Weddings Are Rich In Symbolism
There are many words and phrases that are used to describe weddings and wedding traditions. May people use these phrases or follow the traditions without even realizing what they are doing and why they are symbolic. Take for instance those special spring wedding favors or lovely garden wedding favors that you decide to give to your guests. You may have chosen them because you heard you are supposed to thank your guests and because they looked nice in the catalog but did you know that the wedding favor is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years? The couple who decided to get married would garner as much luck for themselves and their marriage as they could. They would pass that luck on to the guest who attended through special wedding favors. The tradition goes that by passing luck to your friends and family, it would come back to you as many times as you gave. Here are more wedding words and phrases that have meaning behind them.
The wedding cake is not just a nice desert to serve to your guests. It is a sign of fertility and the hope that the couple would have many happy children together. When the tradition first started, they would simply eat the cake. Then they started sprinkling it over the brides head as a sign of fertility. Then the tradition grew and stacking the cakes as high as possible became a tradition. If the bride and groom could kiss over the stack of cakes without knocking them down, the bride would be fertile and have healthy and happy children.
The wedding band is thought to be the very first symbolic item of weddings. It dates back further than any other tradition. It was thought then that there was a vein in the third finger that ran directly to the heart. The wedding band symbolized never-ending love of the circle and placing over that vein tied the two hearts together forever.
In 1499, Anne, of Brittany wore a white wedding dress as a symbol of joy. White is symbolic joy although many people believe it to symbolize purity. Blue is the symbolic color of purity. Anne of Brittany made the white wedding dress popular. Unfortunately, her message of joy did not come through.
The Wedding veil has two purposes. The very first purpose was to protect the bride’s identity from the evil spirits the people of those days thought stalked all weddings. They would hide the bride under a veil, which she would also use when she died to hide her identity when she crossed to the next life. The second tradition involved arranged marriages so that the groom, who had never seen his bride, would not back out of the wedding. The father of the bride would lift the veil mere seconds before the marriage would be legal. If the bride were stolen, the veil also kept her identity from would be rescuers.
The sprinkling of rose petals before the bride is to symbolize her walk through life and to wish her happiness as she takes her first steps into her new life.
The groom stands to the right of the bride so that his sword hand would be free should they be attacked by anyone who would want to stop the wedding. Some of these traditions date back to the days when many a bride were stolen rather than wooed.
These are just a few of the phrases, items and words that have a symbolic meaning behind them You can make your wedding rich in symbolic history by researching more of these and have a wonderful wedding and life together.
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