Why the bride throws the bouquet and more: Meanings behind 9 wedding traditions

Let's take a moment to reflect on some of the traditions you'll be seeing at the next "big day" for your friends. Though we already exposed the meaning behind some of the most typical wedding traditions as well as others that are specific to black weddings, we realized we left off a few things. Here they are

THE WHITE DRESS

For centuries in the US, brides wore white, but not only to denote virginity—it was also thought to ward off evil spirits. In Eastern Europe, however, yellow was the preferred color until around the 1500's, after Queen Victoria allegedly married in a silver dress, and the popularity of that hue eventually transitioned to white.

THROWING THE BOUQUET

Brides used to be subject to all sorts of pranks and humiliation, including tearing pieces of the bridal dress off and carrying her to a room where she was expected to "consummate" the marriage on the spot. Tossing the bouquet was a form of distraction so the bride could escape these torments.

THE GROOM'S FLOWER

Flowers abound at weddings, from the bride to the bridesmaids, to the alter top, to the lining of the isle, but you only see the flower on the groom in one place: his coat pocket. This stems from the medieval tradition in which a knight would wear his lady's colors somewhere on his person, to signify his love.

BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES

Being a bridesmaid went beyond fighting off evil spirits: the bridesmaids dresses used to look almost identical to the bride's dress to confuse any jealous ex-lovers who may try to swoop in and capture the bride mid-vows!

MAID OF HONOR DUTIES

Today the maid of honor is expected to help with the planning of the wedding, including setting up decorations, arranging the bridal shower and bachelorette party. But if you think that's tough, this originated from the fact that ancient bridesmaids had to make all the decorations themselves.

KISSING THE BRIDE

This isn't just so onlookers can get a good peek. Originally, the kiss was believed to allow the spirits of the bride and groom to pass into one another, there to remain for eternity. (That was way before the concept of divorce, of course).

FLOWER GIRLS

Since procreation was the main purpose of arranged marriages back in the day, fertility was a major concern for newlywed couples. Flower girls were instituted into the wedding ceremony to carry sheafs of wheat and bouquets of herbs to symbolize blessings of fertility for the pair to be wed.

CARRYING THE BRIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD

There are many origins behind this tradition, but a popular one was the belief that, should a bride stumble when entering her marital home for the first time, that would bring bad luck to the marriage. Carrying her over the threshold was intended to prevent this.

KEEPING THE LEFTOVERS

You may have noticed that brides refuse to throw away the leftover food after a wedding. These are to be taken home by guests, or donated, but never dumped. This stems from a time way before birth control, when it was assumed a baby christening would come shortly after a wedding…right on its tails in fact, since the purpose of the wedding was probably a pregnancy. Rather than buy or make more food, the wedding food was saved for the baby christening.

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