WEDDING TRADITIONS AND FOLKLORE - Part 2

WEDDING TRADITIONS – where have they gone? Part 2


As I take a look at the traditions and folklore of weddings past, I am becoming so aware of how brides have drifted away from some of the traditional things with weddings. A little sad for me! We will continue in this next posting looking at several things.

WHY WEDDING CAKES ARE USUALLY TIERED

During the Anglo-Saxon era, guests would bring small cakes to the wedding reception and stacked them on top of each other. Now for me that is a little hard to embrace. As time progressed a baker in France created a cake with the shape of small cakes on top of one another and covered it in frosting. That style of cake is now known as a tiered cake.

THE TRADITION OF THE GROOM NOT SEEING THE BRIDE ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING

A tradition passed down for generation is concerning the seeing of the bride by the groom on the day of the wedding. It is said to bad luck to the couple if they see each other. It is explained that if they see each other they are taking a glimpse in the future and bringing bad luck. This tradition still is practiced with some brides, but not all.

As a mother of sons, I can say that there is nothing more touching that watching the groom sees his bride for the first time in her gown as she comes down the aisle on the arm of her father. A real tear jerker. As a planner I see a lot of the brides and grooms seeing each other before to accommodate pictures. The venues have a hand in this also with the limited use time. They have to hurry with so many things.

This is a tradition that I would like to see practiced more!

MARRIAGE KISS

The kissing at the end of the ceremony is an Ancient Roman tradition. In those days it would mean that your marriage was now legal. It was considered a legal bond. It also is associated with the tapping of a spoon on a glass until the couple kisses. Today you sometimes see the spoon and glass tradition take place at the reception. It is not done at all receptions though, and sometimes does become annoying if over used.

LENGTH OF BRIDES TRAIN

In the middle Ages the length of a brides train showed her rank in royal court. The longer her train was the closer to the King and Queen. It showed that she had great influence with the royalty.
RECEIVING LINE

This is a tradition that has been discontinued by many brides. The receiving line came from an ancient belief or folklore that the bride and groom brought luck to all those that they touched on their wedding day. Today this tradition is often left out, or substituted at the reception with the couple making rounds to each table to greet their guests.

FAVORS FOR THE GUESTS

Wow, this is a tradition that has certainly changed during times. In the 18th and 19th centuries, gloves were given to the guests as their favor for attending the event. Today it is much more complex and expensive. Couples spend a lot of money on their favors! I only hope that the guests appreciate some of them. My favorite is a candy buffet, pieces of the cake to take with them, but I have also liked the idea of a CD given to each of the guests that has the couple’s choices of wedding music on it.

WHITE AISLE RUNNER

Aisle runners have been used by brides for years. The white runner symbolizes the marriage covenant between two people, and their God. It symbolizes God’s holiness and that he is part of their ceremony and that they are on holy ground.

Over the years, aisle runners have changed in colors, and not used by all brides. Even though the white runners are used, colors to match the brides wedding colors have become popular. They are even going so far as to have them monogrammed.

Outdoor ceremonies often combine the aisle runners by using flower petals to mimic the runner.

WHY THE GROOM ENTERS FIRST

The action of the groom entering first shows that he is the covenant initiator. This shows that as the initiator he assumes responsibility to make sure the covenant is fulfilled.
MORE TO COME………………..

I am certainly enjoying researching all these traditions from past days, and seeing how many are used today! I hope you are enjoying it too! More tomorrow as promised.