Weddings, in general, are very traditional. Even the brides who have "non-traditional" weddings incorporate traditions that they might not even be aware of! While planning your wedding have you ever thought, "Why am I wearing this?" or "What does this ring really mean?" Well, here are some fun facts about wedding traditions and why they were incorporated into weddings.

Why are wedding dresses white?

In traditions past, wedding dresses were not white at all! People often believe that wedding dresses have always traditionally been white. Wrong. Blue was often the color of the traditional wedding dress. It's color signified purity.

It wasn't until 1840 when Queen Victoria wed Albert of Saxe clad in a white dress that the color white became popular. If you could afford a white dress that you would only wear once, then you were considered wealthy. That also goes for the amount of material on the dress. The more material, the wealthier you were.

What do wedding rings signify?

As we know, wedding rings are an outward sign of being "taken". The tradition originated in Europe when only the wives wore one. During the 20th century, men started wearing them too.

• The circular shape signifies never-ending love with no beginning and no end.
• It was also a sign of "sale" of the bride from the father to groom.
• Wedding bands are worn on the ring finger because the Romans claimed that there is a vein in the finger that is connected directly to the heart.

Why does the wedding party dress in matching clothes?

In past traditions the wedding party would dress identical to the bride and groom to keep any evil spirits confused at who was the bride and groom.

What does Something Old, Something New signify?

This saying derives from an old English poem. Each piece signifies something special. The old represents the bride's past. The new stands for the bride's future with her husband. The borrowed represents the bond between the bride and her family. While, the blue symbolizes the loved shared between the bride and groom.

Why can't the groom see the bride before the wedding?

This custom comes from when marriages were arranged. Often, the brides were sold to the groom. The wedding would be their first meeting and it was known as bad luck to see each other before the wedding. The bride wasn't even supposed to see herself in the mirror on her wedding day because she might leave part of herself behind.

Why do we toss the bouquet and garter?

The tossing of the garter stemmed from the royal family. To make it official, they wanted to see the garter or stocking from the bride. When others got word of this tradition, they followed and actually got violent. They would steal the garter or stocking from the bride with force. That is when the groom started taking the garter off to protect her.

Tossing of the wedding bouquet follows similar to the garter. The bride tossed the wedding bouquet into a crowd of wedding guests.

The tradition has been that the groomsman that catches the garter will marry next, making him a very lucky man. And the same with bridesmaid who catches the wedding bouquet, she too, would marry next.

Why are flowers incorporated in the wedding?

Traditional wedding bouquets were carried by the bride only. They contained garlic, herbs, grain and fruit blossoms to ward off evil spirits and symbolize prosperity. This custom was replaced with flowers as a sign of fertility, love and happiness.

Although these traditions stem from strange customs…They are still fun to blend into your wedding. It's just interesting to know where they came from!

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If you are planning a mixed cultural wedding there are several things you need to consider. Embrace both cultures to create a beautiful and unique wedding.

Most wedding traditions are based on religion, culture, heritage, and race. When you are cutting and pasting together a wedding, you need to decide which traditions mean the most to you and your fiancé as well, as your families.

Your family's opinions and vision of your wedding might create obstacles, especially if they are the ones paying for it! Creating a wedding that respects both family's religions and cultures can be done and be absolutely beautiful.

The first thing you need to do, before even thinking about the revenue, date or theme, is sit down and talk with you fiancé about which traditions are the most important to you. Being open with each other about what you want included and what can be left out will make things a lot easier.

The next step is to sit down with both of your families, preferably at separate times. Ask them for advice and let them know that you want to respect and honor the family traditions, but need to make this ceremony a fusion of both.

Although every couple is different and you want your wedding to be unique, you also want your wedding to show your personality and your heritage. Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

One of the most common solutions for a mixed wedding is to have two separate ceremonies. However, when finances wont allow for two ceremonies, you need to be creative and find a way to mesh both cultures into one ceremony.

• Invitations: Send out two sets of invitations. One in each language so that no one feels left out.
• Location: If your religions clash, consider holding the ceremony in a non-religious venue. A park, a hall, a ballroom, a country or garden club are great options.
• Programs: Two sets of programs, in the same style and theme but one in each language. You can even personalize them with a small note to your family in your native language on near the bottom.
• Music: Alternate music throughout the ceremony from each culture. Sticking with instrumentals will make the transition from song to song smooth.
• Readings: Alternate the readings from one language to the next. You don't want to do every reading in both languages because it will make your ceremony too long.
• Vows: Recite vows in your native language, so that both set of parents and families understand completely.
• Reception: Take care when arranging the seating, making sure that everyone is sitting with someone they can communicate with. (You don't want your Aunt Evelyn sitting at a table of non-English speaking guests).
• Decor: Your set up should show both cultures. Including flowers, lighting and even positioning of the tables. Creating centerpieces with flowers and candles that represent both your heritages will make your families feel at home.

Give opportunity for everyone to mesh and mingle. The dance floor is the perfect opportunity for this! Again, you will want to alternate music from each culture to keep your guests happy and involved.

• Menu: Finding the perfect food for everyone is a difficult task. However, you can arrange your buffets to have two separate stations catering to both cultures. Or if you are using a menu, have options designed around both cultures. Find a caterer in your area to help you design the perfect pallet for your reception.

Remember, your wedding is about you and your spouse. It is the beginning of a new and happy adventure that will take you places you have never been. Make sure to merge your style, character and personality as well as your spouse's! With a little planning and creativity your wedding will be beautiful, unique and respectful to both of your heritages.

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Something Borrowed, Something Blue…

Yes, we all know the tradition, even if you are not having a traditional wedding, this is a fun one to keep!

The saying itself derives from an old English poem. The old representing the bride's past, the new representing the bride's new journey with her husband, the borrowed representing the bond between the bride and her family and the blue symbolizes the love between the bride and groom.

Here are some creative ideas..

The Old

• Your grandmother's veil
• Antique lace around the stem of your wedding bouquet
• A locket with your grandparents picture inside
• A family rosary
• Your grandfather's handkerchief
• Your grandfathers Military tags around the stem of your bouquet

The New

• A new lingerie set under your wedding dress
• A sparkling piece of jewelry
• Your bouquet
• A penny or coin minted the year of your wedding (hide it in your shoe!)
• Your fabulous wedding dress can pass as the "new" too!
• All new makeup! How fun!

The Borrowed

• A family Heirloom (necklace, ring or charm hung from your bouquet)
• Your mother's necklace or bracelet
• A piece of your friend's jewelry that you have had your eye on
• Your sister's or best friends shoes from her wedding
• Your mother's perfume

The Blue

• Garnish your garter with blue lace
• Sky blue toe nail polish
• A sapphire hair pin
• Blue earrings
• Blue flowers in your bouquet
• Go all out with beautiful blue silk shoes

Chose what suits and reflects your personality. Have fun and get creative – the only limit is your imagination!

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Are you planning a wedding? Have you thought about the traditional wedding toast?

The wedding toast has taken an entirely different meaning today than in the past. Today, during a wedding reception, someone offers up a congratulatory "toast" to the bride and groom.

Did you know?

The name "toast," actually came from one of our favorite breakfast meals! In the past, the French put toast in their wine to catch the sediment from their wine, or they used spice toast in their drink to make it taste better.

The "Clink"

Another tradition included clinking the glasses together. This would show all that the drinks were not poisoned. The host, usually the bride's father, would raise his glass and drink first, showing that the drink was good and not poisoned.

During the Middle Ages, many of the nobility were wanted dead.  What better way than to poison them then at a wedding celebration? People during this time did not always marry out of love, but out of duty and to bring clans together to fight other clans.

Throughout the ages, superstitious people would raise up a glass and clink them together during weddings to ward off evil spirits.  It was thought that the bell sound that glasses make when clinked would ward off any evil spirit that might stop the couple from having a great wedding night.

Wedding Toasts Today

In modern times, a toast isn't a cooked piece of bread, but rather about honoring someone.  Today, the father of  the bride is usually the first to offer a toast.  However, the best man and maid of honor often will toast the couple as well.  A new tradition that should become standard is for the bride and groom to offer a toast to their guests.  This is a way for the bride and groom to say thank you for participating in their special day.

In the modern bridal wardrobe the dress comes first, then the veil or headpiece, and next are the shoes.  But what part, if any, did shoes play in the past?  The idea behind tossing the garter or the bouquet came from the times when brides were treated as property and guests would rip off pieces of her wedding gown to ward of spirits, and in hope to bring themselves good luck.

As brides became less like a piece of property, brides took to throwing their shoes.  Then, as time passed, brides began throwing their bouquets.  I suspect the change came because of two reasons: shoes are expensive, and bridal bouquets hurt less when you're hit by them. In Egypt brides were considered property of the father. The father of the bride would give the groom the bride's sandals signifying that groom now has possession over her.

In jolly old England, the tradition of  something blue was done by wearing blue shoes. Queen Victoria in 1840 is credited with being the first famous bride to wear white shoes.

I am told that an old tradition in Armenia is catching on again.  Some one steals one of the bride's shoes, and the maid of honor and the best man have to pay a ransom to get the shoes back so the wedding can take place. Another old Armenian tradition is one where the bride writes her bridesmaids' names on her shoes, and as each gets married she cross their name off.

Shoes have played a supporting role in weddings since weddings have taken place.  I suggest one thing, whether your going with an old tradition or doing something non-traditional,  you should at least be comfortable.

Their are two popular pieces that brides have used to walk down the aisle to, the Wedding March and the Bridal Chorus.

In 1842 Felix Mendelssohn wrote the Wedding March.  He was commissioned by Frederick William IV Prussia to write orchestrated pieces for the play A Mid-summers Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare.

The Wedding March was made popular when Victoria, The Royal Princess, wed Prince Frederick William of Prussia. For more than 150 years the Wedding March has been used in western weddings.

The Bridal Chorus just like the Bridal March was written for a play.  Robert Wagner, a German composer, wrote the music to accompany his play entitled, Lohengrin. The Bridal Chorus was written in 1850 and is commonly know as Here Comes the Bride.

Brides may choose to incorporate both pieces into their wedding using the Bridal Chorus as the bride walk down the aisle, and Wedding March as the recessional tune as she and her new husband walk down the aisle as husband and wife.

Both pieces are lovely and work well with both tradtional and non-traditional weddings.

When a boyfriend gets down on one knee, cracks open the case, and asks "Will you marry me?" odds are, we're not wondering how engagement rings came to be. Why a diamond? Why the left finger? The tradition of engagement and wedding rings is a long, rich story full of many cultures symbolizing love in their own way. Their stories are what makes men get down on one knee and women to offer their left hand.

History of Wedding Rings

Egyptians wove reeds and papyrus into rings and bracelets.  The woven rings were given as tokens of love and symbols of marriage. A ring, like love and marriage, has no beginning and no end. Because a ring represents a circle of eternity, many cultures used rings symbolically.

After conquering Eygpt in 332b.c., the Greeks adopted the ring as a symbol of  love.  The wearing of a love ring on the third finger came from the idea that the third finger on the left hand leads directly to the heart. The Romans referred to the  ring finger as vena amoris. {In Latin it means the vein of love}.

As cultures started to put increased importance on rings, they soon started making them from metal elements.  Iron was most likely the first metal one would wear on their vena amoris.  Gradually, rings would be fashioned from silver or gold. Eventually jewelers would incorporate semi-precious stones in to the rings.

Engagement Rings

I am certain most of us remember Princess Diana's stunning engagement ring.  It was a beautiful sapphire with small diamonds surrounding the 18 carrat stone.  A diamond is by far the most popular engagement ring. However, in the 18th and early 19th century gems stone rings were more popular. Gimmel (or gammal) rings are hoops joined together that can not be separated unless you cut through one of  them. Often the rings were separated so both the soon-to-be-bride and groom had a hoop. then they were joined together after the marriage ceremony for the bride wear.

As cultures evolved so did the grandness of the wedding and engagement rings. The rings were not only symbols of love, but also a means to show wealth.  This hasn't changed much, as we still ooh and ah over a huge diamond. And thanks to DeBeers (the largest diamond producer), who in 1940's set the standard on how much a man should spend on an engagement ring (2 month salary).  We can also thank DeBeers' marketing for the line "a diamond is forever".  Suffice it to say that single company is the reason Diamonds are the most popular wedding and engagement ring stone.

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Moms have always played a role in their daughter's wedding day.  The groom's mother also has a role in some wedding traditions.  The mother-son dance is probably the best known wedding tradition.

In Korea the groom gives his mother-in-law-to-be a goose.  Traditionally this was a live goose. However, it has become a Western wedding tradition, and the groom gives the bride's mother a wooden goose. Geese mate for life, so the giving of a goose symbolizes to the bride's mother the groom will take care of the bride for life.

The Amish mother of the bride sews the bride's wedding dress. This tradition has evolved into the mother helping to select or even paying for the bridal dress.  In Mexico one old tradition is that the mother and the bride pray before going to the church.

During a Hindu wedding the mother of the bride helps the bride onto a stone slab and speaks to her on how to prepare for a new life, this is called Shila Arohan. In Greece mothers will collect linens, tableware, and other household items as their daughter grows-up.  These items will go to her daughter to furnish her household.  This tradition was taken from the days when the bride's family had to pay a dowry.

Moms' roles in weddings as history shows,  is one of support, wisdom and love.

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Wedding vows are the one thing every wedding has in common.  No matter the location, every couple uses words to express their commitment to one another.  Some couples chose to go with traditional religious vows, while other couples may choose traditional religious vows, adding in a few words of their own.

Non-religious couples may use the basic civil commitment vows, or write their own.  When couples decide which vows they wish to speak on their wedding day, they are embracing their culture, their upbringing and their take on marriage.

Today's couples are varied, with many choosing to write their own; however, many more choose the standard well-known vows. Whatever their choice, a couple's chosen vows are words that will live on throughout their marriage and serve as a reminder of their love and commitment to each other.

Traditional wedding vow:

I, ___, take you ___, to be my wedded (husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part.

Contemporary wedding vow:

I, ______, take you, ______, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the man/woman you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us.

Of all the decisions a wedding brings, the vows are among the most important choices a bride and groom face.  Choose wisely.  Follow tradition  or write your own, but remember at the end of the ceremony your commitment of your love is the most important of all.

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Photo courtesy of Carol Hutchings Photography

Scandinavian wedding ceremonies include several touching traditions that can be easily incorporated into any ceremony. Many of these wedding traditions are simple, meaningful gestures that allow a couple to join in the history of thousands of couples that have gone before them.

The Swedish two coins tradition is a sweet sentiment. Before a wedding in Sweden, the bride's mother gives her a gold coin to put in her right shoe, and the bride's father gives her a silver coin to put in her left shoe.  The coins represent their wish that she will never be without.  It is a sweet way for the parents to say, "You're leaving us, but you're still a part of us."  This unique wedding tradition lets the bride know that she will always have her parents' love and prayers that she may never be poor.

Another wonderful Scandinavian wedding tradition originates from Norway.  It involves a bride-to-be walking from house-to-house carrying a pillow case and collecting her wedding gifts, while an older gentleman carries an umbrella or parasol over her.  The umbrella symbolizes protection and shelter.

In Norway the friends and family of the bride and groom plant small pine trees on either side of their home to symbolize fertility. The bride and groom can then watch the seedlings grow throughout their years together.

All three of these unique wedding traditions can be easily incorporated into your wedding ceremony.  The Swedish two coins tradition is a simple, touching gesture from a bride's parents on her wedding day. An easy way to incorporate the Finnish umbrella tradition would be to have the father of the bride carry an umbrella over his daughter in her outdoor wedding.

The Norwegian tree planting tradition could be in the form of a gift from the wedding attendants.  The bride and groom could also give seedlings to their maid-of-honor and best man, or the bride and groom can buy certificates that a tree has been planted in the attendants' names.

Old traditions in modern times with modern weddings allow us to embrace symbolism and add a unique touch to a wedding. Looking back while simultaneously looking forward is a great way to make your wedding both one-of-a-kind and full of depth and history.

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