Last Christmas my mom gave my dad one of those digital picture frames which wasn't on his list to Santa but turned out to be the best gift ever for my dad.  Since then, my father has gone through thousands of photographs that had been just piled into boxes and dusty albums for decades.  He's spent the winter and spring scanning, and scanning, and scanning, uploading pictures as they became digitized.  Some of my favorites that he's scanned so far are the pictures that were taken at my parents wedding in 1973.  They are totally entertaining for my brother and me, and they always get me thinking about traditions that have remained as classics and traditions, thank goodness, that have fizzled away.  Let's take a look, shall we?

 Here they are standing at the altar. 

What's the same?  Traditional church setting, white dress, candles.

What's changed?  Rarely do our modern day grooms don a perrywinkle blue tuxedo with ruffled cuffs.  Also, muttonchops.  :)

 This is my Grandpa Ross.

What's the same?  What a classically cut tuxedo.  He looks so sharp! 

What's different?  We don't see as many white dinner jackets with black slacks, although I'm totally in favor of them making a come back!

 Here are my parents cutitng their cake.

What's the same?  Couples still feed each other the first pieces of cake.

What's changed?  This cake was pretty much the extent of the food at my parents' wedding.  No formal dinner was expected, and folks just celebrated over a yummy slice of cake.

 Here are my parents opening some of their gifts.

What's the same?  You still have to smile all day long and pose with things like you are a Barker's Beauty.

What's different?  I thought it was interesting that they opened gifts at their reception.  I am glad that this has changed as I have present opening anxiety.  :)

And it wouldn't be fair to share my parents' wedding photos without including mention of one of their most memorable gifts: twin planters in the same of mini-outhouses with my parents' names burned into the wood.

What's the same?  Every couple that I have ever known to get married has received some sort of outlandish gift that they just can't quite fathom how it came to be. 

 Here are my parents with each side of the family.

What's the same?  Formal family portraits and cute little blue suits.

What's different?  Not much.  I love little blue suits!

 Here are my parents fleeing the church.

What's the different?  No longer should we be throwing rice as apparently exploding birds are out of style.

What's the same?  We will always love looking at genuinely happy smiles caught on camera. 

Today, readers I want you to sit and make a list of events and must haves that occur on a typical wedding day.  I bet somewhere on your list are the brides bouquet, the wedding ring, the rice toss, the dollar dance, and maybe even the shoes tied to the back of the get away car...

If you ask a bride or groom why they do these things, their answer will simply be, "It's tradition."  How did those traditions come to be?  Where did they start?

The Boss here at QCWeddings, Dave Smith, alerted us to one tradition that really started this post rolling.  He alerted us to the fact that the reason most weddings happen in June is because people long ago took their yearly baths in May, so by June they didn't smell too bad yet.  Since they were starting to smell a little bit, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the odor.  What a beautiful tradition!  

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Here are some other wedding folklore tidbits that I found on ChicagoMarriage.com:  

When a Groom used to steal his Bride from her tribe, he was forced to carry her kicking and screaming. This act of thievery has evolved into a more romantic gesture,  welcoming the Bride into her new home.

Ancient Romans used to transfer to the Groom his authority over his Bride when her Father gave the Groom her shoes. In later years, guests threw their own shoes at the newlyweds to signify this transfer of authority. Today, this tradition is kept alive by simply tying old shoes to the back of the newlywed's vehicle before they leave their wedding reception celebration.

By believing that newlyweds brought good luck, guests used to shower them with nuts and grains to insure a bountiful harvest, and many children to work the land. During years of a poor harvest, rice was tossed instead. This tradition continues today with rice or birdseed (where permitted), or bubbles to wish the Bride and Groom much happiness. Incidentally, it is not true that birds eating rice thrown after a wedding ceremony will cause their stomachs to enlarge and eventually explode. This myth may have simply evolved from church and synagogue employees weary from cleaning up after every wedding ceremony!

According to some historians, the first recorded marriage rings date back to the days when early man tied plaited circlets around the Bride's wrists and ankles to keep her spirit from running away. Approximately 3,000 BC, Egyptians originated the phrase "without beginning, without end" in describing the significance of the wedding ring. These rings were made of woven hemp which constantly wore out and needed replacement. Although Romans originally used iron, gold is now used as a symbol of all that is pure. Diamonds were first used by Italians, who believed that it was created from the flames of love. In some European cultures, the wedding ring is worn on the right hand. In other cultures, an engagement ring is worn on the left hand, and the wedding ring is worn on the right hand.

The white wedding dress was made popular in the 1840's by Queen Victoria, who chose this instead of the traditional royal "silver" wedding dress. Prior to this, Brides simply wore their best dress on their wedding day.

At some African-American wedding ceremonies, newlyweds "jump over a broom" to symbolize the beginning of a new life. The ritual was created during slavery, when African-Americans could not legally marry. Some people trace this wedding tradition to an African tribal marriage ritual of placing sticks on the ground representing the couple's new home. Today, the jumping of the broom is a symbol of sweeping away of the old, and welcoming the new.

During the German wedding ceremony, the Groom may kneel on the hem of the Bride's dress to symbolize his control over her. Not to be outdone, the Bride may step on the Groom's foot when she rises to symbolize her power over him!

What other tradition origins have you uncovered?  Let us know!  :)

It's the moment.  THE moment.  The one that works up tears in everyone's eyes as you see each other for the first time.  You both look the best that you ever have, dressed to the nines, and somehow emitting a glow that make-up companies wish they could box up and sell.  It's the first time you've seen each other all day, and now you're ready to get married.  

Can you picture it?  Now stop, and tell me what you imagine around you...

You will be surprised to see the answers to this question are as varied as anything else involving a wedding, and it tells a lot about you as a couple.  

You will find some people saying that the first time the couple see each other is at the actual ceremony when all guests are present and watching the bride walk down the aisle with her father.  The couple that chooses this scenerio is traditional and classic.  They love the anticipation build and involving their guests in this highly emotional moment.  

Other couples do a reveal moment well before the ceremony.  This gives the couple an opportunity to greet each other in a more secluded area.  A couple may choose to do this if they would like to do formal and family pictures before the ceremony rather than after, giving the couple more time with their guests.  They may also choose to do this to dispell a little bit of the pressure of the big day.  

Some couples literally spend the entire day together.  They wake up together, get ready together, and the reveal moment is really enjoyed all day long.  

Another variation can be found in most Indian weddings where there is a curtain between the bride and the groom throughout the ceremony until a certain point.  

So what do you see as the first moment you see your significant other on the big day?  Where are you?  Who is present?  Whatever you decide, make the moment yours as this will be a contender for the most memorable moment of the day...

Photograph by Creative Wedding Packages