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All Sorts of Weddings
by Marie Voe
http://www.abcmarriage.com
Wedding are often very traditional affairs, almost
always characterized by white gowns, big cakes, lots
of flowers, and so on. But how did all these various
practices get started? Why is it that brides today
must wear white, something borrowed, and somethng
blue? These traditional nuptial customs are all
the products of years of superstition, passed down
from generation to generation to become the popular
customs we know today.
However, there is no denying the importance of the
traditional wedding. This is the white wedding most
Americans think of when they consider what a wedding is
like. Usually there are bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers,
flower girls, ring bearers and so forth. The wedding may
take place in a church or outside. The ceremony can be
Christian or secular. Common wedding customs include the
unity candle lighting, the ring exchange, presentation of
tokens to the mothers, and the throwing of rice or confetti,
rose petals or blowing of bubbles as the couple leaves the
church. At the reception there are usually toasts made, a
cake cutting, dancing and a bouquet toss.
Ironically, the month of May was generally avoided by
ancient Romans as a time for nuptials. It was thought
to be back luck to wed in the same month as the Feast
of the Dead and the Festival of the Goddess of Chastity,
both of which were May events. Given the strong feeling
that something bad would happen to couples who wed then,
most brides and grooms chose other months for their
ceremonies.
It might seem that white gowns and weddings have always
gone hand in hand, but that's not so. Prior to the
reign of Queen Victoria, royal brides wore silver to
walk down the aisle. But Victoria balked tradition,
preferring to wear a gown of pure white. She set the
stage for a huge shift in wedding wear, as many women
followed her example. Soon, white wedding gowns were
the customary uniform for a bride-to-be.
Churches are lovely locations for weddings but some couples
with an active outdoor life choose to have a wedding at a
significant location. The beach is one of the more common
locations chosen by many couples that drive out on the day
of the wedding, camp, or rent hotel rooms, depending on the
type of wedding. State, county, and city parks and other
forested areas are nice locations. Some adventurous types
may choose to hike or bike into remote locations for their
ceremonies.
An interfaith ceremony is a wedding between two people of
different religious faiths. Many such couples choose to go
with a secular ceremony so as to avoid offending their
families. Others choose to create a custom ceremony
incorporating elements of both faiths.
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