A Brief History of the customs and superstitions surrounding Weddings
The last century has seen a great deal of changes as far as women are concerned. Today a Bride goes willingly to the alter with the man of her choice and her bridal clothes have crystallised into a formal convention, so has the ceremony whether it takes place in a church, chapel or a registry office.
Back in the middle ages, women had no legal rights over their property after marriage, and often seem to have been handed over by their parents to their husbands like so many parcels of merchandise. Frequently they were betrothed in their cradles and married at 12 or 13 to men very much older, simply because the respective parents wanted to join various estates together, to get political power, or in the case of royalty to enlarge their kingdoms. From 1881 onwards, however a law as passed making it possible at last for a married women to keeper her own property.
Today’s Bride would also see her mediaeval counterpart being married in the church porch. Not until the ring was safely on did the couple enter the church for the rest of the service. The girl would not necessarily be wearing white. She would be in the best she could afford – in any colour she preferred. Her hair would be hanging down her back as a sign of virginity and round her head might be a coronet or a little cap decorated with flowers, guilt or lace. Wild flowers were strewn in the path of the country bride together with sprigs of rosemary. Following the ceremony was the feasting, dancing, playing and singing and the ritual ‘putting the bride to bed’.
It was towards the end of the 18th century that the fashion of being married in white with a wreath and veil began. The bridal veil has its origins in the flammeum or large yellow veil that was used in Greek and Roman time completely to envelope the bride. This symbol of the bride’s modesty and perhaps her mystery has remained with us, although the veil has become flimsier and of a more decorative nature
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