Bet You Didn’t Know the Origins of These Wedding Traditions

We here at GiftWorksPlus know that wedding season is coming up and whether you’re getting married, in the wedding party, or a guest, that means taking part in all kinds of wacky traditions. But where do these traditions come from?

• The Old, the New, the Borrowed and the Blue: These personalized products or gifts bring good luck to the couple! The “old” gift is meant to tie the bride back to her family and past, while the “new” gift represented her life with her new family. The “borrowed” gift came from an already happily married wife, and the blue gift traditionally represented the bride’s purity.
• The Bridesmaids: Many years ago, it was tradition for men to try and kidnap the bride before her wedding to steal her dowry. Nice. To prevent this, the bride would have all her friends dress up like her and escort her to the groom’s village as protection.
• Bridal Shower/Wedding Gifts: Believed to have originated in Holland, the bridal shower tradition started from the story of a bride’s father refusing her dowry to the groom. The bride was forced to rely on her friends to bring her wedding gifts to help her come up with a dowry.
• Bouquet Throwing: Today, brides throw bouquets into a crowd of single women who hope to catch it and be the next to get married. This tradition evolved from guests chasing the bride trying to get a piece of her dress! They would rip off pieces of her dress for good luck but as dresses got more expensive, bouquet throwing became the more economical choice.

Knowing where these traditions originated, they don’t seem quite as ridiculous in comparison. Remember these traditions with a new wedding frame and other custom gifts from GiftWorksPlus.com! Frame your photos from your wedding with wood frames to make personalized wedding favors for guests or unique personalized gifts for the bride and groom and their wedding party! What better way to thank your bridesmaids for protecting you from kidnappers than by framing your pictures together with a custom picture frame from GiftWorksPlus?