and groom kissed after saying their vows, it made the union legally binding.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Irish believed that if the sun shone on the bride, it would bring good luck to the couple. It was also lucky to hear a cuckoo on the wedding morning, or to see three magpies. After the wedding ceremony, it was important that a man and not a woman be the first to wish joy to the new bride.
Advice on which month to marry in is given by the following rhyme:
Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind and true.
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden and for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bread.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see.
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Immediately after cutting the wedding cake, the bride and groom traditionally feed each other the first slice. This action symbolizes the commitment to provide for each other that the bride and groom have undertaken.
It is an old Welsh tradition for men who wished to marry to carve a wooden spoon. This love spoon was then presented to the woman as an invitation to courtship. Certain symbols incorporated into the design indicated the suitor's intentions. A heart meant "I love you," a bell communicated the wish to be married, the number of links or beads worked into the design indicated the number of children he desired, and a wheel of some type was a pledge to work hard.
In Ancient Rome, it was considered bad luck for the bride to trip or stumble as she crosses the threshold of her new house, and, if it were to happen, the marriage would be doomed to failure. So, to combat this, the groom would carry his bride over the threshold, making sure she didn't trip.
In Medieval England, a woman could propose to a man on February 29 because the day was not counted as an official day and therefore no laws or statutes were upheld, giving women equal rights as men.
Seeing a chimney sweep on the way to a wedding is though to bring good luck. Other good luck omens when seen on the way to the ceremony include lambs, toads, spiders, black cats and rainbows. Seeing an open grave, a pig, a lizard, or hearing a cockerel crow after dawn are all thought to be omens of bad luck.
Around the world many cultures embrace the idea of matrimony as the "ties that bind." In some African cultures, long braided grasses are used to tie the hands of the groom and bride together to symbolize their union. The Hindu Vedic wedding ceremony uses delicate twine to bind one of the bride's hands to one of the hands of the groom. Mexican weddings commonly feature a ceremonial rope loosely placed around the necks of the bride and groom
One reason why the diamond is a popular stone for engagement rings is because some ancient cultures believed that the stone's sparkle arose from the flames of love.
An early American wedding custom was for the bride to pin a small pouch to her wedding petticoat. This pouch contained a small piece of bread, cloth, wood and a single one-dollar bill. This ensured that there would be enough food, clothes, shelter and money for the future couple.