This article on wedding history and traditions has been passed on for generations. We will provide you with a brief history and understanding as to why we still practice these wedding traditions that have been around for centuries and still exist today.

Do your part in keeping these Wedding traditions alive!

Wedding tradition has been passed down through the centuries Through the years, depending on culture, region and personal preferences, newly married couples have morphed wedding tradition into the types of ceremonies and receptions they have seen fit for their special day. And in some cases, wedding tradition may have gone out the window.

Today, people do back yard weddings, farm weddings, resort weddings, garden weddings and everything in between. In planning a wedding, in some of these situations, wedding tradition must be shunned in trade for the right wedding experience for the bride and groom. Some wedding traditions, however, like the exchange of rings, having a best man and maid of honor, tend to stay in place for most weddings.

The exchange of rings is a particular tradition that has not budged for centuries. An interesting note on having an engagement and wedding ring for the bride is that this wedding tradition came from Pope Innocent III, who put into place a waiting period between engagement and marriage in the 1200s.

Another interesting fact about wedding tradition is looking at why the bridesmaids and groomsmen all dress the same. This wedding tradition goes back to Roman law. In those days, a wedding needed 10 witnesses to be considered legal. In those days the idea was that everyone would dress the same to separate the wedding party from any thugs or unwanted gets who may even be there to thwart the marriage.

The tradition has been passed along through the centuries, and now, the thugs and unruly guests are usually contained, ironically in many cases, by the groomsmen, not unlike in Roman times.

The kiss is also a wedding tradition that has been passed down through the centuries. The idea is that the kiss is the symbol for connecting the soul of the bride and groom.

Other wedding tradition revolves around garter belts, the throwing of rice for fertility, and in some cases, people used to actually rip parts of the wedding dress off the bride for good luck.

Another interesting wedding tradition that has withstood the test of time is the manner in which the wedding party stands. It is wedding tradition to have the groom stand on the right and the bride on the left. In the olden days, there were frequently thugs and warlords who would try to crash a wedding. So the idea was that the groom had to always keep his right hand free to be able to reach for his sword in case someone were to try to intervene with the ceremony.

Only in the Jewish tradition has the wedding tradition of the groom standing on the right been altered.

Either way, no matter what the tradition, if it fits in your wedding, use it. But in many cases, even if the bride and groom think they are having a very untraditional wedding, if they have rings, witnesses, have the groom on the right side, they are really not breaking from a lot of wedding tradition.

About the Author
Joe Palladino of http://www.HerWeddingFavors.com enjoys passing his expert knowledge through writing by offering these informative articles that on wedding relative topics.

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