Everyone knows the traditions of a wedding.
The bride's white gown, the rings, the flower girl, the cake, the rice, the first dance; all are a classic part of a wedding celebration.
But do you know where many of our wedding traditions came from? Or what they mean? The Victorian era of English history had a significant impact not only on England, but America as well.
Many of the most well-known traditions began with the marriage of Queen Victoria on February 11, 1840.
The symbolism for our traditions goes back far longer than the Victorians though, often having begun before the birth of Christ.
Before Queen Victoria chose a white gown for her wedding dress brides typically did not marry in white.
Even after she popularized it, only the wealthy wore a white dress for many years.
Light green to signify fertility or blue to symbolize true love were more common colors.
Many brides simply wore their best dress and accented it with lace and flowers.
Another tradition from the Victorian times was a small pouch the bride wore inside of her dress containing a piece of cloth so her family would always have "clothes to wear", bread so they would never go hungry, a sliver of wood symbolizing shelter, and a dollar bill for "money for the future".
Almost all brides know they must have "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" in order to assure a happy marriage.
This is another Victorian custom that also included the line "and a silver sixpence in her shoe.
" The coin represented the couple's financial security for the future while the old item was in honor of the bride's heritage.
The new item symbolized "optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.
" Blue was the color ancient Roman brides wore and was commonly pictured on the Virgin Mary so it represented purity, loyalty, and love.
Finally the reason a bride was to borrow something "from a happily married friend or family member" was so their "good fortune in marriage [would] carry over to the new bride.
The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.
" Some traditions predate even the Victorians though.
The garter that many brides wear is "considered to be the oldest surviving wedding tradition.
" Begun in the Middle Ages, the bridal party escorted the bride and groom to their marriage bed and then obtained "proof" of their consummation by stealing the bride's garter.
Apparently the scramble for the poor girl's undergarments got so out of hand eventually the groom took to tossing the garter to keep the bride from being molested.
Because it is associated with the couple's consummation the garter symbolizes fertility and luck for the bachelor who catches it.
The lucky winner would often wear the garter on his hat until he gave it to his sweetheart.