Ten Unusual Wedding Facts
As an award-winning Shropshire wedding venue (we were voted Best Town Venue in the West Midlands) we thought we’d share a few unusual facts about weddings …
- The term “best man” dates back to the times when Scotsmen kidnapped their future brides. The friend of the groom who had excelled at the abduction was acclaimed to be the best man.
- The largest wedding attendance was a Jewish wedding in Jerusalem in 1993 where 30,000 people attended.
- Life in the 1500’s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
- February 10th is World Marriage Day.
- About 70% of all brides wear the traditional diamond on the fourth finger of their left hand.
- In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds’ home as a symbol of fertility and luck.
- The custom of tiered cakes came from a game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over an ever-higher cake without knocking it over.
- Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the 4th finger of the left hand because it was thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart. The vein was called vena amori, or the vein of love, and early writings on matrimonial procedure suggested that it would be appropriate for one’s wedding ring to be worn on that special finger.
- Queen Victoria started the Western world’s white wedding dress trend in 1840 – before then, brides simply wore their best dress.
- The custom of carrying the bride over the threshold stems from the same belief that aroused the idea of runway carpet and strewing the aisle with flowers and petals. It was an ancient belief that the newly married couple was very susceptible to evil spirits. By carrying the bride and supplying a protective layer between the floor and bride, she would be protected from the ground monster.
Hadley Park House Hotel – award-winning wedding venue in Telford
