Wedding Traditions and Truths
We’ve had a great time delving into the strangest wedding traditions worldwide. Our collection includes old, new, borrowed and too weird not to be true. We can’t imagine how some of these came about, but we’re certainly happy a few of them have lost their popularity. Read on to see our favorites of wild wedding bits and bobs:
Most people know that Queen Victoria is responsible for the traditional white wedding dress– she shocked people in 1840. White, until then, represented mourning (and still does in some countries). It’s akin to a bride wearing black today.
Photo by Jdurham/morguefile.com
What isn’t so well known is that white has been an ancient marriage color in Japan; that Anne of Brittany beat Victoria to the wedding punch by wearing white in 1499; and that brides in Greece used to wear yellow, the color of Hymen aka the Goddess of Marriage. Add to that the color white doesn’t represent ‘chastity’ but ‘joy,’ and you might take a look at your dress differently.
Did you realize that there is no actual law in the United States that requires the bride to take the groom’s name? Seriously, it’s optional.
“La roche qui pleure” Photo : ido Productions
Marriage wasn’t considered a sacrament until the Council of Trent decreed it so in 1564. Before that, couples pretty much moved in together, lived commonly and if they had a service it was a climb to a hilltop. Where they married themselves. Or each other. Got married minus a third party. Whatever. The romantic part was the choice of cliff or hilltop, where they could see ‘heaven meet earth.’
The number one wedding song for the bride’s aisle walk isn’t the Bride’s March or the Wedding March, but Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D.’ Doesn’t sound familiar? We know you’ll know it- take a listen:
Wikimedia Commons
People marry strange things. In 1976, a woman married a rock. Other married things include trees, goats, dogs, a cartoon and some Korean fellow wed a pillow. The pillow, of course, wore white.
The oldest bride in history was Minnie Munro of Australia, a frisky 102. Her groom was an even friskier 82- talk about cradle snatching, eh?
In Sweden, any time the bride or groom leaves the group everyone jumps in to kiss the half left behind. That means the groom goes to the toilet and his groomsmen take the opportunity to smooch the bride; when she goes her bridesmaids go to town on the groom.
Wikimedia Commons
Brahamans of Eastern Bengal had (we wish they still did) a wedding tradition with a padlock. The bride would put it across the groom’s mouth and lock it, symbolically closing the ‘door of unkind speech.’
The average married couple is so busy they spend an average of 4 minutes alone together, daily.
The spicy Church of England used to require the bride kiss the priest before kissing the groom in the wedding ceremony.
Wikimedia Commons
Speaking of England, a tradition we’re glad isn’t the norm anymore: the groom’s friends once took off their socks and tossed them at the groom’s head. The fellow that hit his nose first would be the next to marry.
It’s also good luck in Great Britain for the bride if she sees and touches a chimney sweep, though we imagine that’s a bit hard these days to find one.
When asked what they remembered most about a wedding, a staggering 81% of guests said it wasn’t the vows, the dress or the speeches- but the reception entertainment.
Las Vegas goes through about 100,000 weddings a year. Divorces? Hey, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Photo by Nadine via Offbeat Bride
Themed weddings might seem bizarre to some, but they’re more common than you think. iPad, Hello Kitty, Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight, zombie, , renaissance, superhero and pirate weddings are all popular choices
That’s our wild and wacky wedding traditions and fact list for you. What about you? Do you know of any crazy wedding bits to add? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. With a toast to new traditions, ~ Ido Productions
Photo by Nadine via Offbeat Bride