Wedding symbols and Their Meanings

The ring bearer pillow as a symbolic part of the wedding goes back to the royal lines of England. As the crown is carried on a pillow to the king or queen, as a symbol of coronation from the people who pledge their allegiance, so is the ring pillow symbolic of presenting the bride with the perfect gift of the husband's pledged loyalty. Modern weddings carry on symbols and traditions that mean so much more than many people realize. To most people, it is pretty and just another detail to be carefully picked out or planned. They do not realize the meanings and time honored traditions and promises that go with them

The marriage announcements today are a way for the bride and groom to announce to the world proudly their plans to unite in matrimony. A thousand years ago, it was not such a joyous way to tell people of their intentions. The marriage announcement was the unspoken law of the land. Its purpose was to allow anyone who had a reason for the couple not to be married to be heard. Someone might have knowledge of a previous marriage or other reason that the couple should not wed. Secrets would come out quite often and many weddings were postponed or cancelled altogether because the wedding announcement produced such objections.

It was believed in ancient Egypt that a vein, the vena amorous or vein of love, ran from the third finger of the left hand directly to the heart. For this reason, the groom would present the bride with a ring to bind her love to him by encircling the vein. This would ensure that she could not fall in love with anyone else as long as she wore his ring. A Christian custom placed the ring there, as the priest would touch the fingers indicating each part of the trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The engagement ring started as a band of hemp given to the bride to be by her betrothed. The symbolism is a never-ending circle of love and unity. The ring evolved into more symbols with the diamond being the strength of the love, the clarity of the future, and the riches of the marriage. It was originally an Anglo-Saxon tradition that caught on because of its beautiful meaning. Today, the engagement ring is only the first step in the wedding promise.

Many women will not want to know this and the ones that already know are not telling their husbands to be. The word "bride" originally started as an old English word meaning, "cook." Groom simply means "male child" and while it was apt then, it is not very apt in today's society. In fact, I would wager that if this became a well-known fact, there would be a lobby for change.

A woman can ask a man to marry her in our modern world but this was frowned on before now with one exception. It used to be that the only day a woman could propose to a man was on February 29. The reason for this is that the leap year used to be completely ignored and therefore held no legal ramifications for certain actions, including this one. Many a woman proposed to her lover on this day. It was acceptable on no other day until this century.

Wedding favors were always a great way for the bride and groom to show their appreciation to their guests for attending their wedding and reception. This time-honored symbol of appreciation has not changed. Couples give unique wedding favors to this day to thank their guests and show their love and respect.

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