What's the History Behind All Those Crazy Wedding Traditions?

Something Borrowed, Something Blue ...

Societies have celebrated weddings for thousands of years, but the ceremonies of ancient Egypt or medieval Britain might be unrecognizable to today's bride and groom. Even the relatively simple weddings of our great-grandparents bear little resemblance to the pomp and circumstance of the society affairs and posh receptions favored by many 21^st-century couples. However, despite all the changes in the cultural celebrations of marriage, tradition continues to reign supreme. Superstition and long-established customs take hold of even the most skeptical bride, so nearly every ceremony contains some feature passed down from unions of the past.

One of the earliest wedding traditions just happens to be a first step down the road to marriage: the engagement ring. Egyptians saw the circle, since it has no end, as a symbol of eternity that would result in an eternal union. The ring also represented a contract, requiring a financial sacrifice by the groom and a promise from the bride. The hope was that a man wouldn't enter into such an agreement lightly if it meant paying for a ring, and a woman would live up to her end of the bargain to avoid having to return the ring given to her.

Diamond engagement rings became popular in 1477 when King Maximillian of Austria presented Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring. The custom caught on since diamonds also have the symbolic significance of being the hardest and most enduring substance in nature, and hence would lead to marriages of similar fortitude.

There are two beliefs as to why engagement and wedding rings are worn on the third finger of the left hand. During a Christian wedding, the priest arrived at this finger - when starting with the thumb - after touching the three fingers on the left hand "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." The other possible reason for the rings being placed on this finger stems from the Egyptian belief that the ring finger follows the vena amoris - the vein of love that runs directly to the heart.