unveiling

The bride has just made her way down the aisle and is standing next to her groom. The officiate is a stately man with a strong voice and forced sense of humor. He is standing right in front of the couple with his broad back to the audience.

My clever and naively humorous boyfriend says in what he thinks is a whisper but I perceive as a stage whisper, “The priest looks like he is going to spit on them. Is that why she wears a veil?”

What? No that is not why she wears a veil! My immediate “I’ll explain later!” hushed him for the moment.

But it occurred to me that I never did explain why a bride wears a veil.

Where did the tradition come from?

The olden days of course. These wedding traditions all came for centuries prior. Some of them don’t make sense anymore but we still carry them out anyway.

Most, if not all, marriages were arranged back in the day. Arranged to the point that the man hadn’t even seen his bride until they were getting married. Unfortunately, women back then were treated as property so typically their father was getting something in return for his daughter. Perhaps land or animals. If the man’s daughter was not attractive, he had to literally hide that fact under a veil. No sense in sending the groom running or the whole business deal could fall apart. Nauseating.

But even the attractive ancient brides wore a veil because it was considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other on their wedding day, even during the exchange of vows. To an extent, that tradition stands true today. At the end of the ceremony, the man would lift the veil to show that the woman was his subordinate.

And that is where this great tradition of wearing a bridal veil comes from. Romantic isn’t it? Kind of makes you want to rethink your veil. Oh and if you think that is bad, stay tuned for why bride’s traditionally carry flowers. It is even more romantic.

-The perennial bridesmaid

shameless plug

The title says it all. 

If you didn't already get the idea, I like to make things.  Wedding DIY projects usually entail invitations, thank yous, announcements, etc.  I've talked about a few projects here and there are others that I will post one of these days.  In the meantime, I have a new, ahem product line, if you will.  Call them bridesmaid cards or whatever you'd like. 

Newly engaged ladies are always so excited about asking their friends and family to be their bridesmaids.  Many times they send a card stating the obvious question.  Customizable bridesmaid cards are available on my etsy shop. 

-The perennial bridesmaid

something blue

Something old, Something new,
Something borrowed, Something blue.
And a sixpence in her shoe.

You’ve heard it before but what the hell is a sixpence? That just goes to show how old this poem is since a sixpence coin has been out of commission in England for centuries. Outdated or not, this poem seems to still stand out as a bridal tradition meant to promote good luck and happiness in the marriage.

I got some blogspiration to chat about something blue specifically. (That’s inspiration to blog NOT perspiration to blog.) My friend is contemplating what her something blue should be and wanted a few ideas. The bride’s blue is meant to symbolize purity and fidelity so you’d better have it on! Apparently, back in the Victorian day, some wedding dresses were even blue.

While it is traditional that the something blue is actually ON the bride, I say you can stretch it a little further to something that is WITH the bride during the wedding day such as your wedding flowers or your purse. The delphinium is a great blue accent flower that can subtly be added into your bridal bouquet or opt for blue ribbon on your bouquet.

A very popular something blue right now is the bride’s shoes. Better be something fabulous too!

Other blue accessories might include the bride’s jewelry. Some drop earrings with dazzling blue crystals or sapphires sound nice to me. Bracelet or necklace will do the trick too.  A daring accessory in blue but also stunning could be a shrug or bolero for a chilly evening.

Of course there’s the traditional garter which is screaming 1993 to me but who I am to judge. Rock out with that elastic blue thing on your thigh if you want. If the garter isn’t your style but you want a discrete something blue, go for blue undies. Most wedding gowns have so many layers that your panties won’t show through the light fabric.

Blue ribbon in your hair is also a way old school tradition but you may consider upgrading it with a blue flower, fascinator or headband.  There are literally hundreds of options of incorporating subtle blue into your hair.

Enough from me. Check out fun “something blue” options from my oh-so favorite etsy.

-The perennial bridesmaid


blue clutch by cadybriar

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
blue drop earrings by OtisB

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



blue shoes by tractordog

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
blue hair fascinator by sophinegiam

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
blue bolero by TianaCHE

surprise

It has been a month since I officially launched 10,000 weddings. That means one month of the year of the weddings is down. January primarily consisted of planning for all of the upcoming events although yesterday was the first wedding event of the year. It went off without any major snafus other than a minor heating issue that was quickly solved. So the guests left their coats and gloves on for the first hour…there was alcohol to warm them up!

The shower was held at one of the bridesmaid’s houses. She lives in a beautiful, old farmhouse where the barn has been renovated into a magnificent ballroom. No exaggeration. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue. Forty guests easily fit into this room complete with an enormous bar, pine hardwood floors & ceilings that I am guessing are 20 feet high. It was the backdrop for a great day!

The shower was a traditional luncheon complete with the dreaded but fun bridal bingo. It kept the guests busy and stirred up some friendly competition while the bride unwrapped her gifts. She acquired so many amazing things including a stunning hat made of ribbons & bows! Where did this tradition stem from? I must find the answer before forcing another woman to put the paper plate/ribbon contraption on her head. Why do we do this?

In my research I have found out where the overall tradition of bridal showers stems from…sort of. There seem to be lots of variations on this one...bridal showers evolved in the 1800s as a means for a bride to acquire all things needed to establish a home. The alleged first bridal shower took place in Holland. A dutch girl was marrying a poor man who wouldn’t be able to afford all the luxuries she’d need to start their home so her close female friends showered her with gifts.

The story also says something about a rich father who didn’t approve of his daughter marrying the poor fool. I think I’d like to leave that part out in my version.

Ever wonder why showers traditionally are surprises? Originally a shower took place at the bride’s house. The other women would just drop in one day and surprise her with all of these wonderful gifts. Can you imagine 40 of your closest friends just showing up unannounced these days? I know I would be scurrying to clean the bathroom or something instead of admiring a new waffle maker. Its funny how that tradition has been modified, isn’t it?

Traditionally the woman that would throw the bride a shower would not be related to her. Apparently it was considered rude if the bride’s mother or relative was requesting friends to shower her with gifts. I guess mom didn’t want to look like a gold digger so she’d assume her daughter’s closest friend would coordinate the event, And that’s how a maid of honor evolved. The other girls with the gifts were typically the bridesmaids.

Can we work on upgrading those titles now? Maid just seems so politically incorrect.

-The perennial bridesDIVA