Most girls grow up watching movies or shows that depict picture-perfect weddings. However, when it’s time to get married, you may be left clueless about what is supposed to happen. We all know that traditionally there is a beautiful white dress and veil, vows, and other basics. However, so much more can be included to make your wedding as perfect as you always imagined it would be.
1. The First Dance
This is usually depicted in shows and movies, but if you didn’t know, this is a highly-anticipated event! The first dance is viewed as the bride and groom’s first dance as a married couple. This is usually a slow dance, but sometimes people use this chance to be creative and choreograph something unique. Traditionally, after this dance, the couple dances with family members and friends as well.
2. The Wedding Cake
In Ancient Rome, weddings were ended with scone-like wheat or barley cake broken over the bride’s head to symbolize fertility and luck. This is just one of many origins of the tradition of wedding cakes. Now, the bride and groom usually feed each other a piece of cake. This is a cute and sometimes hilarious tradition that many look forward to after the wedding. It’s not unheard of for one or more people to get cake smashed on their face at this part!
Another wedding cake tradition you may not have known is that people save the top-tier wedding cake. The idea of this old-fashioned tradition was for the couple to freeze this part of the cake, have a baby within a year, then celebrate its baptism with that cake. Although this is an interesting idea, a year-old cake does not seem appetizing to most people.
3. Throwing Rice
This tradition has mostly been replaced by more appropriate substitutions (sparklers, bubbles, and so on), but this is a part of the newlywed’s grand exit. This tradition also came from ancient Rome, as it also was meant to bring fertility to the couple. As times changed, it was also meant to bring the couple positivity and prosperity. Now, it’s more than just a fun and exciting way to send the new couple off to their new life as husband and wife. You’ve probably seen pictures of sparklers at weddings since this is pretty common. It is an adorable and memorable way to conclude the celebration!
4. Matching Bridesmaid’s Dresses
This tradition may seem like a perfectionist made it up, but it has an interesting origin. In Roman times, people believed evil spirits attended weddings to curse the groom and bride. In an attempt to save them, the bridal party would dress identical to the bride in hopes that it would confuse the spirits and leave. These matching outfits were meant to bring good luck. Now, bridal parties mostly stick to a style and color, but matching dresses are almost always displayed at weddings.
5. The Garter Toss/Bouquet Throw
Both the garter toss and bouquet throw have similar ideologies behind them. The garter toss is a fun, playful event that many fathers don’t look forward to. This is where the groom usually uses his teeth to get the garter from the bride’s upper thigh. He then throws it to the men, and whoever catches it is supposed to have good luck and be next to marry. This is basically the same thing as the bouquet toss for the women. It’s just a fun and exciting event many look forward to.
These are just a few of a long, long list of interesting traditions to consider. There are so many more with even more interesting origins and meanings. At the end of the day, these traditions can or don’t have to be followed or can even be altered to fit your wants and needs. While they don’t have to be included in your wedding, they are entertaining and interesting to learn about!
