The Surprising History of Wedding Traditions Part 2
Read The Surprising History of Wedding Traditions part 1
Hello and welcome to part 2 of So Thats Why We’re Doing That aka The Surprising History of Wedding Traditions!
Last time we learned why brides wear white, carry bouquets, wear veils, the original purpose of the bridal party. This time we’ll be talking about why the father gives the bride away, the fun tradition behind wedding cakes, why people used to throw the garter, and of course why a honeymoon is called a honeymoon!
As with the last article Im going to state that the Break Tradition sections are just my own opinions and ways that I think you can put a fun spin on them. You don’t have to do them if we’re shooting your wedding!
Why does the father give the bride away?
Remember in the last article when I refreshed your memory about how once upon a time women were viewed as property? While today its a very sweet gesture that many many brides look forward to, the origins of this tradition are more like a business transaction than a loving father seeing his little girl become a Mrs. A long time ago they took a lot of precautions to ensure that the ceremony was seen through until the end – keeping the couple from seeing each other & the veil hiding the brides face, both done in case one thought the other wasnt good looking enough to be stuck with for the rest of their lives.
The father escorting the bride served two purposes – one, so she couldn’t run away, and two, since she was his property it was her fathers job to pass over ownership to the new owner…the husband. Luckily today it now symbolizes the brides parents approving of their daughters choice in a life partner!
Break tradition – Hmmm…I have no real tip for this one except have both your parents walk you up the aisle or no one at all! (-:
Why do we eat wedding cake?
This one I learned while researching topics this week and I love it!! Ok, so I actually found two things but Im going to talk about the medieval way because its fun though short (-:
At medieval weddings, smaller cakes were stacked on top of each other as high as possible in the form of a game. The bride and groom would then have to try to kiss each other over the top of the cake without knocking it down and if they could, then it meant they would have good luck in their marriage!
Break tradition – I think this is kinda fun and we should bring it back! Great fun for your guests. Just kidding. A lot of couples are foregoing wedding cakes for dessert tables instead!
Why do we throw the bouquet and garter?
Caution: Im about to make you think that I hate photographing this part of the wedding day, which is not entirely true. We’ve captured some fantastic and funny moments during the bouquet and garter toss, but for the most part, I really dont love this tradition…but it also depends on your personality as well as your guests!
Do you really want your parents to see your new spouse crawling up your clothes to pull a piece of underwear off your leg? It’s a little creepy. That’s my opinion!
So if there is one tradition I can encourage you to change up on your wedding day, I hope its this one!
Onwards.
The bouquet and garter toss have not always been part of the wedding day. It used to be expected of the bride and groom to immediately consummate the marriage after the ceremony. As in, say “I do” and then go into a back room and do the deed.
Back then, that was the way to make it 100% a done deal. Oh, and there were witnesses to watch as it went on. They had to make sure that the couple ACTUALLY consummated the marriage and didn’t just say that they did. Guests also wanted to help the process speed up by literally tearing off the brides dress as she walked by – and keeping pieces of it as a lucky souvenir!
Luckily people eventually realized that this was sort of rude to ruin someones expensive attire, so the bride began throwing her bouquet to distract the guests and the groom would throw part of her undergarment into the crowd to prove that he was about to make it all official like. Phew.
Break tradition – we’ve had quite a few couples totally opt out of the garter toss.
My favorite two ways to break tradition for the bouquet toss however are these:
1. The anniversary dance. All married couples come onto the dance floor for a slow dance. Then one by one they are asked to leave based on how long they have not been married until its a stand off between 3 old couples…until the longest married couple is left standing! The bride presents the older lady with her bouquet and in return, the couple gives the newlyweds some sound (and hysterical) marriage advice!
2. Keep your bouquet, let it dry out, and then around the holidays find 3 clear ornaments used for DIY projects and start breaking the petals off to put inside them. Keep one for yourself and one for each mother! (-: Its a sweet holiday gift.
Why do we go on a honeymoon?
I actually first heard the reason behind this from a TV show about words! I got really excited when they started talking about the history behind a honeymoon. While researching this one more I was finding different cultures named as doing the same exact thing so I dont actually know who started it. But they all say the same thing.
After the wedding, the couple would go into hiding for 30 days, or as the old folk used to call it, for a moon…because they’d be gone for a whole moon cycle (aka a month)! Relatives would also come by every few days to bring the couple honey wine which was thought to help spark a pregnancy. This was in the days when the fate of humanity rested on couples immediately popping out a kid, and then 12 more. So really, the purpose of a honeymoon back in the day was to immediately get pregnant.
Break tradition – well, I’ve really got nothing. This traditions been broken for a while now haha. Honeymoons are 99% of the time not 30 days long with the only purpose to get pregnant. But I guess my break tradition advice would be to not go on a honeymoon and instead put that money towards a home down payment! Not as exciting, I know.
Oh! But I do think you should book a photo shoot at your honeymoon destination! How often will you go back to the place you’re visiting? So many couples choose an exotic destination that they feel they would never be able to return to..dont you want nice photos of that? Hire a photographer to capture you for a few hours!
Of course…you could always bring ME to document your honeymoon adventures. I wouldn’t say no (-;
And that brings this series to an end! What was your favorite tradition to learn about? Do you plan on changing up any of them for your own wedding?
Katie + Jay of Catherine Ann Photography are Charleston SC Based Wedding & Elopement Photographers specializing in candid & fun wedding photos that feel like you!
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