Many wedding traditions have been passed on for generations through the
centuries.
Here are a few of the most common traditions and some reasons why we still
practice them today. If you’re planning a wedding, you can do your part to keep
these traditions alive!
Communities and couples have modified many wedding traditions, ceremonies, and
receptions to suit their culture, region, and personal preferences. After all,
it is their special day and some modifications are common. In some cases,
however, wedding traditions are intentionally disregarded. For example, today
people have weddings in back yards, barns, resorts, gardens, and meadows. In
planning a unique or different type of wedding ceremony, some traditions may
have to be foregone to allow the preferred wedding experience chosen by the
bride and groom.
Even at unconventional weddings, however, the exchange of rings, having a best
man and a bridesmaid, and the saying of vows tend to be observed. The exchange
of rings in particular is a tradition that is virtually always honored. Some
sources believe that having an engagement ring in addition to a wedding ring for
the bride arose in response to a rule put in place by Pope Innocent III. In the
1200s, he declared that there must be a waiting period between engagement and
marriage.
Another tradition is to have the bridesmaids and groomsmen dress in matching
attire. How did this come about? It goes back to Roman law. In those times, ten
witnesses were required at a wedding before the marriage could be considered
legal. The wedding party needed to be easily identifiable to separate the
participants from any thugs or unwanted guests who might try to thwart the
marriage. This tradition has continued, and even today unruly guests are often
contained by the groomsmen, similar to Roman times.
The kiss after the ceremony is also a wedding tradition that has been passed
down through the centuries. The kiss symbolizes connecting the souls of the
bride and groom together.
Other wedding traditions include garter belts and the throwing of rice for
fertility. In some traditions, people would rip parts of the wedding dress off
the bride for good luck. With the cost of today’s wedding dresses, this
tradition is no longer common!
Another wedding tradition that has withstood the test of time is having the
groom stand on the right and the bride stand on the left. In olden times, thugs
and warlords frequently tried to crash a wedding. The idea was that the groom
always had to keep his right hand free so that he could reach for his sword if
necessary and prevent someone from disrupting the ceremony. Only in the Jewish
tradition does the groom stand on the left side.
Whatever the tradition, if it suits your wedding, use it. In many cases a bride
and groom might think they are having a very untraditional wedding, but if they
have rings, witnesses, and the groom standing on the right side, they are not
actually breaking from a traditional wedding ceremony very much. |
