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The
wedding ring is usually worn on the third finger of the left hand.
People once thought that a vein or nerve in this finger ran directly
to the heart. |
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The most popular style
of wedding ring has always been a single unadorned band. |
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Snake
rings dotted with ruby eyes were popular
wedding bands in Victorian England -- the
coils winding into a circle symbolized
eternity |
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Some believe that it
is bad luck for a bride and groom to see each other before the
ceremony on their wedding day. |
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The custom of having
the groom carry the bride over the threshold probably comes from
the ancient practice of capturing a wife. However,
another belief is that the groom carries the
bride across the threshold to bravely
protect her from evil spirits lurking below |
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The roundness of a
wedding ring is believed to represent eternity and that it is
a symbol that the bride and groom are united forever. |
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In
earlier times, some think the best man's function was to be the
groom's strong-arm friend and help him escape from the bride's
father. The honeymoon may have been a waiting period for the bride's
parents to become less angry. |
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An old superstition
tells that the diamond's sparkle originated in the alchemists'
fires of love. |
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The use of a ring as
an engagement token comes from the ancient custom of using a ring
to seal any sacred or important agreement. |
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The
throwing of rice on the couple has always been
symbolic of wishing
prosperity and good luck. In the Orient,
throwing rice means, "May you always have a
full pantry." |
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For
much of history the rope was the most powerful way
to connect things and people. So, it made sense to
talk about "Tieing the
Knot"; It's also said to have
originated from the ancient Celtic
custom of hand-fasting, in which the
newly-wedded couple had their hands tied
together with an Endless Knot (or Eternity
Knot) in a symbolic ritual. |
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In
English tradition, Wednesday is considered
the "best day" to marry, although
Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for
health |
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The
tradition of tying shoes to the back of the
couple's car stems from Tudor times. Back
then, guests would throw shoes at the bride
and groom. If they or their carriage were
hit, it meant good luck was bestowed upon
them. |
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Hey,
brides, tuck a sugar cube into your glove --
according to Greek culture, the sugar will
sweeten your union |
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Flowers
are a big part of wedding ceremonies and
receptions. The groom is supposed to wear a
flower that appears in the bridal bouquet in
his button hole. This stems from the
medieval tradition of a knight wearing his
lady's colors to declare his love |
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Seeing
a rainbow, having sunshine on the bride, and meeting
a black cat or a chimney sweep are all lucky. Of
course you could run into some bad omens as well.
Bad omens are considered seeing a pig, hare or
lizard running across the road (not something we
usually have to worry about) or seeing an open
grave. |
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