If you’re married, soon to be married or you’re attending a wedding, you’ll possibly have heard someone, possibly (and probably) a man, bemoan the extra expense of ‘unnecessary’ decorations and criticise their point at a wedding. That person may also critique the entire wedding institution and make you doubt your own opinions by claiming that it’s just one day, compared to a seemingly much cheaper lifetime together, and that spending so much money on little extra things is therefore superfluous.
You can educate them with the following list of wedding extras and bits and bobs which make the day complete. Some of them are very commonly known, and they may seem superficial on the surface, but just like everything involved in a wedding celebration and indeed any special occasion, everything has a purpose and a history. And to keep the man in your life from complaining about the expense of it all, you don’t even have to go all out with expenditure. The Range sell a beautiful range of wedding decorations and wedding gifts which won’t bust your purse.
Something old something new, something borrowed, something blue. Many people may not bother with this anymore as the reason for it is not common knowledge, but all four items have a significant background which traditionalists might take note of. ‘Something old’ represents the couple’s friends who’ll hopefully remain close to them during the marriage. Back in the olden days, the item was an old garter which was given to the bride by a happily married woman in the hope that her happiness in marriage would be passed onto the new bride.
‘Something new’ is something to symbolise the newlyweds happy and prosperous future, ‘something borrowed’ is something of financial or emotional value traditionally lent by the bride’s family which the bride must return to ensure good luck, and ‘something blue’ was worn in ancient Israel, often a blue ribbon in the bride’s hair, to symbolise fidelity.
Flowers. While this is something that generally both people in a couple agree to have at their wedding, there’s a surprising amount of background behind what colours and types to have. In a wedding, flowers are definitely not materialistic. Quite the opposite in fact – they symbolise a host of different things. For example orange blossom has always been associated with weddings because it signifies purity and chastity. Roses symbolise love, azaleas represent temperance, snowdrops symbolise hope, but peonies are avoided by some as they represent shame.
It has been known for red and white flowers to be avoided by the superstitious because they represent blood and bandages. The groom also often chooses a flower for his buttonhole which is the same as something in the bride’s bouquet. This is a continuation of the time when a Knight would wear the colours of his Lady to display his love.
The Veil. Traditionally, it was thought that new brides were especially vulnerable to evil spirits, and many customs involved with weddings are to provide protection against them. Veils were originally worn by Roman brides, and it was thought then that it would disguise a new bride and outwit malevolent spirits who wanted to cause havoc.
The Bouquet. After the reception, it’s obviously extremely common for the bride to throw a bouquet over her shoulder for one of the unmarried female members of the congregation to catch. We all know the one who catches it will be the next woman to marry, but there’s also a similar tradition for the man in your life. Grooms can remove the garter worn by the bride and throw it back over his shoulder towards unmarried male guests. Again, he will be the next one to marry.
Confetti. Confetti is an Italian word for sweets, which in Italy are thrown over the newly married couple as they come out of the Church, just like we use paper confetti. Raisins and nuts can also be used instead of or as well as sweets. Before our use of paper confetti, the married couple were showered with flowers, petals, grains or rice, and this was to bestow prosperity and fertility.
