WHERE DO SOME OF OUR WEDDING TRADITIONS COME FROM? PART II

In our next blog we shed some more light on the roots of and reasons behind some of our most cherished wedding customs:

WEDDING RINGS

Without the exchange of the rings a wedding just doesn’t seem to be complete. It plays a significant role in validating the marriage and making it official and visible for everyone to see. Wedding rings are an ancient tradition that can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where rings made of reeds were exchanged as a symbol of love. They later became popular in Rome and from there spread around the Western world.

BRIDESMAIDS

The custom of the bride to have bridesmaids can be traced back to ancient Rome. In these times there was a fear that brides might be captured or taken away by evil spirits. For this reason, many handmaidens dressed the same as the bride to confuse the spirits. Today bridesmaids are usually the closest friends of the bride and provide her with emotional and physical support.

FLOWER GIRLS

Many marriages would be arranged for political or economic reasons in the past and the bride was usually expected to have children. So it became the custom to have little girls carry wheat and herbs as a symbol of fertility before the bride. These herbal bouquets were also said to bring good luck and fortune to the couple. Later herbs and grains were replaced with garlic, which was thought to be an effective way to ward off evil spirits. Then flower girls carried blooms or a circular floral hoop as a symbol of eternal love as a tradition.

Follow us in our next blog to learn more about the meanings behind further wedding traditions.

The Harrison Jazz Ensemble, a Jazz band in the Greater Tampa Bay Area and Roger Harrison, a solo piano player and singer, will be happy to bring just the right music for your unique wedding celebration. Life music is another tradition used since ancient times to celebrate meaningful and important events.