Wedding Trivia

• A ring with a pair of clasped hands is one of the oldest symbols of "plighted troth."
• In 1895, a single color -- pink -- was fashionable for spring weddings. In 1900, yellow was the color most often selected.
• There should be at least three knots in the ribbons of a bridal bouquet, to represent husband, wife and child.
• Yellow was the favorite color for a bride's dress during the eighteenth century, and it was usually made of a heavy brocade.
• In horse and carriage days, knotted favors of ribbon decorated the ears of the horses which drew the bridal carriage.
• The original function of the tissue paper, which is enclosed in a formal wedding invitation, was to blot the ink. Nowadays, it's simply added for the "look," or the "fun" of it.
• Brides began wearing white for weddings as early as the sixteenth century; wearing white was a reflection of family wealth. Only the wealthy could afford a garment that would soil so easily, and be worn on only one day.
• Many societies frowned on the use of yellow for a wedding gown, as they believed it was a sure sign of a wife's intention to cheat on her husband.
• An old German superstition held that pearls signified tears for the bride.
• In earlier years, brides placed their bouquets at grave sites in the cemetery, in remembrance of family members who had "passed on."
• During the time of the Roman Empire, couples were not officially married until they had eaten together. Perhaps this was the beginning of the wedding reception tradition.
• Diamonds were not popular for engagement rings until the nineteenth century, when the exploitation of South American diamond deposits made it relatively inexpensive.
• The ring on a posy holder is there to slip on a woman's finger.