Let us continue our look at a variety of wedding customs and traditions passed down from one generation to another.

Throwing Rice

Rice is a symbol of fertility. In years gone by, a newly married couple had grain, rice or nuts tossed on them as they left their wedding reception. Showering the couple with rich was meant as a way to shower them with blessing for a happy marriage and lots of children. In Asia the throwing of rice symbolized a “full pantry”.

Today the throwing of rice is meant for the blessings of prosperity, happiness and long life. Although traditionally rice was thrown, today it is often not.

Wedding Party

It was the belief of the ancient Romans that jealous demons meant to do harm to the soon-to-be-married couple. The wedding party, consisting of groomsmen and bridesmaids, was created in order to protect the couple. All of the members of the wedding party dressed in a manner similar to the bride and groom in order to confuse the demons. The demons, therefore, were unable to figure out which two people were getting married.

Tossing of the Garter

The garter toss of today comes from an old British ritual that was known as “flinging the stocking”. After a couple got married, the guests would make their way into the couple’s bedroom and take a stocking. The guest would then throw the stocking. The first guest that was able to hit the bride or the groom on the nose with the stocking was believed to be the next person who would get married.

Honeymoon

In years gone by, brides were captured by their grooms and then held hostage until their families made the decision to end the search. A close friend of the groom (which is how the tradition of the best man began) was given the job of keeping the bride’s family at bay in order for the couple to make their escape. The word “honeymoon” refers to the time that follows the capture. The newlyweds would hide for a period of 30 days (which equaled one full moon) and drink something called mead. Mead was a drink that was made from fermented honey and water. It is still used in many areas to toast newlyweds in modern society.

Threshold

The Romans carried their brides over the threshold in order that the demons would be unable to trip her and ruin her special day.