Engagement Customs
Wedding proposals have changed much over the years. In the times of gentlemen and ladies, a gentleman that was interested in marriage would send his intended a pair of gloves. He would know if his proposal had been accepted if the young lady wore the gloves to church on the following Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
Tossing Traditions—The Bouquet and the Garter
Know one knows for sure where the custom of the bride tossing her bouquet to the waiting single women began, but some believe it dates back to the 1300s and a tradition of France. The French believed that leaving the wedding with a piece of the bride’s gown was good luck, and would tear at her dress in order to get a piece. Unhappy brides started throwing other personal articles to the guests to save their gowns. This eventually evolved into tossing the bridal bouquet. Read the rest of this entry »
Origins of the Bridal Party
There is a reason that you have to decide between all of your friends as to who will be your bridesmaids. This tradition has been around since ancient times. One tradition that dates back to the Roman era was having the bridesmaids dress like the bride. The reason for this was to ward off any evil spirits that might be intent on kidnapping the new bride. In reality, the bridesmaids had to fend off eager young men who wanted to take the bride from her waiting groom. Today, bridesmaids have the role of being the support for the bride, which is similar to the defending function they had in ancient times. Read the rest of this entry »
Italian Wedding Customs
In the past, Italians had arranged marriages. The families of young people would decide who were appropriate matches for their children. When a young man’s family chose a groom, they would send a male representative to the father of the girl to ask for her. Sometimes a matchmaker was employed to signal intent. The official engagement was only announced when both couple’s family were happy with the engagement. Read the rest of this entry »