I wasn’t going to do a 5 fact post this week or next because MY LITTLE GIRL’S GETTING MARRIED ON 23RD JULY. So excited, but I couldn’t resist putting five wedding facts together.

Throwing Thing at the Bride.

Confetti

I don’t speak Italian but Google informs me that Confetti is the Italian word for sweets. Guests lobbed sweets at the bride and groom to symbolise fertility and prosperity. Gradually people switched to throwing paper or flower petals. Even today, sugared almonds are often given to guests as a wedding favour.

Rice

The ancient Romans did this as a symbol of fertility.

Why Does the Groom Have a Best Man?

Germanic Goths often stole their bride. The best men and groomsmen were the groom’s kidnap gang. During the ceremony, the best man stood beside the bride to stop her escaping, or to discourage others from carrying her off.

Why Witnesses?

In medieval times they stayed in the bedroom during the wedding night to ensure the groom and the bride did the deed. France and England had a tradition of Fingering the Stocking. – That’s not what you think. It’s examining the bride's stockings to check she’s no longer a virgin!

Why does a Bride have Bridesmaids?

Ancient Roman bridesmaids had to dress in identical outfits to the bride. This apparently confused evil spirits who might try to harm the newlyweds. (That’s one way to marry off your ugly daughter. You could pull a switcheroo and dress them all in thick veils. The poor groom would lift it off and discover he’d wed the wrong woman)

Why do the bride and groom exchange rings.

A ring has no beginning or end, so becomes a symbol of endless love. The Egyptians used reeds, leather or even bone. The American puritans had different ideas. They exchanged Thimbles (Very Peter Pan and Wendy). While the men thought this was a brilliant idea, the women sometimes cut off the top of the thimble, turning it into a wedding ring

NO POST NEXT WEEK SINCE I'LL BE HELPING ORGANISE THE LAST MINUTE STUFF.