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Why
does the bride wear a veil? How come the groom
stands to the right, the bride to the left?
What's with the tin cans tied to the back of
the car and honking horns?
If
you've ever sat in the congregation at a wedding
and wondered about the details, this newsletter
is just for you. We went looking
for answers, and were surprised by a number
of them -- you will be, too.
Best wishes
to the soon-to-be-wed!
See you soon,
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company
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Wedding
Day Rhyme
Something
Old,
Something New,
Something Borrowed,
Something Blue,
and a Silver Sixpence
in Her Shoe.... |
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Wedding
Gift COUPON
Searching for just
the right wedding gift for one of the many weddings
you're sure to attend this spring? You can give
the bride a gift of preserved memories with
our Wedding Gown
Preservation package. Her gown
will be specially cleaned after the big day
(and all its little accidents) and then packaged
in an archival chest. Bring
in this coupon and exchange it for a gift certificate
for Wedding Gown Preservation, and we'll give
you 10% off the price of the service.
(Include first page of
this e-mail with your order. Offer expires June
21, 2005. Cannot be combined with other offers.) |
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The
History Behind the Traditions
By the time we grow
up, we've attended several weddings -- often
including our own. Weddings are both a time
for creativity on the part of the bride and
groom, and also a time to steep themselves in
tradition. But what's behind all that tradition? |
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So
THAT'S why we do it!
The modern Western
idea of marriage is far from the way it has
been throughout most of human history. The
idea of a man and woman meeting, dating, deciding
to set up housekeeping and raise children
would have been an aberration not that long
ago. And don't even bring up the concept of
"meaningful relationships!"
- Wedding
-- the word "wedd" comes from the Anglo-Saxon
and refers to purchasing
a bride for breeding purposes.
It is related to the word for "gamble"
-- which it was for the groom. He often
didn't see the bride until the wedding
day (hence the
veil, to keep him from
refusing to go through with it.) The
woman's father
escorted her to the groom
to complete the transaction (and probably
prevent any escape.)
- Wedding
Party -- Before
civilized negotiations were brought
into the picture, grooms often kidnapped
their brides from other
clans or families. The Best
Man was along to fight
off the bride's family and ensure she
made it to the church. (This is also
why the Groom
stands to the right,
so he can hold onto his bride with the
left hand and fight off the family with
the right.)Later, Bridesmaids
were added to assist
the bride. Initially, all members of
the wedding party dressed
identically to the bride and groom --
alternately explained as keeping the
evil spirits confused, or to hide the
real ones from angry family members
trying to stop the marriage.
- Wedding
and Engagement Rings
-- The tradition of a diamond
engagement ring comes
from the Italians, who felt the fiery
stones came from the heart of love.
In sealing the deal of "buying" a wife,
precious stones were often given, and
they evolved into a ring for the woman
to wear. The wedding
ring is worn on the
4th finger of the left hand because
the Romans and Egyptians both believed
the vein running from this finger went
directly to the heart. (In the Middle
Ages, Catholics moved it to the right
hand, and many European couples still
wear the rings there to this day.)
-
Wedding
Showers -- If a father
didn't like the suitor selected for his
daughter, he might refuse to contribute
to the daughter's dowery and household goods.
Friends then pitched in to fill the gap.
At one such party, the hostess put all the
gifts in an
umbrella and opened it over
the head of the bride, letting them "shower"
down over her. Reports of
this went far and wide and the name stuck.
(That would have hurt, if they'd invented
toasters back then!)
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Wedding
Attire -- Women and
men used to wear their best clothes. In
1499, Ann of Brittany made the white
dress popular, and in the
mid 1800s Queen Victoria was married in
white, with
a lace veil. It's been the
standard ever since. Prior to that time,
blue was the
color of purity, and so
women and men would wear robes with a blue
stripe along the bottom -- hence the "Something
Blue" in the Wedding rhyme.
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Garters
and Bouquets -- Why
do they throw these? Hundreds of years ago,
wedding party guests not only observed the
wedding ceremony, but the consummation of
the marriage as well (we kid you not.) They
brought away
the garter as proof they'd
observed the deed. Eventually, the grooms
started throwing
them the garter to get rid
of the guests. Later, brides began throwing
their bouquets to unmarried
women for good luck.
-
Wedding
Cake -- Weddings used
to be "bring your own food" affairs. Earliest
weddings included the breaking
of a loaf of bread over the bride's head
as a symbol of fertility and plenty. Then
guests began piling
up pastries they'd brought
along and the bride and groom had to kiss
over the pile without knocking it over --
if they succeeded, they'd be lucky in their
marriage. A Frenchman visiting the court
of King Charles II in England thought that
was a bit gross and suggested
the piled pastries be replaced with a palace
made of cake, iced and decorated.
Thank goodness he did!
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Horns,
cans and more -- Weddings
used to be celebrated with the firing
of guns, which is not very
practical in our modern culture. In place
of it, we blow
our car horns as we follow
the bridal couple. A French tradition called
chiverie involved
the playing
of pranks on the couple,
including interrupting them and making them
pay a bribe to be allowed to be left in
peace. If you've seen the show Oklahoma,
you'll remember the scene where the main
characters receive a chiverie of pan-banging,
bell-clanging friends hauling them out of
their room and teasing them. Today we substitute
tying noisy
tin cans and other items
to the back of the wedding car.
-
The
Wedding Rhyme -- A bride
is told to include Something
Old in her wedding attire
to symbolize her ties to her old life and
her family. She includes Something
New to symbolize her ties
to her groom and new family. Something
Borrowed symbolizes the
help that people have given and will give
in times of need. Something
Blue comes from the old
tradition of blue symbolizing purity. And
the Silver Sixpence
in Her Shoe of course is
for good luck and wealth.
Every wedding
is different and expresses the personalities
of the people involved. But weddings not only
tie people together; they tie them to the past
and to every other couple that has married before
them. No wonder the moment the bride appears
is so magical, and the emotion that wells up
in us against our will so powerful. The endless
pageantry is a renewal of hope and love every
time we witness it.
After the last
handful of rice or birdseed has been thrown,
the last horn has honked and the newlyweds are
off to their new life, you
may look down and discover part of the wedding
feast has attached itself to your festive best
clothes. Remember
that we're always ready to treat them like the
special garments they are, to get you ready
for the next big event in your life.
Happy
Wedding to all who will march the aisle this
Spring!
Read
more about this topic:
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Wedding
Traditions from
Birthday Express.com. -- an explanation
of the source of terms and traditions.
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
During the wedding season special attention
is always spend on details, including the brides
dress both before and after the wedding.
Click
on the symbol to the right if your would like
to send this and future newsletters to a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
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International
Fabricare Institute
Iris
City Cleaners
is a proud member of the International Fabricare
Institute, a premier association of Dry
Cleaners, Wet Cleaners, and Launderers dedicated
to the advancement of technologies and service
to the textile industry. |
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