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FM = FactMonster.com WD = WeddingDetails.com GG = Georgia Girl's
| Cakes | |
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Using wheats and grains in the making of wedding cakes is an ancient symbol of fertility. FM |
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Beginning in early Roman times, the cake has been a special part of the wedding celebration. A thin loaf was broken over the bride's head at the close of the ceremony to symbolize fertility. The wheat from which it was made, symbolized fertility and the guests eagerly picked up the crumbs as good luck charms. This tradition evolved and spread to England in the Middle Ages where the guests of a wedding would bring small cakes and stack them together. During the Middle Ages, it became traditional for the couple to kiss over a small cluster of cakes. Later, a clever baker decided to amass all these small cakes together, covering them with frosting. Thus, the modern tiered cake was born. GG |
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The three-tier wedding cake is based on the unusual shape of the spire of Saint Bride's Church in London. The bride and groom make the first cut of the wedding cake to signify sharing their life together. Every guest then eats at least a crumb of the cake to ensure good luck. And if a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband. GG |
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The wedding cake, to be shared by the newlyweds and their guests, signifies the "breaking of the kinship." The brides knife signifies that the new wife is ready to accept the responsibilities of her role as keeper of her own household. GG |
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| Flowers | |
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The early Greeks believed ivy to be the sign of everlasting love. It is still used to trim wedding bouquets. FM |
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Roses are the flowers of love, making June, the month of roses, the most popular wedding month. FM |
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Ancient Roman brides wore bunches of herbs under their veils as symbols of fidelity. FM |
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Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry. FM |
| Click here for the "Language of Flowers", Floriography. | |
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| Dress | |
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Wearing a new white dress to be used only for a wedding ceremony is a tradition that is only about 150 years old. Before that, few women could afford a dress they would wear only once. FM |
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White traditionally symbolizes youth and innocence. FM |
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The first known white wedding dress was worn in 1499 by Anne of Brittany, for her marriage to Louis XII of France. Until that time, women simply wore their best dress, often yellow or red in color. In biblical times, most dresses were blue because blue symbolized purity. But in China and Japan the brides have traditionally always worn white. White is the color of mourning, which is thought to be appropriate as the bride is leaving her family of birth to join that of her husband's thereby undergoing a symbolic death. GG |
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| Honeymoons | |
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This first vacation taken by a newly married couple dates back to very early times when a groom wanted to hide the wife he had captured. FM |
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The Teutons, an ancient German tribe, gave the honeymoon its name. After the wedding ceremony, honey was drunk until the moon waned. FM |
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| Rings | |
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The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolizes everlasting love. FM |
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Ancient Greeks believing the fire of a diamond reflected the flame of love, actually thought them to be teardrops from the gods. Ancient Romans also endowed them with romantic powers, believing diamonds to be splinters from falling stars that tipped the arrows of Eros, the god of love. In the Middle Ages diamonds were credited with the power to reunite estranged marriage partners. GG |
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| Bridal Party | |
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In ancient times, men sometimes captured women to make them their brides. A man would take along his strongest and most trusted friend to help him fight resistance from the woman's family. This friend, therefore, was considered the best man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon England, the best man accompanied the groom up the aisle to help defend the bride. FM |
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The bridal party is a tradition that has been established for many centuries. For a long time the purpose of the bridal party was to fool evil spirits. The bride's friends dressed similarly to her in order to confuse any virulent presences that might be lurking about. Today bridesmaids are there to support the bride in the stressful times during the wedding. FM |
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| Ceremony | |
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Because grooms in Anglo-Saxon England often had to defend their brides, the bride would stand to the left of her groom so that his sword arm was free. FM |
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In ancient days, fathers would offer daughters as peace offerings to warring tribes. Because of the hostility, the families were placed on opposite sides of the church so the ceremony could go on without bloodshed. The ceremony united the two warring factions into one family, and danger of war was resolved. WD |
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The traditional church wedding features two bridal marches, by two different classical composers. The bride walks down the aisle to the majestic, moderately paced music of the "Bridal Chorus" from Richard Wagner's 1848 opera "Lohengrin. The newlyweds exit to the more jubilant, upbeat strains of the "Wedding March" (From Felix Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream.") The custom dates back to the royal marriage, in 1858, of Victoria, princess of Great Britain, and Empress of Germany, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia. Victoria, eldest daughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, selected the music herself. A patron of the arts, she valued the works of Mendelssohn and practically venerated those of Wagner. Given the British penchant for copying the monarchy, soon brides throughout the Isles, nobility and commoners alike, were marching to Victoria's drummer, establishing a Western wedding tradition. GG |
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| Bridal Shower | |
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This event has its roots in Holland. When a bride's father did not approve of the husband-to-be, he would not provide her with the necessary dowry. The brides friends would therefore "shower" her with gifts so she would have her dowry and thus marry the man of her choice. While dowries are long gone today, the practice of giving gifts to the bride-to-be remains. GG |
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Bridal showers were also meant to strengthen the friendships between the bride and her friends, give her moral support, and help her prepare for her marriage. GG |
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The idea to give gifts is fairly new, dating from the 1890’s. At one shower, the bride's friend placed small gifts inside a Japanese parasol, and then opened it over the bride's head so all of the presents would "shower" over her. When word of this hit the fashion pages, people were so charmed, they decided to do the same at their showers. GG |
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| Other | |
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Toasting comes from an ancient French custom of placing bread in the bottom of the glass - a good toaster drained the drink to get the "toast." According to legend, when a bride and groom drink their wedding toast, whoever finishes first will rule the family. GG |
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The expression "tying the knot" actually dates back to Roman Times when the bride wore a girdle secured by a knot. On the wedding night, the groom then had the honors of "untying the knot." The couple's lives were then tied together. Rituals of binding were also popular in ancient Carthage. The couple's thumbs were laced together with a strip of leather. In India, the Hindu groom knotted a ribbon around his bride's neck, and once tied, the marriage was legal and binding. For much of history the rope was the most powerful way to connect things and people. So, it made sense to talk about "tying the knot." GG |
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Chivalrous gentlemen sent a pair of gloves to their true loves. If the woman wore the gloves to church on Sunday, it signaled her acceptance of proposal. WD |
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