Weddings, Then and Now

Wedding traditions in the United States have taken some changes through the years. Modern marriages now show more than just a symbol of love for one another, it is an opportunity to hold a joyous celebration to celebrate the union of two people who pledged to love each other till eternity.

Old wedding traditions started with the prospective groom having to ask the bride’s father for his blessing, but, lately, that tradition is not being followed. The common tradition these days is for the couple informing both sets of parents of their intention to marry and hopes to receive their blessings to the union. This is done more out of courtesy than of necessity.

Wedding planning, with all the details involved, such as bridal shower favors, can be very stressful and overwhelming. What brides do today to take the load off their shoulders is to hire a professional wedding planner to look after the major and minute details of the most-awaited day. The bride coordinates with just the wedding planner who in turn coordinates with all the wedding providers, including choosing promotional tote bags and unique wedding cakes and favors.

A traditional United States wedding is usually done in a church or religious building officiated by a religious officer with all the relatives and friends formally invited and a grand celebration follows, especially so when it is the first wedding for the bride. The bride was always expected to be in a while wedding dress with a white wedding veil. A part of the ceremony calls for the official to ask if anyone present knows of any valid reason why this man and this woman may not be legally married. Thereafter, the official proclaims them as officially married if nobody objects. Nowadays, these traditions are slowly having a decreased following. We see couples in the most casual attires getting married in the sky, in the waters or wherever they just feel like sans any friends and relatives in attendance. Weddings have become a casual occurrence.

In some states, traditions have deviated from the standard. If traditionally, the groom toasts the garter, some weddings have the groom auction the garter. The best man is tasked to bring the garter around and ask the guests to put dollar bills in the hat he is holding. The garter is given to the last person who puts money in the hat. There is also a tradition wherein wedding guests form two lines to each of the newlyweds and pay whatever sum they want to take their chance to dance with the couple.

Gifts have always been regarded as a part of the wedding tradition of the Americans. These days, a bridal gift registry can be enlisted to help the couple in the choice of gifts they prefer to receive. This is a very practical move as it eliminates the burden on the couple when they don’t receive gifts that they really don’t appreciate or multiple gifts of the same kind. Registering their choice of gifts allows the couple to track the gifts or return duplicates.

Author Bio: Jesse Jake Vickers enjoys writing for Hqweddingfavors.com and Corporatesnobs.com which offer promotional pens and bridal shower favors as well as a host of additional products.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: wedding,wedding favors

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