For those who missed the grand finale of “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?” and for those who aren’t completely steeped in American wedding culture, the notion of hideous bridesmaid dresses and other bizarre customs may seem a tad erroneous. But many of these traditions have origins that date back hundreds of years.
According to http://www.bridestuff.com, the popular wedding rhyme that requires a bride and groom to obtain “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe” originated in the Victorian era. “Something old” was worn in hopes that the bride and groom would sustain their friendships from when they were still bachelors and bachelorettes; “something borrowed” was usually an item of import to the bride’s family — such as a family heirloom — which the bride had to return eventually to ensure good luck; “something blue” has its origins in Israeli weddings, when brides wore blue ribbons in their hair to symbolize fidelity; and the “silver sixpence” was to ensure wealth for the newlyweds.
And why does Billy Idol sing about a “White Wedding?” According to bridestuff.com, the first- known white wedding dress in Europe was worn by Anne of Brittany for her marriage to Louis XII in 1499. Before that, women usually just wore their best dress. In China and Japan, white wedding dresses were worn to symbolize mourning for the bride’s departure from her family. By the 20th century, white had come to symbolize the joy of the wedding day.
According to http://www.amomslove.com, a bridesmaid’s place in the wedding originated in a bizarre kidnapping ritual in which the man and his best men (hence the term “best man”) would attempt to abduct the bride-to-be. Bridesmaids were supposed to dress like the bride to act as decoys. In ancient Rome, the bridesmaids acted as decoys for evil spirits. According to modern convention, bridesmaids are dressed in less flattering dresses to not “outshine” the bride.
The placement of the bride and groom also originated in this kidnaping ritual, according to the Web site for Kendrick’s Designer Images. In the original custom, when the bride was kidnapped, she was placed on her groom’s left side for protection. Additionally, grooms had to leave their right side open in case they had to draw their sword.
The dreaded meeting of in-laws is hardly a modern convention. In fact, the honeymoon was originally a month the newlywed couple spent in seclusion drinking honeyed wine and hiding from their new in-laws, who might attempt to separate them.
Richard Wagner’s Bridal Chorus is the bona fide wedding song, which was written in 1848 for Lohengrin, an opera based on a German legend. Nearly as popular is Felix Mendolssohn’s Wedding March. Both songs were popularized by Victoria, princess of Great Britain and Empress of Germany, when she used them in her marriage to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, according to http://www.hell-vetica.com.