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    All About Weddings
    All About Weddings
    All About Weddings
    Ebook78 pages51 minutes

    All About Weddings

    By Ellen Bell

    ()

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    About this ebook

    From the engagement to the honeymoon, the act of getting married is surrounded with tradition and superstition. In All About Weddings, the ultimate question-and-answer book on matrimony, light is shed on the mysteries behind the rituals and rites of marriage; the past, present, and future of the enduring ceremony are explored worldwide; and the meaning of everything from boutonniere and confetti to woo and wet bargain is explained. Along the way you’ll also discover:

    • What is the origin of the word "wedding"
    • Why does the bride throw her bouquet?
    • What is a shivaree?
    • Why are cakes served at weddings?
    • Where did the expression "tie the knot" come from?
    • Why does a bride have bridesmaids?
    • How did the custom of a dowry originate?
    • How did "stag parties" originate?
    • What is the highest-grossing wedding movie of all time?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDundurn
    Release dateJul 28, 2008
    ISBN9781459718081
    All About Weddings

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      Book preview

      All About Weddings - Ellen Bell

      World

      Preface

      Say the word wedding and, for most people, the same pictures will immediately come to mind. The nervous groom and his best man wait with a clergyman at the altar of a church in front of a congregation of family and friends. An organist plays The Wedding March, and the bride — dressed in a beautiful white gown — walks down the aisle arm in arm with her proud father. In front of them is a little flower girl and possibly a little boy, who is the ring bearer. Following them are the bridesmaids, also wearing lovely gowns. They are escorted by the ushers. All of the males in the wedding party are formally dressed. At the altar, the father of the bride passes his daughter over to the groom. There is a ceremony in which the couple exchanges vows, the groom places a ring on the bride’s finger, and the clergyman pronounces them man and wife. The groom kisses the bride, and women in the congregation wipe their eyes. Then everyone goes outside for photographs and showers of confetti before they get into cars for a horn-honking drive to the reception hall.

      Of course, not every wedding fits this picture. But for every familiar ritual mentioned here — and many others — there is an origin in history and lore. Wedding ceremonies and the customs that precede and follow them are well steeped in tradition and superstition. In this book we look at some of the facts and legends that surround those two famous words: I do.

      Going to the

      Chapel

      What is a wedding?

      A wedding is a ceremony — whether it is simple or elaborate, civil or religious — in which two people are joined together in matrimony. Usually the wedded partners are male and female, but in many jurisdictions same-sex marriages are now legal and becoming more commonplace.

      What is the origin of the word wedding?

      The old Anglo-Saxon word wedd meant pledge. The pledge in this case wasn’t between the bride and groom. Rather, it was the groom’s pledge to the bride’s father that he would care for her, and of course, pay the father for her. (This is also the origin of the word wages.)

      When was the first wedding?

      The first recorded weddings took place in ancient Egypt. The bride simply had to move into the groom’s house to be considered legally married, but the event was usually marked with a celebration. Anthropologists have concluded that, in pre-historic cultures all over the world, marriages were performed in many ways, sometimes with much ritual and sometimes with none at all. Hunter-gatherer societies probably didn’t have as much time or as many resources to celebrate weddings as did agricultural societies.

      Why did ancient peoples have weddings?

      In ancient times it was important that marriages be both legally recognized and acceptable to the gods. A wedding was a way of announcing to one and all that a man and woman were now husband and wife. It solidified political connections, ownership of land and other property, military alliances, and the legitimacy of children. It also helped prevent incest in places where such close family relationships were not acceptable. Wedding ceremonies usually asked the gods to bless the union with prosperity and children.

      Who arranged weddings in ancient times?

      Weddings were usually arranged by the parents of the bride and groom, often when the future spouses were still small children. Sometimes a wedding was arranged by the prospective groom and the father of the prospective bride. Romantic love usually had nothing to do with it, and the bride rarely had any say in the matter.

      Ten Countries in Which

      Most Marriages Are

      Still Arranged

      • Afghanistan

      • Albania

      • Algeria

      • Azerbaijan

      • Bahrain

      • Bangladesh

      • Cambodia

      • Gambia

      • India

      • Indonesia

      What was marriage by proxy?

      This generally happened among royalty and the nobility. If for some reason one of the partners could not be at the wedding in person, the marriage ceremony was nonetheless carried out with the other partner. This could happen in time of war or for political reasons. In 1625, King Charles I of England was married by proxy to Princess Henrietta Maria of France. The ceremony was held at the door of Notre Dame Cathedral without Charles being present.

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