American Wedding Traditions
Weddings are joyous occasions celebrated in different ways by people all over the world. Most wedding traditions originated before the medieval times. Each country or society celebrates marriages with their own particular wedding customs, and there are a variety of traditions that make a wedding celebration uniquely American.
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Bachelor Parties
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Historically, bachelor parties were a way for ancient Spartan soldiers to gather together and celebrate the last day of an unattached lifestyle for the man who was about to be married. The party was also a time when the men reconfirmed their continuing alliance to each other.
Bridal Shower
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A bridal shower's origins come from when a man wanted to marry a woman and he would shower the woman's father with bridal gifts such as money, bank notes, jewelry, livestock, tools and weapons as a means of buying the right to marry the woman.
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Wedding Favors
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The giving of wedding favors by the bride and groom is a common tradition. The bride and groom give party-type favors to their guests as a way to thank everyone for participating in the special event.
Right/Left
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The tradition of the bride standing on the left side and the groom on the right side began when all men carried swords that hung from the right side of their body. The bride had to stand on the side that would leave the sword free to be drawn in case of an emergency.
Veil
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A veil was a necessity, especially when a marriage was the result of an arrangement. The groom was not allowed to see what his wife actually looked like until the veil was lifted at the end of the service as a way of preventing men from canceling the deal if he was not pleased.
The Kiss
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Legal binding contracts were often concluded in Roman times with both men kissing each other on the cheek leading to the term, "sealed with a kiss." The symbol of a bride and groom kissing each other represents a contract to remain together for the rest of their lives.
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