Unique Wedding Customs from Long Ago

With spring time being a time of love and many wedding taking place in the spring and summer, I have decided to take a look at different wedding customs and ceremony practices. For people looking to get married soon and needing some ideas, take what you like from these customs and rituals and incorporate them into you wedding to make your wedding truly unique to you.

Jumping the Broom:

The tradition of jumping the broom has been long viewed as a wedding ceremony for African Americans during the days of slavery. During the days of slavery , slaves were forbidden to marry. To counter this the slaves created a wedding ceremony that consisted of the bride and groom jumping over a broom to signal their union to each other as man and wife.

A broom has been used throughout history in other cultures as well but done so differently. Each of these customs can provide some fun at the reception for the bride or groom.

It was at one time a custom for Pennsylvania German brides to be thrown over a broom by the unmarried women in attendance at the reception.

An English custom used a broom to determine which unmarried man at the reception would be the next to marry. The groom would stand at one end of the room and hold a broom out. The unmarried men would run toward the groom and the first one to grab the broom handle was to be the next man to get married.

Exchanging of a rose:

I am unsure of the history behind this but found it to be beautiful and the significance behind this custom to be profound. The bride and groom are to exchange a single red rose at the end of the ceremony right before they are announced to be man and wife. A single red rose speaks volumes of the love that you have for the other person, so while giving a single red rose to each other is such a simple act , its unspoken words will speak loudly to everyone.

Broken Coin:

This was the ancient version of the engagement ring. A man would break a coin in half. He would keep half for himself and the other half he would give to the girl he intended to marry. It represented his intent to return and make things whole again. The girl would wear her half of the coin around her neck for all to see.