My Wedding Notebook Blog

A few funny wedding facts and stats…

DID YOU KNOW?

• The term ‘best man’ dates back to the times when Scotsmen kidnapped their future brides. The friend of the groom who had excelled at the abduction was acclaimed to be the best man.
• In the 1500’s people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide her body odour.
• A young bride would wear her hair long and loose as a symbol of her youth and innocence.
• The ‘something blue’ in a bridal ensemble symbolizes purity, fidelity, and love.
• In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.

FACTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:

• For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day. Ouch!
• The largest wedding was a Jewish wedding in Jerusalem in 1993 – 30,000 people attended.
• A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she’ll never do without.
• In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds’ home as a symbol of fertility and luck.
• In Egypt, the bride’s family traditionally does all the cooking for a week after the wedding, so the couple can relax.
• Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.
• Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice.
• Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony.
• Ancient Greeks and Romans thought the veil protected the bride from evil spirits. Brides have worn veils ever since.
• In many cultures around the world – including Celtic, Hindu and Egyptian weddings – the hands of a bride and groom are literally tied together to demonstrate the couple’s commitment to each other and their new bond as a married couple (hence the popular phrase ‘tying the knot’).

SOME RANDOM STATS:

• 67% of women continue to wear the same perfume they wore on their wedding day.
• 88% of brides will take their husband’s surname once married. 3% will keep their own, while 7% of couples are combining surnames.
• 3% of grooms will not wear a wedding ring.
• 81% of guests say the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment.
• Approximately 70% of all brides wear the traditional diamond on the fourth finger of their left hand.
• 62% of weddings have a flower girl & 56% have a ring bearer.
• Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’ is the most requested piece of music for wedding ceremonies – even more than the ‘Bridal March’ and ‘Wedding March’.
• There was one marriage every two minutes in 2012.
• There was an increase in marriages in 2012, with 262,2401 taking place. This was a 5.3% increase from 2011 when there were 249,133.
• The mean age at marriage was 36.5 years for men and 34.0 years for women.

ROYALS AND CELEBRITY WEDDING FACTS:

• Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip‘s cake was a four-tier cake that weighed in at a whopping 227.3 kg (500 lbs)!
• Priscilla Presley’s engagement ring was a 3.5-carat diamond surrounded by a row of smaller diamonds.
• One of history’s earliest engagement rings was given to Princess Mary (daughter of Henry VIII). She was two years old!!
• Queen Victoria started the Western world’s white wedding dress trend in 1840.
• Elton John’s once charged £2 million to secure him singing at a wedding.
• All of Henry VIII’s wives were related to each other.
• On her wedding day, Grace Kelly wore a dress with a bodice made from beautiful 125-year-old lace.
• Jackie Kennedy’s bridesmaids were far from frumpy. She chose pink silk faille and red satin gowns created by African-American designer Ann Lowe (also the creator of Jackie’s dress).

GOOD TO KNOW:

• Saturday is, according to English folklore, the unluckiest day for a wedding.
• If the groom drops the ring during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
• In the English tradition, Wednesday is considered the ‘best day’ to marry, though Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.
• The groom carries the bride across the threshold to protect her from evil spirits.
• Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition!