Wedding Customs Today and Yesteryear; Not Always Born of Romance

Ever wonder why the groom is supposed to carry his bride over the threshold the first time they enter their home? Well brace yourself ladies, the answer is not a romantic one. According to the Web site, OurMarriage.com, it seems that during the days of "marriage by capture," the bride did not always go blissfully into the groom's home. Many times the betrothed bride had to be carried (or dragged) over the threshold. The Web site also reported that in some cultures the woman was believed to be followed by the family's demons and to keep these demons from following her into the groom's home, she was carried over the threshold that first time.

Along these same archaic lines is the origin of the honeymoon. In ancient times, OurMarriage.com states that when a man decided to take a wife, he did. The groom, if of means, would then take his unwilling wife to a secret place where she could not be found by family and friends. It is said they would stay through all phases of the moon, (about 30 days) and would drink a brew made of honey. Therefore the term, "honeymoon."

A common, worldwide thread in wedding ceremonies throughout the ages has been the presence of fresh flowers. It seems to have been forgotten that orange blossoms are recognized all over the world as "the wedding flower." OurMarriage.com explained that orange blossoms were "chosen by the Spaniards to represent happiness and fulfillment" because the tree flowers and bears fruit at the same time. Flowers stand for emotions and values for example, the rose means love and lilies stand for virtue, etc. Today the wedding bouquet is chosen to fit the wedding's color scheme and to bring color, elegance and an old world tradition to the ceremony. Many brides today will dry flowers from their bouquet so that they may "live" on in arrangements throughout their house.