wedding facts/traditions/superstitions game

[woohoo2me]

i will start by puttinng a fact about weddings and then someine else and so on..... see how much new stuff we can learn......

wedding dresses as we know them todayare a 20th century creation, before 1900s most women either wore their prettiest gown, or had someone make a dress for them.

[WBandMe]

Rings are worn on the left hand 3rd finger because it was believed that that finger led directly to the heart.

[WebLady]

Carrying flowers comes from a time when people didn't bathe often and the herbs and flowers were used to mask the body odor :p

[woohoo2me]

before the bridal shower concept was born, birdemaids used to organize a get-together with the bride in order to strengthen friendships, talk through any fears the bride may have about marriage, and help plan the wedding.

[lucas'sfuturewifey]

Tiered wedding cakes originated from a game of brides and grooms attempting to kiss over an "ever-growing" cake without knocking it over. :bblol:

[Camel]

The first white wedding gown was worn by Queen Victoria in 1840...until then brides just wore their "best dress" whatever colour that may be.

It then became a status symbol to wear a white gown as it showed the bride could afford to wear a dress in a style and colour that you wouldn't wear again as white wasn't easily cleaned in the 1800's....

[Camel]

Oh and another good one is the groom's cake...
Traditionally the groom's cake was a fruit cake...superstition states that all single women attending a wedding should take home a piece of the groom's cake and sleep with it under her pillow. That night she'll dream of the man who'll become her husband.

[WebLady]

The abbreviation RSVP stands for "Répondez, S'il Vous Plaît", which is a French term meaning "please respond". So this means that the little notice "Please RSVP" that we see invitations is actually saying the same thing twice; opps!

[WBandMe]

Bridesmaids started out as a way to confuse evil or malevolent spirits because they wouldn't know which one was actually the bride, so they wouldn't be able to do anything to her/her marriage.

[august8bride]

Cutting the wedding cake is a symbol of the bride and groom willing to share their life together.

[woohoo2me]

"Best man" is of Scottish origin and goes back many centuries to the time when a
prospective groom simply kidnaped the woman of his choice and carried her away
with him. Such a venture required courage and audacity as well as a good deal of
manpower. So the groom selected the bravest of his friends to accompany him.

[WBandMe]

The honeymoon started as a one month period where the bride and groom would be in total seclusion--the purpose of which was to impregnate the wife. Also, if I remember correctly, when the bride was still kidnapped (post above) the honeymoon would be in some type of cave or something where no one from her clan could find her.

[woohoo2me]

In 2000, the average bride was 24 years old and the average groom was 28.

[Camel]

Historically the groom stands on the brides right side so that the groom's right arm or "sword arm" was free to protect the couple from danger and rejected suitors.

[woohoo2me]

For centuries the month of June has been the most popular choice for weddings - but the original reason might surprise you. You see, during the 1400 -1500s, May was the month in which the "annual bath" occurred. Yes, just as it sounds, back then people were only able to bathe thoroughly once each year. As such, since the over-all population was smelling relatively fresh in June, it was a good time to hold a special event like a wedding! Further, the month of June is named after the goddess Juno, who was the Roman counterpart to Hera, the goddess of the hearth and home, and patron of wives

[redrosesredroses1977]

Tears on the wedding day: it is considered good luck for the bride to cry during her wedding. She will have cried all her tears away leaving none for the marriage. Another theory holds that a bride's tears are good luck as they bring rain for the crops.

[mitch]

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

The saying, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” is a popular rhyme that has been used since Victorian times. The "something old" represents the bond to the bride's family and her old life; "something new" represents the couple's new life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity and success; "something borrowed" from a happily married woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and "something blue" represents fidelity and constancy.

[mitch]

Toasting

Toasting comes from an ancient French custom of placing bread in the bottom of the glass - a good toaster drained the drink to get the "toast." According to legend, when a bride and groom drink their wedding toast, whoever finishes first will rule the family.

A very lovely English toast goes like this:

Love, be true to her,
Life, be dear to her,
Health, stay close to her,
Joy, draw near to her,
Fortune, find what you can do for her,
Search your treasure house through for her
Follow her footsteps the wide world over
And keep her husband always her lover.

[mitch]

Throwing The Garter

This ritual dates back to a time before woman wore hose with a garter belt. It was a chance for the single men to share in the good fortune of the groom. Today, it is believed that the man who catches the garter when it is thrown will be the next to marry. In the 14th century, is was customary for the bride to toss her garter to the men, but sometimes the men got too drunk, and would become impatient and try to take the garter off her ahead of time.

[SerendipityCrafts]

There are a whole bunch here in a previous thread - http://forums.onewed.com/showthread.php?t=4899

[mitch]

Tossing The Bridal Bouquet

Tossing of the bridal bouquet is a custom which has its roots in England. (Trust my lot LOL) It was believed that the bride could pass along good fortune to others. In order to obtain this fortune, spectators would try to tear away pieces of the bride's clothing and flowers. In an attempt to get away, the bride would toss her bouquet into the crowd. Tradition says that the single women who catches the bouquet is the one who receives the bride's fortune and will marry next.

[mitch]

Loud Noises

Loud noises were said to chase away evil spirits, and during the ceremony, the guests would make noises to keep the spirits away. Today, it's traditional that the bridal party honk their car horns while leaving the ceremony.

[mitch]

Throwing Rice

The throwing of rice on the couple has always been symbolic of wishing
prosperity and good luck. In the Orient, throwing rice means, "May you always have a full pantry." Wheat and other grains are sometimes thrown in addition to rice, thereby also wishing prosperity and lack of want. Each shower bestows "Goodwill Traditions" of wealth upon the newlyweds. To this day, rice remains a token of a life of "plenty."

[mitch]

Old Shoes

The tradition of tying shoes to the back of the couple's car stems from Tudor times. Back then, guests would throw shoes at the bride and groom. If they or their carriage were hit, it meant good luck was bestowed upon them. In Anglo Saxon times, to establish his authority the groom symbolically struck the bride with a shoe. Brides would then throw a shoe at the bridesmaids to see who would marry next. Makes you appreciate the bouquet toss, doesn't it?
Throwing old shoes after the bride is a sign that authority is being transferred from the bride's father to her new husband. A variation is for the bride's father to throw her shoe after the groom as a token of his surrender of his daughter.

[mitch]

Good Fortune

An old Scottish belief for good fortune: A bride should be met at the door after the wedding ceremony by her mother, who must then break a currant bun over her daughter's head.

A kiss from a chimney sweep is supposed to bring good luck as he has magical associations with the family - the hearth of the fire symbolizing the heart of the family.

A horseshoe carried by the bride is considered a symbol of fertility.

Bad luck for the bride who looks in the mirror wearing her complete outfit before her wedding day - old beliefs say that part of yourself goes into the reflection and therefore, the bride would not be giving all of herself to her new husband.

[horse345]

The bridal shower: The shower began in Holland. If the bride's father didn't agree with or approve of the groom, he wouldn't provide her a dowry. The bride's friends would then "shower" her with gifts. Then the bride would have her dowry and could marry the man of her choice. Dowries have vanished but showers and gifts still remain.

[Kirby]

This is an interesting topic! I love the one about the bouquets being used to mask body odor- haha!

[mitch]

Found some more that i thought would be good to share here.

The Bride and Her Dress.

Married in:
White - You've chosen all right
Blue - Your love is true
Pearl - You'll live in a whirl
Brown - You'll live out of town
Red - You will wish yourself dead (I don't believe that for a Minute LOL)
Yellow - You're ashamed of your fellow
Green - Ashamed to be seen
Pink - Your fortunes/spirits will sink
Grey - You'll live far away
Black - You'll wish yourself back

With the exception of the Irish bride, it is considered bad luck to wear green.
If the bride finds a Spider in her dress, don't panic! This is a sign of good luck.

A glance in the mirror just before the fully-dressed bride leaves for her wedding is considered good luck, but should she return and look again, this is considered bad luck.

[mitch]

The Groom and Best Man.

The groom, his best man, male family and best friends wear similar suits to ward off and confuse the evil spirits as to the real identity of the groom.
The best man was responsible for ensuring the groom's good luck in the following three ways:

The groom must carry a lucky mascot in his pocket
The groom must not return home for any reason after leaving for the ceremony
The minister should be given an odd sum of money for his fee

[mitch]

Reading this makes Me wonder why so many Weddings are on a Saturday. :bbeek:

Days to get Married on.

Marry on a:

Monday - brides will be healthy
Tuesday - brides will be wealthy
Wednesday - brides do best of all
Thursday - brides will suffer losses
Friday - brides will suffer crosses
Saturday - brides will have no luck at all

[mitch]

Months have their good and bad omens too.

Marry when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind and true
When February birds do mate, you may wed or dread your fate
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know
Marry in April when you can, joy for maiden and for man
Marry in the month of May, you will surely rue the day
Marry when June roses blow, over land and sea you'll go
They who in July do wed, must labour always for their bread
Whoever wed in August be, many a change are sure to see
Marry in September's shine, your living will be rich and fine
If in October you do marry, love will come, but riches tarry
If you wed in bleak November, only joy will come, remember
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last

[lalaland13]

Good one Mitch. There are lots of em on Snopes.com, plus I read a really great book by Rebecca Mead called One Perfect Day. Really a good look at the wedding industry and how insidious some of that stuff they pull is. Like DeBeers came up with the idea that a ring should be two or three months salary, can't remember which. I think engagement rings weren't all that common in America until the 20th century, but I may be remembering wrong.

Snopes has a similar yet different wedding month poem:

http://www.snopes.com/weddings/customs/date.asp

I also love the lucky dates to get married. List dates for each month. For instance, August is the 2, 11, 18, 20, 30.