10 Wedding customs from yesteryear that might seem pretty weird these days

Every woman imagines the perfect wedding in her own way. Some dream of getting married in the country, others, in a pompous ballroom with several guests. However, regardless of the location, most agree that the marriage has to happen for love. However, in the past, young people could only see each other for the first time after the ceremony, the main dish was barley bread and the bouquet was not made of flowers.

we, from awesome.club, we’ve rounded up wedding traditions from the past that might seem quite surprising these days. Check out!

In the Middle Ages, marriages did not require the presence of witnesses and did not have to be registered. All you had to do to get married was say your vows. It didn’t matter if it happened at home, on the street, in a store or while traveling. Therefore, any woman could become a wife in the middle of the street.

In the future, due to the difficulty of proving the fact of marriage between commoners (which was used for personal gain by both men and women), the presence of a registrar gradually became mandatory.

Until the 19th century, any new and beautiful dress was used for the wedding, most often in bright colors, as white was not only impractical, it was also considered dismal. Therefore, the most popular colors were green (symbol of youth) and blue (symbol of purity).

The fashion for white dresses appeared about 180 years ago, after newspapers ran the news about the wedding of Queen Victoria, who chose to wear a white dress for the ceremony.

In the Middle Ages, the wedding bouquet was made from garlic and dill, and it was a vital necessity. That’s because it helped brides mask the smell of body odor.

It was already customary to serve something to celebrate the marriage of a new couple. In Russia, the custom was for a loaf of bread to be shared between the newlyweds and then the pieces distributed among the guests. In Ancient Rome, wheat or barley bread was broken over the bride’s head. In medieval England, hot buns were made and placed on top of each other and the couple had to kiss on top of them.

Sweet pies with something like icing started to appear only from the 16th century, when sugar started to become more accessible.

The choice of wedding date depended on various beliefs, especially those associated with the days of the week. English folklore said that Wednesday was the best day to get married, that Monday promised wealth, Tuesday — health, but Saturday was the worst day to get married.

The dowry has been an integral part of the wedding ceremony in many cultures for centuries, and to this day the custom of preparing a dowry for the bride is still practiced in some regions of the world. In the past, it was a conditional gift to the groom’s family and was offered by the girl’s parents. The dowry was mandatory and could significantly increase the attractiveness of the bride in the eyes of matchmakers, regardless of her appearance.

Thanks to movies, almost everyone has heard the expression “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”. This tradition originated in the Victorian era and comes from ancient English rhyming verses where everything listed was intended to protect the bride from the forces of evil. The blue element was a garter belt on the bride’s leg, which was to be borrowed from a woman who already had a child; the old something was something inherited by the family, connecting the bride to her past; and the something new was given by the groom’s family, which symbolized the creation of a new clan.

The superstition that seeing the future wife before the wedding dressed as a bride is bad luck still exists today. However, the superstition arose because the marriage was arranged by the parents, and the bride and groom could only see each other after they had taken their vows, when it was impossible to escape from a bridegroom or bride they didn’t like very much.

In the old days, the bride’s family would have to organize the wedding and pay all expenses. Her family members paid for the invitations, jewelry, food and drinks at the party, as well as the dress and clothes worn after the wedding. The groom’s family paid for the bouquet, rings, the services of the clergyman, a gift for the bride, as well as the honeymoon.

In the old days, it was believed that the veil made the bride look like a candle flame, as it completely enveloped her. The main purpose of creating such an image was to keep the bride safe from any evils that might threaten her, spoil her special day and the whole event.

Also, as many marriages were arranged, a long veil and train were especially necessary for brides who married older men. This would prevent them from running away from the marriage, as the bulky fabric would tangle in their legs and prevent them from moving freely.

Do you know any other ancient wedding traditions? Tell us in the comments section.