- Because you know everything came from somewhere.
Do you know about these origins of weddings? Some of them are pretty strange, like why a bride wears a veil, for instance.
Bouquet/Garter Toss
Everyone’s favorite wedding tradition.. Or not! There is nothing worse than either of these traditions and no one wants to stand in a circle with all their single counterparts. In the old days, the idea was that as soon as the bride and groom said “I do,” they would go into another room to immediately consummate their marriage. This meant there needed to be a witness to make it official which lead to pushing and shoving for not only the view but also to get a part of the bride’s wedding dress. People stopped this madness after a while and decided it would be better if the bride tossed her bouquet as a sort of diversion, meanwhile the groom would remove an item of the bride’s undergarments and toss it back outside to all the bystanders, sealing the deal. This is the wildest origins of weddings.
A Best Man
The idea of a best man was to have him around in case the groom had to kidnap the bride to keep her away from disapproving parents. “Best” meaning he should be a man of great skill, with a sword, in case it’s needed. Traditionally it’s said that the best man stands guard next to the groom throughout the vows and even later. Apparently he was to stand outside the new couples bedroom door to ward of any attacks or in case a bride wanted to make a run for it. Many brides were taken by groups like the Huns, Goths and Visigoths and for this reason they kept weapons hidden under the floorboards in churches. For best men now, their duties fall more under the line of having an emergency six-pack. The man have it easier now compared with the origins of weddings.
Throwing Rice For The Couple
Throwing rice at couples seems weird but it’s with the intention of prosperity, fertility, and also, good fortune. There was a time when oats, grains, and dried corn were also used before rice rose to most popular for showering the couple. Rice lost popularity for a while due to the myth that if birds ate rice it, would expand in their stomachs and they would die. Evidence being that birds eat dried rice and corn and other dehydrated vegetables and grains from fields regularly. This is a very typical fact about the origins of weddings.
The Veil
Whether you wear one or not, the initial intention of a veil was to hide the brides face until after the “I do’s,” so that the groom couldn’t back out at the last minute. This is a terrible origins of weddings fact!
Do you think these weird origins of wedding traditions are shocking? For Weird Origins of Wedding Traditions: Part Two, follow the link!