Wedding Traditions
Tradition! Tradition! From the words from the movie “Fiddler On The Roof” we begin to think of the many traditions that we include in our wedding planning. However, what are the meanings behind some of the traditions that we cling to so loyally?
Bridal Veil Bridal Wedding Cake Engagement Rings Stag Parties (or Bachelor Parties) Throwing the Bouquet White Wedding Dress
Why do brides where a veil? Several theories/stories tell us of the origin of the bridal veil.
In early times, a groom would throw a blanket or sheet over a woman he intended to marry as he carted her away to the marriage bed.
In arranged marriages, the bride would be veiled until after the wedding to ensure that the groom would keep her. The fathers of some brides were afraid that if the groom saw the young woman before the wedding, the groom would refuse to marry her.
In some cultures, the veil was worn to ward off evil spirits and demons from attacking the bride.
For some, the veil denotes the subordination of the bride to the groom.
And finally, for many the veil denoted purity, modesty, and virginity. It was a “maiden’s hood”.
In 1st century B.C. in Rome, the cake was thrown at the bride or broken over her head as one of the many fertility symbols which then were a part of the marriage ceremony. These cakes usually were made of barley or wheat.
Over time, it became the norm to stack several cakes on top of each other. The taller the stacked cake, the better it was. The bride and groom were “challenged” to kiss over the top of this cake without knocking it down. If they were successful, good fortune would follow for the new couple.
During the reign of King Charles II of England, it became customary to ice the cake with a sugared frosting.
Tradition, as we know it, dictates that the engagement ring must have a diamond. Of course, we know that it is not a neccessity to have an engagement ring. Neither is it necessary for the ring to contain a diamond, but why is an engagement ring considered traditional and how did diamonds get picked as the stone of choice?
The engagement ring, or betrothal ring, was a symbol of a groom’s intentions towards the bride and symbolized his “down payment” for her “purchase”. Gold rings in the past had been used as currency, so it is not a far stretch to see how the engagement ring entered the bridal picture.
During medieval times, Italians chose a diamond as a symbol of the “flames of love”, and the hardness of the diamond signified love’s endurance.
Stag Parties (or Bachelor Parties)
The first bachelor parties probably were thrown by Ancient Spartan soldiers. The groom would feast with his friends the night before his wedding as a farewell to his single life and to reaffirm allegiance to his comrades.
This tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet to a group of unmarried girls probably dates back to the 14th century. The girl who catches the bride’s bouquet is said to be the next bride in the group.
In the 14th century having a piece of the bride’s dress was considered lucky. After the wedding, unmarried girls would grab hold of the dress and tear off pieces of it. Many brides would end the day with their dress in tatters. To prevent the dress from being destroyed the bride would throw things at the guests instead. One of these items usually was her flowers; the other item was a garter.
There are two thoughts on the origin of the white wedding dress as traditional. Both state that prior brides wore either their best dress or had a new dress made without the color being an issue. Many early brides in biblical times would wear a blue dress to denote purity.
One theory says that Ann of Brittany in 1499 started this tradition, although some of these accounts note that brides wore coloured dresses up through the 18th century.
The other theory credits Queen Victoria with popularizing the white wedding dress.