Fun Wedding Tidbits / Blog

 

Bridal Garter Fun Facts From FunWeddingThings.com

As early as the 13th century, most notably in Europe, it was considered good luck to have a piece of the bride's clothing. So wedding guests would chase after the bride and rip pieces of fabric from her dress and/or try to steal her garter. Yikes!

Thankfully, we've come a long way since then! It is now the groom's privilege to remove the bride's garter and toss it to the male wedding guests. The man who catches the garter supposedly receives good luck and will be next in line to get married.

A different modern tradition has the garter being auctioned off instead of tossed at the wedding, with the proceeds going to the married couple for honeymoon expenses! Hence, there are generally two garters used these days - one "keepsake" and one "toss" garter, so the bride will always have the (usually) fancier keepsake one as a reminder of her special day.

Also, at some high schools (especially in the midwest), it's a tradition for girls to wear garters to their prom. At the end of the night, their date removes the garter and keeps it as a souvenir of the event. Sometimes the garter is exchanged for the date's bow tie, so each person has a nice prom keepsake.

No matter how you'll be using your garters, we at Fun Wedding Things certainly wish you the best of luck on your big day, as well as all the happiness in the world!

 

Swedish Wedding Traditions and Customs

Being 100% Swedish, we found the following information interesting. Granted, some are old customs that have now been done away with or altered to fit this day and age. Tusen takk, all you Swedes out there!

A Swedish bride will wear typically three wedding bands on her ring finger. The engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the third ring - representing motherhood. The groom typically places both the wedding ring and motherhood ring on her finger during the ceremony.

The bridal crown is a tradition in Sweden. Worn directly on the bride's head or over the veil, it can be as simple as a ribbon, or if true authenticity is desired, it can be made of myrtle leaves. The bridal crown by tradition is only allowed to be worn by the purest of pure brides.

A traditional wedding dress may actually be a colorful costume that in the past would have been associated with a peasant's clothing. Today, the costumes are worn for festive occasions or even as formal wear.

Shared among many other cultures is the bouquet of flowers. In Sweden, the bouquet was typically made from the strongest-smelling flowers in the hopes that the scent would ward off evil creatures such as trolls.

One typical wedding tradition has the bride's father walking her up the aisle. But in Sweden, the bride and groom enter the church or wedding venue together. It is also said that the first one to step over the threshold will be the dominant one in the relationship. In addition, the one that says, "I do" the loudest will be in control of the marriage.

Speeches at a Swedish reception are given by anyone who wants, but it is tradition for both the bride's and groom's fathers to speak first. The only requirement is that they first inform the toastmaster, as the toastmaster is responsible for introducing those who wish to speak. Anyone can give a speech though, and at any time throughout the evening.

If the bride leaves the room for any reason, other women at the reception are free to kiss the groom. When the groom leaves the room, other men will then - and only then - have a chance to kiss the bride.

Dinner will most likely consist of the traditional buffet, known as a smorgasbord. Such items as herring, Swedish meatballs, cowberry jam, and other favorites will be on the menu. Throughout dinner, traditional drinking songs may be sung. Clinking glasses in order to make the bride and groom kiss works, too.

Swedish custom that doesn't sound very conducive to dancing the night away is... the bride's father placing a silver coin in her left shoe, and the bride's mother putting a gold coin in her right shoe. This way, the parents are said to know that the bride will never go without.