Check out these little known wedding facts that WE affectionately call Factzillas.
Select a category:
- Wedding Attire
- Where It All Began
- Good vs. Evil
- Throwing Things
- It's A Cultural Thing
- By The Numbers
Wedding Attire
It is said that President Teddy Roosevelt popularized the wearing
of the tuxedo for modern wedding ceremonies.
Originally worn to hide the bride from abductors, the veil
is now considered a symbol of youth and innocence.
Queen Victoria made white the bridal color of choice when
she wore it to wed Prince Albert in 1840. Before, brides simply
wore their best dress.
Something Old...Something New
"Something old" represents a desire for the bride
and groom to stay close with their friends when they enter
the world of marriage.
"Something new" expresses hope for the couple's
future health and happiness.
"Something blue" symbolizes purity and fidelity.
The veil dates back to ancient Rome, when it was flame-yellow,
always worn over the face, and called a flammeum. It was
used to protect the bride from evil spirits.
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Where It All Began
The word "bride" is Old English and was a name for
"cook".
In Roman times a kiss was seen as a legal bond that
sealed all contracts, and has become a staple ending
to a wedding ceremony.
The term "honeymoon" comes from the one-moon phase
when the newlyweds went away and drank mead (a wine
made from honey), which would make them more amorous
and likely lead to the bride becoming pregnant.
Life in the 1500s: Most people got married in June
because they took their yearly bath in May and were
still smelling satisfactory by June. However, to hide
burgeoning body odor, brides carried a bouquet of
flowers.
According to various sources, some early marriages
were literally carried out by the groom and his bridesmen
who would kidnap a woman from another tribe!
Prior to the 5th century, the ring finger was the
index finger. Later it was believed that the third
finger contained the "vein of love" that
led directly to the heart.
Princess Victoria established the tradition of playing
Wagner's "Bridal Chorus" during her wedding processional
in 1858.
Legend says that single women will dream of their
future husbands if they sleep with a sliver of groom's
cake under their pillows.
"Tie the knot" comes from Roman times, when the bride
wore a girdle tied in knots that the groom later untied.
The Roman goddess Juno rules over marriage, the hearth,
and childbirth, hence the popularity of June weddings.
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Good vs. Evil
Early brides and maids wore similar dresses to confuse
evil spirits who were believed to cause mischief.
In ancient times, it was believed that a bride was
especially lucky on her wedding day. Guests would
sometimes tear at her dress for a souvenir of good
luck to take home.
For ancient Greeks and Romans, the bride's bouquet
was a pungent mix of garlic, herbs and grains in order
to ward off evil spirits, insure a fruitful union
and to cover the stench emitting from people who had
not bathed recently.
If a cat sneezes on the day before a wedding, the
bride will be lucky in her marriage.
If the groom drops the ring during the ceremony,
the marriage is doomed.
According to English folklore, Saturday, the most
popular American choice, is the unluckiest day to
marry!
In Denmark, brides and grooms traditionally cross-dressed
to confuse evil spirits.
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Throwing Things
At wedding receptions, brides originally tossed a
garter rather than a bouquet. This changed in the
1300s, as brides were tired of fighting off drunken
men who tried to remove the garter themselves.
In ancient England, friends of the bride and groom
would rip off their socks and throw them; the first
to hit the groom's nose would be the next to be married.
According to ancient Chinese practices, throwing
rice after the ceremony was believed to bestow fertility
upon the bride and groom.
An old English custom concluded the wedding with
guests throwing shoes at the couple and their departing
carriage. Today, this custom is upheld by tying shoes
to the newlywed's car.
The bride's tossing of her wedding bouquet grew from
her desire to offer a good luck souvenir to take home.
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It's A Cultural Thing
In a Jewish ceremony, the veiling originated from
the story of Jacob, who didn't see the face of his
bride prior to his wedding. As such, he was tricked
into marrying Leah instead of his intended (Rachel).
An Italian custom is to present five sugarcoated
almonds to the guests, which represent health, wealth,
long life, fertility and happiness.
Many cultures believe that during the wedding kiss,
couples exchange spirits and parts of their souls
with their breath.
During the Roman Empire, wedding cakes were baked
of wheat or barley. The groom broke this cake over
the bride’s head as a symbol of her fertility.
Some Jewish weddings take place under a canopy called
a chuppah, which signifies the new home about to be
shared by the newlyweds.
When marriages were arranged, the bride's face would
be covered with a veil until the ceremony was complete.
That way, it would be too late for the groom to run
off if he didn't like the look of his bride.
A bride's trousseau traditionally included lingerie
and table linens.
Some Italian brides may choose to carry a white silk
or satin purse called a "busta" to store
gifts of money.
In Jewish ceremonies the groom stomps and breaks
the wine glass, symbolizing the destruction of the
Holy Temple in Israel and reminding guests that
love is fragile.
In Mexico, red beads are sometimes tossed at newlyweds
to bring them good luck.
According to Hindu tradition, rain on your wedding
day is considered good luck.
Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead
of rice.
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By The Numbers
The longest known engagement is that of Octavio
Guillen and Adriana Martinez, who finally
married after 67 years.
The oldest recorded bride is that of Australian
Minnie Munro who was 102 when she married
her boy toy groom of 82.
New Yorkers Richard and Carole Roble enjoy
marrying so much, they’ve taken their
vows 55 times.
The most frequent number of bridesmaids is
four, including the maid of honor.
The longest wedding dress train was from
Germany, and was 515 feet.
In 2000, the average bride was 24 years old
and the average groom was 28.
74% of all brides receive a diamond engagement
ring. Of those, 60% are involved in picking
out their ring while 3% actually pick it out
themselves.
80% of brides plan formal weddings.
The number of marriages in the U.S. has averaged
2.25 - 2.4 million every year for the past
20 years.
In almost 50% of US weddings either the bride
or groom has been married previously.
62% of weddings have a flower girl, while
56% have a ring bearer.
The average wedding costs $18,874 with 186
guests.
17 tons of gold are made into wedding rings
each year in the United States.
The most expensive wedding ever was the marriage
of Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum to Princess
Salama in Dubai in May 1981. The price tag?
$44 million.
Queen Victoria's wedding cake weighed a whopping
300 pounds.
August is the top month for weddings; June
is the second favorite.
On average, 7,000 couples marry each day
in the United States.
Weddings are a $25.3 billion industry.
More than half of all weddings take place
in the afternoon.
The average engagement is 16 months, up from
11 months in 1990.
The average ring costs $2000.
Destination weddings tripled between 1997
and 1999 - from 3% to 11%.
More than 4.2 million unmarried couples live
together.
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