09Oct2008
everyone loves a wedding
Posted by timezoneone
Something a bit lighthearted for Friday. Here are a couple of pictures of the inspiration for my wedding dress:
It was worn by Carly O’Brien of Gloucester when she married in 2006. Weighing in at 425 pounds, it had 30 layers of material and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. Who wouldn’t want a dress that was heavier than they were?
Some interesting and little known facts about weddings:
The tradition of wearing wedding rings on the third finger has two sources: one started back in ancient times when it was believed that the third finger had a nerve that ran straight to the heart; the second is metaphorical, while every other finger can be extended to its full length and straightness alone, the ring finger can only be fully extended in the company of an adjacent finger.
Groomsmen were basically henchmen. Originally made part of the wedding party by the groom in order to keep too many uninvited people from joining in the celebration and the wedding party getting big, rowdy and uncontrollable. Today, they are simply symbolic.
In Christian ceremonies the bride stands on the grooms left. This was started when it may have been necessary for the groom to reach for his sword with his right hand in order to keep someone from riding up and stealing his bride during the wedding.
A number of cultures adopt the western custom of a bride wearing a white dress. This tradition came to symbolize purity in the Victorian era (despite popular misconception, the white dress did not indicate virginity, which was symbolized by the face veil). Within the ‘white wedding’ tradition, a white dress and veil would not have been considered appropriate for a second or third wedding of a widow or a divorcee.
 And finally, a funny twist to the traditional wedding dance:
Signing out for the last time as ‘Miss’ Rose
