Meaning of "Wedding" "Wedding" literally meant the purchase of a bride for breeding purposes. The word
wedding comes from the root meaning to "gamble" or "wager". The Anglo-Saxon word
"wedd" meant that the
groom would vow to marry the woman, but it also meant the money or barter that the groom paid the bride's father. This is believed why it is still customary for the father-of-the-bride to "give away" his daughter.
Meaning of "Bridal"Term
"Bridal" came from the "brew". The
bride and groom would drink, and was referred to as "bryd ealu" or "bride's ale," which evolved into "bridal".
Meaning of "White" Color in Bride's dressColor "White" was denoted as purity and virginity, which was thought to ward off evil spirits, for centuries. But in Ancient Rome, yellow was the socially accepted color for a bride's wedding attire, and a veil of flame-hued yellow. The veil or "flammeum" covered the face. There are two women noted to have made the white wedding gown popular; Anne of Brittany in 1499 and Queen Victoria, who broke the tradition of royals by marrying in silver. By the late eighteenth century, white had become the standard wedding color. Before the introduction of the white wedding gown a woman just wore her best dress.
Meaning of "Wedding Veil" | | Related to the days when the groom would throw a blanket over the head of the woman of choice when he captured and carted her off.
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| | Veil is also related to the arranged marriages when the bride's face was covered until the groom was committed to the bride at the ceremony, so it would be too late for him to escape if he did not like the looks of his bride.
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| | It is also related to protect the bride from evil spirits that would be floating around on her wedding day.
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| | A woman's face covered by a veil meant that she was spoken for.
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| | Unmarried women wore veils throughout life as a sign of modesty and by married women as a sign of submissiveness to heir husbands.
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| | Among Greeks and Romans by the 4th century BC, sheer translucent veils were the vogue at weddings.
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Meaning of "Bouquet" & Throwing It AwayAnything worn by the bride was and is considered good luck. The
bouquet was considered a
sign of happiness. Another reason to throw the bouquet into the crowd by bride is to distract the crowd so that she could escape.
Meaning of "Bridal Flowers"Carrying flowers by the bride has its roots in ancient times. Strong smelling herbs and spices were thought to ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. Garlic and chives were popular for the same reason.
During Roman times, this tradition was extended, with the bride and groom wearing floral garlands signifying new life and hope for fertility.
The
bouquetsymbolized a woman in bloom. During Victorian times, flowers took an additional significance, as lovers would send messages to each other using different flowers, with each flower having its own meaning. These associations were soon adopted for the bride's bouquets and are still used today by many brides.
The groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the Bridal Bouquet in his buttonhole. This stems from the medieval tradition of a Knight wearing his lady's colors, as a declaration of his love.
Read more Wedding Traditions