Do you really want to include them?
Who gives this woman a way? This term dates back through the centuries when women were considered property of their fathers and he would transfer ownership over to the husband.
Does anyone object? This custom began when communication between towns was not certain and when travel was not always easy. It was not uncommon for someone to have a family in another town, leave them and move into another place, fall in love and want to marry without first ending the other relationship. By asking this question, it would allow someone who knew of the other family to step forward to protect them and to protect the potential partner from such behaviors.
Wearing the veil covering the face until you reach the ceremony. History says this tradition was part of the time of arranged marriages. Often the couple did not know the other one, possibly had never met. Keeping the bride’s face covered until she arrived at the marriage altar prevented the groom from seeing her, disliking her appearance and leaving the altar prior to the ceremony.
Not seeing one another on your wedding day. This is a variation on the above tradition.
Tossing bouquet and Wedding garter According to ancient wedding lore, women would rip pieces of the bride’s dress to obtain good luck. To escape from the crowd of women, the bride would toss the bouquet and run. The tradition morphed into something that was passed on as a way for a single woman to try and catch the bridal bouquet, so that (the superstition says) she will be next in line to get married. The garter toss is a variation on this tradition for the men. It was a way to highlight who was single at a wedding and possibly match them up.
White wedding gown. In the overall scheme of wedding traditions, this one is relatively new. Queen Victoria wore the first white wedding gown. Women usually wore their nicest dress for their wedding. Of course, royalty could afford special gowns and would commission them for their wedding. White was not a color often used for clothing due to the difficulty in keeping it clean. Once Queen Victoria wore white for her wedding, she became the trend setter that continues to this day!
Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids were often dressed identical to the bride in an effort to confuse evil spirits who might come to take the bride! Their tasks included assisting the bride to get dressed, and otherwise do things to make her wedding day go smoother.
Why does the groom stand on the right side of the ceremony site while the bride is on the left? Historically, the mans sword was on his right hip. If he was standing on the right of the ceremony and he faced a challenge he could quickly draw his sword and defend his bride.
Wedding Cake in the Middle Ages, sugar was not readily available and other sweeteners were rare and expensive. Instead of cake being served at the wedding, bread was served. It was customary for the groom to sprinkle bread crumbs over his bride’ head to signify that he would provide for her and to show “ownership”. As cake became more common, it was difficult to hold and sprinkle cake over her head. So, it became common for him to smear some of the cake onto her to replace the bread.
Now that you know the history of these traditions, are there any you want to avoid for your wedding day? Do you want the overall traditional feel but want to change up the words to represent your personal values and beliefs? We do this all the time with our couples. Talk with us about what is important to you and together we can make it exactly how you want it!
