A wedding ceremony occurs when a bride and a groom solemnly pledge themselves to one another for a lifetime, some say for eternity, in the presence of friends and family. Celebrated today, as it has been throughout history, even to Biblical days, marriage and a wedding have been considered a sacred and solemn yet happiest event. Every culture considers a wedding, when the bride and groom enter their marriage as two individuals and becoming inextricably a part of each other, creating a new family, as the highest of all celebrations.
As the saying goes, Love makes the world go around.
Most cultures celebrate the love, devotion and commitment called wedding, with unique customs and traditions. Because the wedding is a wonderful and touching event, brides and grooms want both ceremony and reception to be personalized and unique to them. Thus, they look for meaningful experiences and often adopt customs and traditions of cultures other than their own.
The USA and recently to many other countries have become homes to people from all over the world. These people enrich the cultures with their Old Country customs, traditions and cuisine. Some traditions have become an integral pare of the modern wedding ceremony and reception.
Aisle Runner
The white aisle runner, signifies purity and a pathway into happiness. Sprinkled with rose petals the bride's path lead her to a sweet and happy future.
Bible
In many cultures, and religions it is traditional to give the bride and groom a keepsake bible as a wedding gift. It is also considered important that the bride carry one to the wedding ceremony to signify God as witnessing and blessing the marriage.
Blue - Something Blue
In ancient Israel, brides wore a blue ribbon to signify love, modesty, purity and fidelity.
Brides in many Latin-American countries wear a light blue slip beneath their dresses.
Bread, Salt and Wine Ceremony
An Eastern European tradition calls for the bride and groom to partake in bread sprinkled with salt and drink a sip of wine.
The interesting thing about this custom is that different cultures have different interpretations. So while according to Polish tradition the symbolism of the bread is hope that the couple will never go hungry, the salt that life will have its difficulties, and the wine is a blessing for health and happiness, - in Lithuanian tradition the symbolism of the bread is hard work, the salt tears and the wine joy.
bridal Bouquet
Wedding bouquets were originally made of such strong herbs as thyme and garlic, which were meant to frighten away evil spirits. Today most couples opt for flowers either because they are favorites, have special meaning or are in their wedding colors.
Bridal Handkerchief
Early farmers thought a bride's wedding tears were lucky and brought them rain for their crops. Later on in history, a crying bride meant that she would never shed another tear about her marriage. Today, the handkerchief that dabs away the tears of wedding joy and happiness is kept as a family heirloom, often in a frame or shadow box, until it is lovingly passed down from mother to daughter or to future daughter in law to use on her special day. She in turn is expected to continue the family tradition and pass it down to the next generation.
In Belgium, the family of the bride takes a handkerchief embroidered with the bride's name to the wedding. After the event, the handkerchief is displayed proudly in the family's home. As subsequent daughters in the family marry, their names are added and then displayed.
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