The origins you never knew behind 10 wedding traditions!
Like most things we, as humans have many traditions, rituals and things we do however more often than not we won’t know why we do these things or know the history or origins behind these long standing traditions and weddings are no different, in fact they are full of them! We debug them and look into the origins you never knew behind 10 wedding traditions that appear in wedding films!
1. Why is the bride on the groom's left?
Because grooms in Anglo-Saxon England often had to defend their brides, the bride would stand to the left of her groom so that his sword arm was free. No swords today of course but still something very key in a wedding!
2. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue & a sixpence in Your Shoe
"Something old" represents the bride's link to her family and the past. The bride may choose to wear a piece of family jewellery or her mother or grandmother's wedding gown. "Something new" represents hope for good fortune and success in the future. The bride often chooses the wedding gown to represent the new item. "Something borrowed" usually comes from a happily married woman and is thought to lend some of her good fortune and joy to the new bride. "Something blue" is a symbol of love, fidelity, and purity of the bride. A sixpence in her shoe is to wish the bride wealth in her future life.
3. Wedding bouquet
Flowers are incorporated into the wedding ceremony as a symbol of fertility. The first bouquets consisted of herbs and, later, orange blossoms.
4. The bridal veil
The bridal veil has long been a symbol of youth, virginity, modesty and was used to ward off evil.
5. The tiered wedding cake
The origin of the tiered wedding cake also lies in Anglo-Saxon times. Guests would bring small cakes to the wedding and stack them on top of each other. Later, a clever French baker created a cake in the shape of the small cakes and covered it in frosting. It is now known as the tiered cake. Now we sometimes have tiered cakes made out of cupcakes but they are still tiered! We are getting hungry reading this point… next!
6. Bridesmaids
The bridal party is a tradition that has been established for many centuries. For a long time the purpose of the bridal party was to fool evil spirits. The bride's friends dressed similarly to her in order to confuse any virulent presences that might be lurking about. Today bridesmaids are there to support the bride in the stressful times during the wedding of and of course help organise the Hen do and pilgrimage to Benidorm or Maga.
7. Tossing the bouquet
Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from us Brits. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry.
8. Giving away the bride
The tradition of the father giving away his daughter has its roots in the days of arranged marriages. Daughters in those times were considered their father's property. It was the father's right to give his child to the groom, usually for a price. Today a father giving away his daughter is a symbol of his blessing of the marriage. Cue - the perfect time to get the ‘Father of the Bride’ film out!
9. The wedding ring
The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolises everlasting love.
10. The best man
In ancient times, men sometimes captured women to make them their brides. This is slightly frowned upon these days of course! A man would take along his strongest and most trusted friend to help him fight resistance from the woman's family. This friend, therefore, was considered the best man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon England, the best man accompanied the groom up the aisle to help defend the bride.
A new wedding tradition? Booking a wedding filmmaker as well as a photographer..
Whilst it is generally been a tradition to book a wedding photographer adding a wedding filmmaker to this mix has a host of long term benefits. If you think about a big reason why it has always been a standard practice to book a wedding photographer since the dawn of time is mainly due to the technology and availability of video equipment! Now in 2019 there is a host of wedding film making equipment available to capture your day in a beautiful and creative way! A wedding film will have a never ending shelf life and you can watch it again and again like your favourite movie! Plus remember photography misses what video doesn’t….