Nicole Sanchez
Wedding Engagement Period?
As a Maui Wedding photographer, I’ve become curious about Wedding traditions and how things came to be. Have you ever wondered why there’s an engagement period and who came up with it.
The engagement period that we know of today was started by Pope Innocent III as he declared that there should be a waiting period between the betrothal and the marriage ceremony. This also allowed for having two separate rings; one for engagement and one for marriage.
11 Wedding Traditions That Finally Answer Their Origins
Have you ever been to a wedding and start to wonder to yourself, when and where did that part come from? How did that become a wedding tradition? We have all done it. Well here are 11 wedding traditions that may show the who, what, where, why and how they became a tradition.
Although some of these traditions show how something got its name, you can always include the actual acts into your ceremony to bring a part of history into your wedding, such as “tying the knot.” If you do, let your wedding photographer know up front of your intentions so that they will be sure to include it into your photos.
1. You cannot see the dress before the wedding! Actually this was started because in the past, many marriages were arraigned and the bride’s family being fearful that if the groom saw their daughter before hand, he might find her unattractive and run. In today’s society, not seeing the bride from the night before or the dress at all stems back to this tradition. It also heightens the excitement of once the groom says good-bye to his bride, the next time they see each other will be at the altar.
2. The music “Here Comes The Bride,” which is also known as the “Bridal Chorus,” is played while the brides is escorted by her father or other male figure down the aisle towards the altar, has a long history and is surprising that still exists. In 1848, Richard Wagner incorporated that music into his opera, “Lohengrin.” The scene was the couple being disrobed and ready for consummation. In 1850, Franz Liszt presented the same opera in a different manner. From that, Princess Victoria used the “Bridal Chorus” as her wedding march and instead of being banned, it became the traditional wedding march.
3. The tradition of flower girls throwing flower petals down the aisle before the bride would walk to the altar meant to lead the bride down a path to a future that is sweet and plentiful.
4. Prior to the modern day bridal bouquet, brides in the early Roman period would be known to carry under their veils bunches of herbs, such as rosemary and/or garlic, which symbolized her fertility and fidelity. It was also to ward off any evils.
5. If you noticed, the groom always stands to the bride’s right side while standing at the altar. This is also his right hand, or back in the day, his sword hand. Having it free would allow him to be free to fight off a potential jealous rival.
6. “Tying the Knot” began in the days of ancient Babylonia, where it was custom to take some threads from both the bride and groom’s clothing and tie them in a knot. The knot symbolized their coming together as a couple. It is not uncommon to find throughout many cultures today they still honor the tradition of a ceremonial knot.
7. The reason engagement and wedding rings are put on the third finger of the woman’s left hand is because back in the day of ancient Egypt, Egyptians felt that the vein located in that particular hand had a direct line to the heart, therefore tying the ring and the heart’s love the most. Romans often referred this to the “Vein of Love.”
8. Although frowned upon in modern times due to endangering birds, throwing of rice after wedding ceremonies would represent fertility and prosperity for the new couple. You may find in older cultures that the bride may still carry with them, or wear, grain sheaves.
9. The garter toss began because in ancient times, guests would be known to tear off pieces of the bride’s gown, which symbolized good luck. This thought also lead to today’s tossing of the bride’s bouquet.
10. After the new couple returns to their home, the groom would carry his bride over the threshold. This was known to represent the warding off of evil spirits located at the threshold. Since she was lifted, her feet would not touch the evils on threshold. It was also known to show her reluctance to leave the home of her father; therefore the groom was taking her away to start a new home together.
11. According to some scholars, “honeymoon” is derived from Teutonic customs. This custom involves newlyweds hiding from others to drink hydromel, which is a water mixture and fermented honey, until the moon would wane, which generally lasted for 30 days.
Did You Know… 15 Interesting American Wedding Facts
Did you know that American weddings are often scoffed at by other countries as we
have “Westernized” the tradition of weddings? Its little tidbits of information that makes
traditions interesting. Here are 15 facts about the American wedding you may enjoy.
1. Close to $72 billion is spent annually on weddings in the United States alone.
2. Hawaii is the second best wedding destination in America with nearly 25,000 per year.
However, Las Vegas is by far the top wedding destination with about 144,000 weddings
per year.
3. On average, the budget for a wedding is $20,000.
4. The wedding photographer is the most important vendor you will hire.
5. The busiest days and months for a wedding in the United States are Saturdays
(afternoon, then morning), Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Wednesday and
Thursday’s are not too far off, with Monday and Tuesday the least favorite. Meanwhile
the most favorite month is June, while August takes second and July a close third. The
least favorite, probably due to all the other events, is December. In addition, if you are
looking to save a little money, the earlier in the day of the wedding the cheaper in price
it seems to be.
6. Although the old tradition was that the bride’s family paid for the wedding, today about
75 percent of married couples in America has either paid for part or all of their wedding.
7. To show how people in America are for their romantic moments, the Nielsen Rating
system consistently shows that a television soap opera wedding always attracts more
viewers than watch a presidential address.
8. In the United States, the average wedding is known to include up to 175. Oddly enough,
it is not uncommon to have more guests at your reception than at the actual wedding,
whether or not that was the bride and groom’s choice. If you have food, they will come.
9. A wedding that took place that involved two American slaves was not allowed to include
the phrase “until death do us part.” This was in place since plantation masters held
the power to separate husband and wives from each other. In addition, since slaves
were banned from a Christian wedding ceremony, they would often invent their own
ceremony. A typical wedding between slaves would include certain symbols from their
African homeland, such as the couple jumping over a broom.
10. Some of the most played “first dance” songs include Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,”
Natalie and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”
Other songs played that are probably based on the title; because they must not
understand the lyrics since these songs are usually about breaking up and going separate
ways include Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Styx’s “Babe.”
11. Some popular “first dance” songs for fathers and daughters include Heartland’s “I Loved
Her First,” Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl” and Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses.”
12. There is no actual law or religious belief that requires a woman to take the last name of
her husband. However with that said, about 70 percent of Americans still agree that the
bride should take the last name of her husband. Often this is done for unity and for their
future children.
13. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in America offers a policy for wedding insurance,
called Weddingsurance. Their coverage pays to replace or repair items if they are stolen,
lost or damaged, such as gifts, jewelry, rental items and special attire. They also cover
such situations as the dress tearing, will repay for a no-show wedding photographer or
if the photos are lost, damaged or not developed properly. This insurance coverage also
covers refunds in the case one of the couple opts out and therefore you have a large
cost as well as lost deposits. They even cover counseling for those suffering from the
emotional angst from the event being cancelled.
14. Many states do not require physical exams or for the couple to take a blood test.
However, if you have any venereal disease or any physical issues, like infertility or
impotence, then the marriage can be voided and annulled.
15. Eskimo women were known to be wedded by the time they were 15 to 16 years old.
Unlike mainland America, they did not receive gifts prior or after the wedding. In fact the
ritual was for the groom to fake kidnap the bride, as he would usually have to drag her
off while she kicked and screamed.
Unusual Wedding Tradition in China
What Apples? From ancient Greece to China, apples have represented fertility, love and passion. Beloved of the Greek gods, apples often appeared in myths as gifts at weddings and as tokens of affection between lovers. Apples also symbolized the arrival of spring and fertility, so apple blossoms were associated with love early in Chinese legends.
Other ancient symbols of love that have appeared in various cultures are acorns (fertility), ribbons or knots (secret love), a crowned heart (love and loyalty), a heart pierced with an arrow (passionate love), a seashell (represented Aphrodite/Venus), a swan (eternal love) and a tulip (perfect love).
If you know of any unusual wedding traditions, we would love to learn about it. Your welcome to write a guest blog post and submit it to me at nicole@behindthelensmaui.com.
"Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us, the photos were dangerously beautiful! You captured the right moments every time. From the very start you were sincere and full of energy and unlike other wedding photographers who take over the ceremony, you had a perfect sense of balance to allow the wedding itself to be the focal. 