|  The
wedding traditions we know and accept now are quite familiar
to us, but where have they originated? Here we have gathered
various funny, interesting, and some downright disturbing
origins of certain practices associated with the wedding processions.
This may or may not also serve as a reason why you might not
see some of these at ours.
THE ORIGIN OF THE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING
The diamond engagement ring originated with King Maximillian
who presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring in 1477 as
a token of his love. The Venetians popularized the custom during
the 15th century. Since the diamond was the hardest and most
enduring substance in nature it followed that the engagement
and marriage would endure forever.
THE ORIGIN
OF THE WEDDING CAKE
In the 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.
THE
ORIGIN OF THE GARTER AND BRIDAL BOUQUET TOSS
In parts of Europe during the 14th century, having a piece of
the bride's clothing was thought to bring good luck. Guests
would literally destroy the bride's dress by ripping off pieces
of fabric. In order to prevent this, brides began throwing various
items to the guests - the garter belt being one of the items.
In order to avoid this problem, it became customary in the 14th
century for the bride to toss her garter to the men. Sometimes
the men would get drunk, become impatient, and try to remove
the garter ahead of time. Therefore, the custom evolved for
the groom to remove and toss the garter. With that change, the
bride started to toss the bridal bouquet to the unwed girls
of marriageable age.
THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING
FLOWERS
From the earliest times, brides have adorned their hair with
flowers and carried bunches of flowers. Traditionally, each
type of flower had a special meaning and significance in and
of itself. Flowers were often thrown at the couple after the
ceremony. However, today most brides pick their flowers for
color and personal appeal not based on the traditional meaning
of particular flowers. The groom's flower, worn on his lapel,
usually matches one of the flowers in his bride's bouquet. This
tradition goes back to medieval times when knights wore the
colors of their lady in tournaments.
THE ORIGIN
OF THE WEDDING VEIL
Brightly colored veils were worn in ancient times in many parts
of the world and were considered a protection against evil spirits.
Greek and Roman brides wore yellow or red veils (representing
fire) to ward off evil spirits and demons. At one time, Roman
brides were completely covered with a red veil for protection.
In early European history, with the advent of arranged marriages
veils served another purpose - to prevent the groom from seeing
the brides' face till after the ceremony was over. Brides began
to wear opaque yellow veils. Not only could the groom not see
in, the bride could not see out! Therefore, the father of the
bride had to escort her down the aisle and literally give the
bride to the groom. Nellie Custis, the daughter of Martha Washington,
is credited with wearing the first lace veil.
Today, prior to a Jewish wedding ceremony, it is the groom who
ritually "veils the bride." The reason for this tradition goes
back to the marriage of Jacob to Leah (the older sister) when
he thought he was marrying Rachel (the younger sister) whom
he loved.
THE ORIGIN OF THE BRIDAL KISS
The kiss dates back to the earliest days of civilization in
the Middle East. A kiss was used as the formal seal to agreements,
contracts, etc. In Ancient Rome a kiss was still being used
as the legal bold to seal contracts. Hence the obvious use of
the custom at the end of the wedding ceremony to "seal" the
marriage vows.
Please note that the factoids above may not be the definitive
source for their veracity, but they do provide some food for
thought. Although many traditions have evolved past what they
may have signified at one point to mean something altogether
different, we have decided to utilize some and forego others
at our own discretion.
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