With the help of various sites (check the end of the post for the links), I have written down some amazing and unknown facts about weddings that most of us didn't know.
The first kiss that the partners share with each other in the end of the Wedding ceremony, has a special meaning through the centuries. Many cultures believe that the spirits of the bride and the groom become one with the first kiss.
Mystery and romance hide behind the veil for a thousand years. At first, the veil served as a protection for the bride from potential dangers. The more romantic interpretation is that the hidden things are more valuable and the bride’s face is more valuable when it’s hidden under the veil. The veil is also a symbol of youth and clarity.
The wedding ring is traditionally worn on the ring finger on the left hand, because it is believed that there is a vain, which is connected directly to the heart. Among the English speaking cultures, the wedding ring continues to be worn on this finger.
The tradition of a bride wearing "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," comes from an Old English rhyme. Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity.
The groom used to kidnap the bride and hide her from her family and the whole town. The bride and the groom spent a month together and drank mead in order to keep the love between them burning. Here is how the inscription “honey moon” was created. Nowadays, honey moon is the time after the wedding when the newly married couple isolate themselves from the entire world and spends some time alone with each other.
The first kiss that the partners share with each other in the end of the Wedding ceremony, has a special meaning through the centuries. Many cultures believe that the spirits of the bride and the groom become one with the first kiss.
Mystery and romance hide behind the veil for a thousand years. At first, the veil served as a protection for the bride from potential dangers. The more romantic interpretation is that the hidden things are more valuable and the bride’s face is more valuable when it’s hidden under the veil. The veil is also a symbol of youth and clarity.
The wedding ring is traditionally worn on the ring finger on the left hand, because it is believed that there is a vain, which is connected directly to the heart. Among the English speaking cultures, the wedding ring continues to be worn on this finger.
The cake has always played the capital role of the wedding celebration. The ancient Romans broke the cake over the bride’s head in order to symbolize fertility and abundance. Some other cultures put wheat, flour or cake on the bride’s head and then ate the rest of it. The British had a tradition to give cookies to all wedding guests. In the Middle Ages, the guests brought little cakes to the wedding celebration and put them on a separated table – the bride and the groom stood on both sides of the table and kissed each other. A young baker decided to unite all the small cakes and this is the way the idea of a multiple layer wedding cake was born.
If your bridesmaids are less than thrilled about matching dresses, tell them they're good luck! The tradition of matching maids dates back to Roman times, when people believed evil spirits would attend the wedding in attempt to curse the bride and groom (how rude). Bridesmaids were required to dress exactly like the bride in order to confuse the spirits and bring luck to the marriage.
Flower girls traditionally threw flower petals in the bride’s path to lead her to a sweet, plentiful future.
The tradition of a bride wearing "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," comes from an Old English rhyme. Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity.
In South Asian weddings, the bridesmaids steal the groom’s shoes and hide them on the day of the wedding, forcing him to be shoe less at the reception. The younger crowd gathers to take part in a negotiation of how much money the bridesmaids should get for the shoes.
If you see a black cat and a rainbow on your wedding day, it is considered as good luck.
It is considered bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress before she walks down the aisle.
The groom used to kidnap the bride and hide her from her family and the whole town. The bride and the groom spent a month together and drank mead in order to keep the love between them burning. Here is how the inscription “honey moon” was created. Nowadays, honey moon is the time after the wedding when the newly married couple isolate themselves from the entire world and spends some time alone with each other.
The bride stands to the groom's left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.
The Catholic tradition of "posting the banns" to announce a marriage originated as a way to ensure the bride and groom were not related.
Traditionally, brides wore white wedding dresses. In XVIII century, brides put on their most beautiful dress on their wedding day. In the Middle Ages, red was the main color for wedding dresses. Some brides wore different colored dresses – blue meant constancy and green – youth. In time, white earned the title – clarity. Nowadays, white is a symbol of the wedding and it is worn even by brides that are not getting married for the first time.
A pearl engagement ring is said to be bad luck because its shape echoes that of a tear.
According to some cultures, if your future husband stumbles on the way to the church, he certainly is uncertain, but if he steps into a puddle – he will become an alcoholic.
Previously, people used to spit on the bride before she would walk down the aisle in order to ward off evil spirits. But now the best man kisses her on the cheek and gives her the wedding bouquet. This tradition is followed in Indian Catholic Weddings.
For the ancient Greeks and Romans, the bouquet was a mixture of garlic, herbs and grains. The garlic was meant to protect from evil spirits, the herbs and the grains were to provide fertility. In ancient Poland, it was believed that if the wedding bouquet was sprinkled with sugar, it will sweeten the wedding day and the couple’s family life.
Credits:-
http://weddingtips.info/
http://facts.randomhistory.com/
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(I do not own the pictures used on this post. Credits to their respective owners.)
