For as long as the custom of marriage has been a celebrated human custom, there have been curious rituals associated with them. These rituals, at least concerning modern weddings, include such behavior as the groom providing an engagement ring, the bride carrying a handkerchief, wearing a veil, and wearing "something blue." Even the very custom of the bride wearing white seems outdated to most modern couples. Where did all these rules come from?



Before the wedding ever takes place the couple usually enjoys a period of engagement. The groom-to-be usually gives the woman an engagement ring. This custom seems to have begun when wives were considered to be a step above cattle. The engagement ring was actually a form of partial payment for the bride. And odd turn of cultural perception, since they are now seen as symbols of love and fidelity.

Brides usually carry some kind of handkerchief with them during a established wedding ceremony. Tears of joy have long been considered signs of luck, especially for agrarian cultures and farmers who thought that foretold the coming of rain. One superstition maintained that if a bride cried at her wedding that she would never cry during the marriage.

Brides have worn veils since the ancient Greeks and Romans wed. When the veil is lifted toward the end of the wedding ceremony it symbolizes that the woman is giving herself to her husband. The blue garter, on the other hand, is a convention dating back to ancient Hebrew customs which required the bride to wear a blue ribbon, symbolizing fidelity. The blue garter is usually slipped from the bride's leg and thrown to the bachelors in the crowd of wedding guests.

The wedding ring with its circular shape has stood for never ending love. This tradition is thought to have started with the ancient Egyptians. The wedding ring has been made from various materials over the years but today it is mainly made of gold. Why the white wedding dress you ask? White used to stand for celebration of joy dating back to the Romans.

The custom of giving and exchanging wedding gifts is lost to time. It seems as human and natural as kissing or caring for our young. It has long been a custom to give gifts to the loving couple. Many gifts are household appliances and goods to start the couple on setting up their new home. Mixers, blenders and toasters have been at the top of the list for years. No matter what the customs are weddings are very joyous events.