Your father ‘giving you away’
This significant part of your
day stems back to the Ancient Romans where arranged marriages were the norm,
and fathers literally handed their daughters over to their new husbands.
Usually a dowry was given as exchange for the bride. These days, it is still
seen as a symbolic and highly emotive part of the ceremony.
Wearing a veil
While many people
believe that wearing a veil was seen to ward off evil spirits (and this is a
correct assumption), there is actually another far more controversial
explanation. It is thought that a veil was worn to cover the bride’s face so
her groom could not be ‘put off’ by her potentially unfortunate looks and refuse
to marry her. It does beg the question as to why the groom didn’t have to wear
a veil too!!
Where to stand
The groom traditionally
stands to the right of the bride so that he can draw his sword at a moment’s
notice to defend his love. Thankfully, this rarely happens in the 21st
Century!
Confetti
Throwing confetti over
the bride & groom is a fun part of the wedding day and can make for
brilliant photos, but it was originally thought to encourage fertility and
prosperity. Top tip: make sure the confetti throwing happens before you serve
the bubbly, as you may find yourself covered in champagne!
The threshold
There are two reasons
to explain the tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold. The first is
that the groom is protecting his love from any evil spirits which may be
lurking in the house. The second, and rather more sinister story, is that the
bride was occasionally reluctant to leave her family home, and so had to be
dragged over the threshold into her new abode! Thankfully today it is just for
fun!
Bridesmaids
These days, your
bridesmaids are your best friends and family members who help you prepare for
your special day. However, in the Roman
times the bride would have up to 10 ladies, all dressed identically to her, and
they would act as a decoy to any evil spirits who wanted to harm the bride.
They were also seen as extra protection in case anyone tried to kidnap her!
Bouquet
Nowadays, a bouquet is simply
a beautiful bunch of flowers which decorate the bride and can be a lovely
keepsake. However, centuries ago brides would carry aromatic bunches of herbs,
spices and garlic to ward off evil spirits. Each herb had a different significance,
for example, sage stood for wisdom. Flowers then replaced herbs, but they
continued to have a significant meaning: Ivy stood for fertility, lilies for
purity and orange blossom for happiness. It is also thought that the beautiful
smells from the flowers disguised the potentially unsanitary odours coming from
the bride!
