So, I am getting married in less than 4 months. This was never my dream as a little girl. I never pictured myself in a wedding dress, slowly marching down the isle...
Instead, the picture I that fitted me best was that of Julia Roberts, galloping away from groom number 2 on her horse...
But since I met that perfect man (although I dont let him know that's what I think...), it seems easier too think of that big day without struggling to breath and after almost 4 years, it seems as though nothing makes more sense than walking down the isle to meet the man I love...
I thought I would share some interesting and fun facts about weddings:
For ancient Greeks and Romans, the bouquet was a pungent mix of garlic and herbs or grains. The garlic was supposed to ward off evil spirits and the herbs or grains were to insure a fruitful union. In ancient Poland, it was believed that sprinkling sugar on the bride's bouquet kept her temper sweet.
(I’m sure if Jaco knows this; my bouquet might go missing the night before…)
Traditionally, brides did not wear white wedding gowns. Through the 18th century, most brides just wore their Sunday best to their wedding. Red was a favorite during the Middle Ages in Europe. Other colors were worn for symbolic reasons: blue meant constancy and green meant youth. As years passed, white was worn as a symbol of purity. Today, white merely symbolizes the wedding and is worn by any bride, no matter if it is their second marriage.
(I think I like traditional (as we know it) with a tad eccentricity as to reflect my personality that some of my blog readers might know by now…)
The first weddings comprised of a groom taking his bride by capture. He would take her somewhere hidden away so her relatives and villagers couldn't find them. There they stayed for one moon phase and drank mead, a wine make from honey, to make them more amorous. Thus, the word "honeymoon" was born. Today, the honeymoon is the time when the couple can get away for a while.
(I do like the idea of relatives not being able to find us)
The first kiss a bride and groom share at the close of the ceremony has carried special significance through the centuries. Many cultures believed that the couple exchanged spirits with their breath and part of their souls were exchanged as well.
(Nothing beats a first kiss if I may quote Lucy Whitmore from 50 First Dates)
The wedding ring has traditionally been worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was believed that a vein in this finger ran directly to the heart. The fourth finger of the left hand has become the customary wedding-ring finger for all English-speaking cultures.
(Have I mentioned that my engagement ring is the most beautiful ring ever – picture included)
Mystique and romance has surrounded the veil for more than one thousand years. Originally, the veil is thought to have been used to hide the bride from abductors, just as the similar dress of her bridesmaids was meant to do. But a more romantic interpretation evolved later which believed that concealment (as the bride's face beneath a veil) rendered what was hidden more valuable. Another early interpretation of the veil was that it symbolized youth and virginity.
(I didn’t want to wear a veil, but my mommy insists…I will obey her this one last time...:)
Legend says:
* that if the younger of two sisters marries first, the older sister must dance barefoot at the wedding or risk never finding a husband
(Glad I’m getting married before my little sister and glad she doesn’t have to dance barefoot)
* single women will dream of their future husbands if they sleep with a slice of the groom's cake under their pillows
(hmmmm, all the single ladies, I say rather eat the cake and be happy…)
The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck. Yikes!
(No thank you!!!)
Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition.
(I really hope so, as I hear Dullstroom [picture included] can experience 4 seasons in one day)
For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day…
(If you pinch me, I will slap you…)
On her wedding day, Grace Kelly wore a dress with a bodice made from beautiful 125-year-old lace.
(Don’t think it is more than a 100 years old, but I am using Chantilly lace and it’s beautiful…)
The phrase "Often a bridesmaid, but never a bride," actually originates from an advertisement for Listerine mouthwash from 1924.
(As two of my bridesmaids are married and the maid-of-honour is still in school, I do not think this particular phrase is applicable to them…)
The "something blue" in a bridal ensemble symbolizes purity, fidelity, and love…
(I’ve got something blue and something new, but still need to work on the something old and something borrowed part…any ideas?)
In many cultures around the world -- including Celtic, Hindu and Egyptian weddings - the hands of a bride and groom are literally tied together to demonstrate the couple's commitment to each other and their new bond as a married couple (giving us th e popular phrase "tying the knot").
5 November is coming closer…Yay!
Even though I never dreamed of this day when I was a little girl, I do dream about it now.
And even though sometimes I think it is quite silly to spend so much money and dress up and have everybody look at you for this one day, I do hope my day will be perfect and just as I imagine it in my (recent) dreams…
From The Bride To Be
