9 Wedding Traditions And Decisions, Decisions
By Alex Daniels


So you're engaged and you've got a wedding to plan. You begin
to decide what traditions you wish to include in your wedding.
Would it help to know how some of those traditions got started?

What is one of the first things that come to mind when hearing
the word wedding? More often than not you think of the wedding
dress. Chances are pretty high that you are going to opt for a
white wedding dress although this is by no means always the
case. Believe it or not many centuries ago women actually wore
gowns that were colorful and bright. A wedding is a joyous time
and they wanted to wear colors that reflected this joy.
Somewhere along the way, the white wedding gown was introduced.
Some people say that the tradition of wearing white was actually
started by Queen Victoria. Another reason white has often been
used for the wedding gown is to signify purity.

To complement your perfect dress you'll almost certainly want
the perfect veil. Not all women agree on the length or style --
some prefer long veils while others like short ones, some like
the simple look while others want it to be ornate -- but most
agree the veil is almost as important as the dress.
Traditionally, the bride wears her veil down until the couple
is officially married at the end of the ceremony, a tradition
that has its origins in the belief that the veil provided
protection against evil spirits, but even this is becoming less
common these days as some brides choose to have their father
lift the veil before giving her away.

"You may kiss the bride." This is a familiar phrase. Everyone
eagerly anticipates the first kiss as a married couple. Believe
it or not kisses used to serve as a legal bond in ancient Rome.
In fact, engagements were not valid unless sealed with a kiss.
On wedding day, the first kiss is usually the first of many
more.

When the bride walks down the aisle to stand next to her groom
she is traditionally accompanies by her father, but today more
and more women choose to have both parents walk down the aisle
with them. If the father is unable to be at the wedding,
normally another family member (not the mother of the bride)
escorts her to her groom. The origins of this tradition are not
well-established, it has been with us for many centuries.In my
research this was one of the few traditions I could not
discover a well-established origin for.

Most couples have the ring presentation at their wedding. The
man slips the wedding band on the woman's finger and she does
the same with his ring. Wedding rings are to be work as a
symbol of everlasting love. The circle should never be
unbroken. Today much time and thought is often put into the
selection of the wedding bands. Wedding bands have been around
for a long time. They were first made of grass that was braided
or made with hemp. Diamonds that could be found in wedding bands
came roughly around the 1400's.

Rice was traditionally showered over the newly-weds just after
the ceremony because it is a symbol of fertility, and of course
all the older relatives want the newlywed couple to start having
kids! Often people will substitute birdseed or wedding bubbles
these days because it is widely believed that if birds eat the
rice, their stomachs will explode. This is patently false, but
that is another story altogether.

Many wedding traditions continue on to the wedding reception.
There is usually a first dance by the couple. Many daughters
also dance with their father for a traditional father-daughter
dance. This has been common practice at many weddings. Some
traditions just happen by themselves :)

Another common tradition at the reception is when the new bride
throws her bouquet. This is just done for fun although the woman
who catches the flowers is to be the next to marry. This
tradition has an interesting history that can be traced to
England. Long ago in England guests at a wedding would try to
get the woman's flowers or part of her clothes. This was to be
their way of sharing in the joy. It got to be so bad that a
woman would run away from guests and would toss her flowers to
try to get them happy and away from her as she ran.

A wedding would not be complete without the cutting of the
wedding cake. In the days of yore cakes made of wheat would be
broken apart above the head of a bride. This was to bring the
couple fertility as well as good luck. Wedding cakes are
traditionally tiered. A baker in England started baking these
cakes which date all the way back to the time of King Charles
II.

Weddings certainly do not need to be traditional. Traditions
vary among different cultures and even different families.
However, it is often fun to implement some of the traditions
into a wedding. These traditions may not really bring good
luck, but then again maybe they will.
 

About The Author: Alex consults for an online gift shop
specializing in
http://www.giftsandotherwise.com/shop/wedding-supplies-c-270.html
and bridesmaids gifts. Alex is recently married.