Weddings are full of silly things that we often see but never fully understand. Most of the time it’s regarded as superstition. And nobody wants a bad marriage, so we do it because all those other people before us did it. That’s just not going to cut it in this house. So it has become our duty to find out why. Why do you throw the bouquet? Why something borrowed and blue? Why does the dad give the bride away? Why can’t the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony? Here are some of the answers we found.

Why does the bride stand on the left and the groom on the right?

It used to be that a man would get his best friend to help him steal the bride from her family. The woman would be on his left because he was most likely be wielding a sword with his right hand to battle off aggressive family members.

Why is there a best man?

To help fight off those aforementioned aggressive family members.

Why do we need bridesmaids?

It was believed that evil spirits would come to ruin the ceremony with mischief and black magic. Several other women, dressed extravagantly like the bride, would be used to confuse the evil spirits so they would not know who to pick on.

Why does the bride carry a bouquet?

Strong smelling herbs and flowers were used to ward off those same evil spirits.

Why toss the bouquet?

People believed that the bride could pass along good fortune. To get some of this good fortune the attendees would try to get a piece of her dress or flowers. The bride would throw the bouquet in order to distract the mob so she could flee. The single woman who catches the bouquet will receive her good fortune, and be the next to wed.

Why does the bride wear a veil?

Arranged marriages used to be all the rage.  A veil was used to hide the bride’s true appearance until it was too late to run away. Lori will not be needing a veil, ever.

Why old, new, borrowed, and blue?

• Old symbolizes her old (pre-marriage) life, so she won’t forget where she comes from.
• New symbolizes her future.
• Borrowed, an item from a previously wed bride, so that she will have all the luck and joy of the first bride to wear it.
• Blue used to be the color of purity, before Queen Victoria decided it didn’t fit her theme.

Why throw rice at the newly weded couple?

Pagans threw grain at the couple to shower the bride with fertility, making it easier for her to bare children. Yay for sparklers!

Resources:
http://www.njsweddingshop.com/wedding_superstitions.htm
http://www.gagirl.com/wedding/wedding7.html