WITH BELLS ON... meaning happy and delighted to attend which goes back to the days before the automobile, when it was the custom to deck out the horse with fancy harnesses, that drew the carriage for special occasions. That, of course, was the harness 'with bells on.'
In the 1500's most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good.. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married
The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck!
The noise from the cans dragging on the ground is meant to chase away evil spirits. Tying shoes to the car comes from an Irish ritual. Way back when, a bride would give the groom one of her slippers. This symbolizes the fact that he would take care of her now and not her father.
The origin of the word “wedding” means to gamble or wager
Wedding Garter - it is the groom's privilege to remove it and toss it to male guests. This tradition relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride's clothing would bring good luck. The tradition arose for the bride to toss articles of her clothing to the guests, including the garter. Traditionally, the man who caught the garter and the lady who caught the bouquet will share the next dance.
Tucking a sugar cube into your wedding glove is meant to sweeten your union
You may kiss the bride showed acceptance of the marriage contract in ancient times. This was before hand shakes and written contracts, a kiss (usually on the cheek) was a sign of bonding and acceptance of a contract
The Groom stands on the right of the Bride, deriving from the days of swords - should any man challenge him to his right to his Bride, the Groom was free to draw his sword with his right hand whilst protecting or holding his Bride with his left
Women proposing on February 29th dates back to when the date was not recognised, so had no legal status. This 'loop hole' date was chosen by women who felt they had been 'left on the shelf' too long
The reason that the engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand is because the ancient Egyptians thought that the "vein of love' ran from this finger directly to the heart
The kiss that is given by the bride to the groom at the end of the wedding ceremony originates from the earliest times when the couple would actually make love for the first time under the eyes of half the village
In the rhyme 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue', "blue" is symbolic of the blood of royalty, since both the bride and the groom were once considered to be "royal" on their wedding day
The bouquet tossing custom started when the bride used to throw her left shoe over her shoulder to indicate her new status and departure from her old life into the new, the one who caught the shoe would be next to marry! It was replaced by the bouquet to stop the bride from walking barefooted for the rest of the day.
Ladies... 2012 is the next leap year. Your chance to pop the question to your loved one on February 29th!
Bridesmaids originally were dressed identically as the bride in order to confuse evil spirits
Confetti the Italian word for 'sweets'. In Itally sweets were thrown over the newlyweds as the left the church to bestow fertility on the couple as was the rice used by many poorer villages
Carrying the Bride over the threshold of the new marital home symbolises medieval 'kidnapping' when they enter the marital home for the first time. If the bride entered the home with her left foot first, she would be visited by bad fortune. In order to avoid this disaster, the groom lifts her into the home
Bridal Veil was intended to protect the bride against evil spirits by concealing her identity until she was safely wed
The Bridal Gown has the most well-known superstition attatched to it. They should not be seen by the groom until the bride appears in church and that it's bad luck for a bride to make her own dress
Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue. This originated from Victorian England. The bride should carry one of each on her person during her wedding to ensure future happiness and prosperity
When the best man is paying the church fee, he should pay the Minister an odd sum to bring luck to the couple
Seeing a chimney sweep on the way to a wedding is thought to bring good luck and it is still possible to hire one to attend wedding ceremonies
The groom often chooses a flower for his buttonhole which also occurs in the bride's bouquet. This is a vestige of the time when a Knight would wear his Lady's colours to display his love
When the bride is ready to leave the house for the wedding ceremony a last look in the mirror will bring her good luck
Although most weddings now take place on a Saturday it was considered unlucky in the past
Superstition / Tradition stated that it was thought to be unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers
The veil dates back to ancient Rome, when it was flame-yellow, always worn over the face, and called a flammeum
