Traditions

Bride and Groom Seeing One Another before the Ceremony

This tradition does get lots of attention:

When brides were purchased in days of old, the custom was for the groom to pick his bride from a group of heavily veiled maidens, quite often the seller of the brides would substitue a less than desirable choice and resale the "chosen" one at next weeks sale. The groom would never know he had chosed the wrong maiden until he lifted the veiling.

Today that tradition has definitely been replaced with the bride and groom choosing their own mate. A lot of couples do see one another before the ceremony, so that pictures can be taken before the ceremony and just doing a few pictures after the ceremony. This is a real time saver. I like to arrange a "quiet time" before the picture taking begins, just the bride going up the aisle to meet her groom, usually takes about 10 minutes and it is a special time for the couple as that will probably be the only time they will have a few minutes for just the two of them throughout the wedding day. It also allows the couple to spend time with their guests during the cocktail time.

Wedding Tradions

Over the next few weeks, I thought I would write about wedding traditions......Where did they come from?

Before the engagement, traditionally, in the days when the man proposed on bended knee, the man asked his "intended's" father for permission to marry his daughter. The father would question the groom to be on his background, upbringing and financial abilites to support his daughter.
Today the couple's decison to marry most likely is made jointly, followed by a trip to the jeweler to get the engagement ring. While a man no longer needs permission, he should have the courtesy to discuss the marriage with the brides parents.
It used to be unacceptable for an engaged couple to be alone without a chaperone. Times have changed, today's major delimma may not be stealing a kiss but whether to tell the parents the couple is living together.
Historically, the cost of giving the wedding traces to the dowry and the bride price, used as encouragement by parents to marry off their daughters. The brides family paid for all the wedding expenses. However in today's world, the bride can probably hold her own with regard to helping with the household expenses. The traditions still holds; after the wedding the groom is responsible for supporting his wire, regardless of the practicalities of the marriage. Some families today divide the expenses of a wedding one third of the expenses, brides family, bride and groom and the groom's parents.