In 1942, if you were getting married to a military person, you could use the
special white parachute silk, specially reserved for military use, by special
permission of the congress. Before queen Victoria's day brides wore any color
they liked and so did the bridesmaids but Queen Victoria changed all that and wedding
dresses have usually been white ever since.

The month of June was usually chosen, way back when, so that they would
still be able to go out into the fields to bring in the crops in September even
if they were pregnant.

Why two envelopes for invitations? Invitations in those days were hand
delivered and the outer envelope was designed to keep the inner one free of dirt
and dust.

The expression "Tying the knot" came from the custom of tying the couples
wrists together with reeds etc.

The custom of kissing the bride right after the ceremony comes from ancient
Roman days. A kiss was considered a legal binding contract by the Romans.

In 1600 AD the wedding cake was a symbol of purity and were first tiered on
top of each other at that time. Queen Victoria's cake was 9 feet tall. The
custom of sending a piece of the cake to friends came from the belief that if a
woman placed the cake beneath her pillow she would dream of the man she would
marry. Wedding cakes in England are NOT sponge but a heavy fruit cake and the
icing is called "Royal Icing" and is solid as a rock.

Throwing the garter comes from a time when it was believed that if you tore
off a piece of the brides gown you would have good luck, so the brides started
throwing the garter instead of having her gown ruined.

The honeymoon is so named because the B/G would hide for a month ( one moon)
and drink mead which was laced with honey. The bride was carried over the
threshold to keep her safe from evil spirits.

Tiffany's in New York says that engagement rings start at $950 and go up to
one million. Giving a ring gave rise to the expression "Asking for her hand". In
1886 Tiffany's was able to offer affordable engagement rings because of the
sudden discovery of South Africa's diamond mines. They also say that the ring
should cost the equivalent of two months salary for the man.

The bridesmaids dresses were often ugly, but why? The maids were symbols of
purity and often dressed like the bride to ward off evil spirits.

The "Bridal Shower" goes back 300 years to one father who did not like his
daughter's choice of a husband and refused to give her a dowry. The villagers
heard of this and got together to "Shower" her with gifts.

Throwing rice comes from the belief that if any sticks to the bride she will
become a mother within a year.

The toast goes back to 1600 when the men would always toast the women. "The Ladies".

A Vera Wang gown starts at $15,000 but most ordinary gowns start at $2,000.

THE WEDDING RING - Wedding rings are circular because circles represent eternity: They have no end and no beginning. So the round wedding ring symbolizes eternal love.

WHICH SIDE OF THE ALTAR? - At the altar, the groom traditionally stands on the bride's right side. In olden days, Mr. Groom would have held Mrs. Bride with his left hand and wielded a sword with his right.

CARRYING YOUR BRIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD - You know you're expected to carry your bride over the threshold into your new home. The reason why? In Roman times, it was considered bad luck if the bride stumbled when entering her new home for the first time.

DECORATING THE GETAWAY CAR - Wondering why best men have traditionally insisted on tying tin cans to the back of the newlyweds' getaway car? The custom is thought to bring good luck: The noise frightens away evil spirits.

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