Most people have been able to attend weddings or even get married and go through every tradition without really knowing why they perform certain rites. How much do you really know about weddings and being a bride? If you are reading this article, you are in luck because it’s your chance to learn about the origin of some popular wedding traditions!
Here are a few wedding traditions explained:
Kissing the bride
The wedding kiss supersedes a mere sign of affection as it signifies bonding and the joining of spirits as the husband sends a part of his soul to his wife in a bid to stay together, forever. It has developed from just a chaste peck on the lips to a full on intertwining tongue session.
Bridal Flowers
In ancient times, strong herbs and spices were used to ward off any evil spirits, unfortunate circumstances and sickness while the Romans graduated to wearing floral wreaths to signify a new life and beckoning for fertility. During the Victorian times, the couple would send flowers to each other as a sign of love and grooms began wearing one of the flowers that would appear in the bride’s bouquet in his buttonhole.
Throwing the Bouquet
The bouquet of flowers appeared to be a sign of happiness and whatever the bride wore or had on her wedding day was deemed to bring about good luck to whoever inherits it. The scramble for the thrown bouquet was also a way to distract the crowd from the bride’s escape with her new husband.
Wedding Veil
In ancient times the groom would throw a blanket over his chosen bride to capture and take her away from everyone else. Veils were also popular with arranged marriages where the groom could not see the bride until he had agreed to marry her. The transparent veils became the vogue with the Romans and Greeks in 4th Century B.C.
Honeymoon
This period was identified by ancient tradition’s expectation that the groom would whisk his bride away to a place of hiding for about a month and would return pregnant with her. A fermented honey brew called “mead” would be taken by the couple for the period of one full moon as the drink would bring about fertility and a good beginning of marriage.
At least now, you have a better understanding of these concepts and the origin of what you may experience soon. Don’t just have a wedding, push to have a happy married life because teamwork makes the dream work!
Photo Credit: Juliana Lacroix Events