Unveiling American Wedding Ceremony Traditions
The tradition of the wedding dates back to as early as prehistoric times. Back when a groom need only carry a woman away to claim her as his bride. Today, most of our traditions have developed as a result of changing values, beliefs, and the overall status quo. No longer is it acceptable for a man to enter a town, throw a woman over his shoulder, and carry her away as his.
While the actual traditions of American wedding ceremonies continue to change and evolve with the times, the overall practice of certain wedding traditions has stuck with brides and grooms throughout the years.

Tradition of wedding veils – While the wedding veil has held different meanings for different cultures, one common belief is that wedding veils protected the purity of the bride from evil spirits. Another source attests that the opaque wedding veils were used to prevent the groom from seeing the bride’s face until after the ceremony was over. This of course is why brides had to be literally escorted down the aisle by their fathers and given away to their groom. Wedding veils today are used more as a fashion statement that that of necessity. From short blusher veils to long cathedral veils, the styles of veils change with each passing year and are based a lot on the personality of the bride and the style of her wedding gown.
Tradition of the flower girl – Children have long been associated with weddings and were thought to bring luck and fertility to a wedding. In Greek times, young girls were used to throw grain and herbs in the bride’s path as a symbol of fruitfulness. This tradition has not changed much today evolving only through the years into a more romantic nature with traditional flower girls now throwing flower petals from flower girl baskets instead of wheat. For modern fall brides looking for a unique twist on flower petals, they may be interested in opting for this traditional medium of wheat.
Tradition of the ring bearer – Originally it was tradition for a small boy (or page boy) to carry the bride’s wedding train for the bride. But as wedding gown styles changed, the need for a page boy dwindled and the ring bearer was born. Now typically an American tradition, a young relative of the bride or groom is given the duty of carrying the wedding rings down the aisle on a small ring pillow to present to the bride and groom.
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