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Wedding Customs & Traditions

Wedding traditions have long-held great significance to the bride and the groom. Many recognize the need for tradition, value and strong beliefs. Many couples include the basic customs into their ceremonies, while others practice the full extent. Depending on religion and beliefs, many traditions are the normal part of the ceremony and the celebration. The celebration is just as important in its significance. Many have specific origins and historical value, while some traditions are virtually practiced and shared without truly knowing where they originated from............take your time and read on.......

Lifting the Veil was a biblical practice which ensured the groom that he was getting the person he “bargained” for. Before the final words were spent, the veil would be lifted first.

The white wedding dress grew from the popularity which Queen Victoria projected to the public. Most brides before then simply wore their finest costume.   White was mainly reserved for the royals, who did not mind if their dress became soiled.

Another version of the wedding veil included the tradition of covering the bride’s face until the groom committed himself to her at the wedding so that he would not run off. Others believed that the veil was worn to protect the bride from evil spirits.

Wearing the Wedding Ring on Third Finger symbolizes marriage as being closet to the heart. The Egyptians believed that a vein ran directly from the third finger to the heart. Also, it signifies the holy trinity '...in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost'.

It is believed that throwing the garter first began in France. It is thought that the bride’s attire is lucky and that guests should tear a piece of the bride’s clothing off in order to receive good luck. Perhaps the bride started throwing the garter in her own personal self defense.

Bride/couple cutting first slice of cake

This tradition of the bride and groom cutting the first slice of cake is of Victorian origin. It was considered bad luck if the bride did not cut the first piece for her groom.

The ring has been a symbol of marriage since the Egyptian era. The circular shape represents an unending love. Some cultures took it as a symbol of ownership by the groom, for it was his token given to the bride to show that he owned her.   Commitment to the marriage is its basis.

The English still maintain that it is considered bad luck if the groom sees his bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony.

Shoes and weddings had a special meaning together. Some still tie shoes to the bumper of the newly wedded couple. Some believe that the tradition first began as the result of the bride’s father throwing his shoe in anger when his daughter was captured and escaping with the groom to be married. Another thought is that shoes symbolize fertility.

In Roman law, the wedding was to consist of ten witnesses in the presence of the officials in order to prevent the evil spirits from causing mischief and disharmony. The bridesmaids and ushers all dressed in identical clothing to the bride and groom so that the evil spirits would not know who was getting married.

Why does the bride stands on the left and the groom on the right during the ceremony? The origin of this goes back to the days when a groom would capture his bride by kidnapping her. If the groom had to fight off other men who also wanted her as their bride, he would hold his bride-to-be with his left hand allowing his right hand to be free to use his sword.

Scottish Wedding Announcements. in the thirteenth century, the medieval Church announced intended marriages through a process called the banns of marriage. The banns were proclaimed in the parish church for three successive weeks during Sunday worship, and the practice continued in Scotland for over six hundred years. In later centuries, an alternative was to give notice and obtain a license to marry from a registrar. This method eventually became accepted by the Church of Scotland. In present day, the practice of banns of marriage have declined, but giving notices have become compulsory for all regular marriages.

Wedding Ideas using these Customs

In Poland, it was customary to pin money on the bride in order to “buy a dance”. Some Brides now have a designated person or persons to collect the money and place in a satin, trimmed bag.

Time-honored by tradition, the best man gives the 1^st toast. Those desiring to stand or come forward after this is appropriate.

The Ceremonial 1^st Kiss: This is the emblematic exchange of spirit as each new spouse breaths a part of ones soul into the other. This is why it is important for the groom to be able to kiss his bride first.

The custom of having a wedding cake has been a part of wedding celebrations since the Roman times when a thin loaf was broken over the bride’s head during the close of the ceremony. The wheat from which it was made symbolized fertility and the crumbs were eagerly sought by guests as good luck charms.

During the Middle Ages, it was traditional for the bride and groom to kiss over a pile of small cakes. When an imaginative baker decided to mass all of these cakes together and cover with frosting, the modern tiered cake was born.

The cake is a symbol of the couple’s willingness to share each others household and can also be seen as a symbol of families joining together to form unity.

AMISH

· Bride wears a new, ordinary Sunday outfit

· Weddings are held after the Harvest, usually midweek

· Wedding invitations are delivered by hand through personal visits

CUBAN
· Spanish/Cuban music is performed
· Couple give a gift to each guest
· Guests bring gifts to the wedding and a very large table is set up for them

GERMAN
· A Wedding-eve party (Polterabend) is held in which the couple are teased and dishes are broken
· During the wedding day, or immediately thereafter, guests are invited to the couple’s home to inspect the gifts and furnishings

HITIAN
· Guests bring gifts (not money) to the wedding
· The wedding cake is not cur during the reception, but later at the bride’s home
The ceremony is performed in French (Creole)

CHINESE
· Lucky Money is presented in red envelopes
· Red & gold are traditional colors of happiness & wealth; invitations, decorations and gift wrap are red
· Firecrackers are set off to ward off evil spirits

SCOTTISH
· Bagpipe music accompanies the procession/recession
· Groom wears a traditional kilt

JEWISH
The bride goes to the mikvah for a ritualistic bath that marks the transition from single life to married life
· The ketubah, or marriage contract, is often artistically rendered and preserved in the couple’s home
· The groom breaks a glass under his foot at the end of the ceremony
· The Hora, or traditional dance of celebration, is performed at the reception

ENGLISH

· There are no groomsmen

Weddings are held at noon with a sit-down luncheon afterwards (wedding breakfast)

FRENCH

· The couple drink from the “coup de marriage” or wedding cup

· Laurel leaves are strewn outside of the church as the couple depart

GREEK:
· Candy-coated almonds, wrapped in tulle are given as favors to each guest
· The traditional circle dance with handkerchief is done at the reception
· The wedding sponsor (Koumbari) selects and pays for the favors for guests
· Traditional food include stuffed grape leaves, lab kabobs, wine.

MEXICAN
· The arras, a small chest of gold coins symbolizing wealth and strength, is blessed; groom may present 13 gold coins to the bride as a symbol of his commitment to support her
· Parents bless their children in the home before the ceremony
Padrinos (godparents) have a special role in the ceremony
· The couple have a special kneeling pillow
· Mariachi (guitar/vocal) music is traditionally performed

AFRICAN
· Bride wears veil of braided hair as a symbol of modesty
· Guests, officiant and members of the wedding party may wear traditional African robes
· Wine is poured on the ground as a libation to the gods

IRISH
· The couple are showered with flower petals for good luck
· The wedding ring (claddagh) is fashioned with two hands holding a heart with a crown above; when hands are worn facing in, the bride is married
· Dances at the reception include the groom in a chair to present him to the guests as a married man

SCANDINAVIAN

· The bride wars an elaborate, jeweled wedding crown as a symbol of innocence
· The traditional wedding toast, skoal, is done with a specially brewed beer
· Fiddlers and horns accompany the wedding procession to the church

Also see Page 2

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Wedding Customs & Traditions