Wedding Traditions

From the first recorded wedding, around 2350 B.C.E., in Mesopotamia, to current wedding ceremonies all over the world, there are many different marriage traditions that have stood the test of time. Though many traditions come and go, there are some classic customs that have been around longer than you think (and we still see in many wedding ceremonies today)!

As a wedding planner, one of my favorite things is seeing which styles and traditions stay and go. It is fun to see how a bride and groom incorporate old traditions and new ones into their special day.

Exchanging of Rings

The exchanging of rings dates back to the rule of the Egyptian Empire. It is said that Egyptians wove grass into circular bands and exchanged them at weddings as a symbol of never ending love. During the reign of the Roman Empire, the Romans believed that wedding rings symbolized eternal love and that the vein from the ring finger ran directly to the heart. Throughout the last four to five thousand years, rings have been made out of everything from bone, leather and ivory, to iron and gold, and worn on all different fingers on both the left and right hands.

Today, the wedding ring industry circulates billions of dollars from manufacturers to jewelers every year and the circular wedding ring is still a representation of eternal love and devotion. Currently, the most popular materials for wedding rings are gold, silver and platinum. Though many people believe that the wedding ring should be worn on the left ring finger, many European and Eastern European countries wear their wedding rings on the right ring finger. And in Jewish tradition, the wedding ring is placed on the index finger instead of the ring finger.

Tossing the Bouquet

The wedding bouquet has been a staple part of the wedding ceremony stating back to ancient Greece and Rome. Back then, the bouquet was a symbol of fertility and consisted of herbs, orange blossoms and even bunches of garlic. The aromatic scents were thought to ward off evil spirits that wanted to harm the bride on her special day.

Now, the custom of carrying a bridal bouquet is mostly just done out of historical tradition. At today’s weddings the tossing of the bridal bouquet implies that whoever catches it will be the next to wed. This tradition started in England and was said to be a way that the bride could pass her good fortune to others. Back in the day, people would rip pieces of the bride’s gown off for a keepsake of her good luck. In order to end this tradition, brides began to throw their bouquets to the crowd to keep their guests at bay.

Wearing White

The tradition of brides wearing white dresses on their wedding day may seem like a dated tradition or a historical norm, but it is actually more modern than you may think. A white wedding dress was made popular in the 1800s by Queen Victoria. In the past, brides wore dark rich colors to symbolize their wealth. Velvet, silks and furs were worn by the nobility, basically material of a wedding dress reflected one’s social standing. In the 19th century, wearing white symbolized purity and virginity.

After Queen Victoria wore white to her wedding in 1840, it has been the trend and norm to do the same. Today, wearing a white dress on your wedding day is most popular in Western cultures; whereas, Non-Western cultures prefer to wear bright colors, fabrics and patterns that have historical and cultural significance.

The Bridal Veil

Though it is not as common for a bride to wear a veil at a wedding ceremony today, wearing a veil over the hair and face was a symbol of virginity and a crucial part of any wedding ceremony before the twentieth century. Historians have found that the bridal veil dates back to ancient Rome and the Romans believed it was a way of protecting the bride from evil spirits on her special day. Other more speculated beliefs state that the veil was a way of keeping the groom from backing out of an arranged marriage if he did not like what he saw.

Now, the lifting of the veil was a symbol of “giving away” a bride and the pivotal point of a wedding when the bride’s beauty is unveiled (pun intended). At most twenty-first century weddings the face veil is removed or a veil is not worn. The use of a wedding veil seems to come and go with fashion and celebrity trends.