Rice throw outside of church, what?

Why am I not surprised.

This was another ritual for good fortune.

So apparently the rice also symbolized prosperity and fertility, something every couple wishes for… anyway, rice lost its popularity in the early 1900s and oats, grains and even dried corn were used instead. This was because people believed that if the bride ate the rice thrown at her, it would dramatically expand in her stomach and she would DIE. Wow. I wonder how they come up with that assumption.

Thankfully, we have evolved as a society and have now opted for rose petals and even soap bubbles, that apparently represent the same thing, .. or do they?

Why do fathers walk bride’s down the aisle?

You thought right. It is simply a barbaric tradition that stayed from those old days where daughters were simply seen as a sort of monetary value.

Fathers would give away the bride either to pay off a debt, as a peace offering, or even to rise up the social ladder.

It is pretty f* up if you ask me, but today the meaning has changed almost completely.

Fathers are said to give away their daughters now as a symbol that they approve of their husband-to-be and that they wish them the best of fortunes.

Yeah, there will be some tears. #daddysgirl

Why do newlyweds smash a slice of cake onto each other’s faces?

It was hard to find a “real” reason for this tradition, but truth is both white and Hispanics do it.

Apparently the original version of this was the breaking of baked goods, (typically a loaf of bread) above the bride’s head by her groom. This showed the husband’s dominance and the crumbs that fell were to give good luck, yes.. this was also for good luck.

Eventually that ended and the couple would slice the cake and give one to each attendee, pretty normal, but wait.. The guests were NOT supposed to eat it, they were supposed to put it under their pillow for good luck, yes good luck again. this slice of cake was also to bring pleasant dreams to young ladies about their future husbands.

Yeah, I do not think I will waste perfectly good cake at my wedding. For me,  a little cake on my groom’s nose will suffice.

Also, I do not think this “good luck” thing would work in present time taking the high divorce rate into consideration.

Why wear something old, borrowed, new, and something Blue?

Recently I have heard that these four items are to express admiration for a couple of special people in a bride’s life. (Something Borrowed, and something “Old”).

This turns out to be another Victorian tradition, that simply recommends these items as good luck charms, and must not be certain items in specific. The bride has total control.

SOMETHNG…

OLD:  This is said to symbolize continuity and a link to the own bride’s past family weddings.

NEW: This represents the hopes for a bright and new future as a marriage.

BORROWED: This item must come from a “happily” married woman, in order for it to help bring some of her own marital happiness into the bride’s new life. this also means that there will always be somebody there when help is needed.

BLUE: Blue at one point was the color of purity, loyalty and faithfulness… need I explain more?

This is one tradition I am looking forward to because it just seems fun :)

Why have bridesmaids and groomsmen?

I am Hispanic, and in our Mexican weddings, there is typically only a maid of honor, most people don’t even have a best-man included in the ceremony. Taking this into consideration, I found it odd to see about 5 bridesmaids and groomsmen was “normal”... but what’s the point?

Today groomsmen  and bridesmaids are in charge of preparing a bachelor party, escorting each other, and assisting with typical wedding duties, but back in Ancient Rome, they had much more serious duties.

Romans were very superstitious and believed evil spirits lurked around at weddings hoping to target their malice i=onto the new couple. To confuse these spirits or demons, 10 bridesmaids were to dress exactly like the bride and 10 groomsmen as the groom.

These were typically close friends or family of the couple. Why was 10 the magical number, you ask.. well because these were the witnesses necessary for the wedding to take place.

I may add groomsmen actually accompanied the bride, this because they would “protect” her from thieves and gazing eyes.

In modern time and during the past centuries, these honored guests typically must have showed support for the bond between the upcoming marriage to gain such spot in the wedding party.

Cool. but my bridesmaids will definitely not be dressing exactly like me.