- The top cake was originally intentioned for a christening, did you know that before now?
If you didn’t already read Weird Origins of Weddings Traditions: Part One then follow the link to enjoy it, because this is part two.
A White Dress
Although most modern dresses are more of an “off” white, there was a time when the brides clothing choices were the best thing hanging in her closet. So think any color, any style and piled with layers of fur, silk and velvet to show off wealth. Does this surprise you about weddings traditions?
The Cake
The idea of cake smashing goes back to the time of breaking baked goods over the bride’s head. Historically, the groom would start by gnawing off a bite of barley bread and then the rest of the bread was held over the bride’s head and broken. Would you prefer bread over your head or cake in your face? Maybe neither is fun as weddings traditions.
The Bridesmaids Match
Back in the day, the bridesmaid dress was actually selected with the idea of tricking the eye of evil spirits and jealous ex-lovers. The bride’s attendants were told to wear a dress similar to the bride so it would be hard for any ill-willed spirits or jealous ex’s to spot the bride on the way into the church or to shot, curse, kidnap, or throw rocks at her. (The same idea as having all the men in penguin suits. Maids of honor now organize the bridal party and bachelorette festivities but back in the day they were responsible for all the wedding decorations and putting them up herself.
Keeping The Top Cake Layer
Have you ever heard, “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage?” Of course you have, who hasn’t? That’s where the idea of saving the top layer came from initially, as it was thought that a christening would come shortly after the wedding. For some reason, call it tradition, people are still saving their tip tier, freezing it, pulling it out a year later and eating the darn thing. Is this one of the weddings traditions that you would do?
“Handing” Off The Bride
If you didn’t already know, societies have traditionally allowed fathers to use their daughters as currency when either paying off a debt to a weather land owner, symbolizing a sacrificial or monetary peace offering to an opposing tribe or to buy their way into a higher social stratum. It’s sweet now and viewed in that way but yike? Do you think this is one of the outdated weddings traditions ?
The Need For Old/New/Borrowed/Blue
The old was to tie the bride to her family and past, the new to represent her life as the property of a new family, the borrowed was to be from an already successfully married woman as good fortune for her new life . And blue stood for the important things like faithfulness, loyalty and purity. Brides also carried bunches of herbs to ward off evil spirits. Weddings traditions need to be part of the past, present and future and this is great.
If you married, was your wedding traditional or did you ruin off to the courthouse or the beach? Let me know in the comments!