omething old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" originated from the Victorian  optimism for the future of the marriage. An item borrowed from a happily married couple is hoped to contain good luck which will rub off. Something blue reflects tradition, as brides of long ago commonly wore blue dresses.

 
ur cherished tradition of wedding rings has ancient roots, with hieroglyphic portrayals of early Egyptians wearing rings. The Romans wore iron rings on the third finger of the left hand, as they believed that finger had a vein that connected directly to the heart. The iron ore was a symbol of the permanence of the marriage Interestingly, the ring finger is the only one that can't be fully extended without the accompaniment of an adjacent digit (try it!)

 
ueen Victoria wore a white wedding dress, but prior to her era brides wore a variety of colors, with blue being the most popular, a color associated with fidelity and virtuosity. Women of the aristocracy wore white gowns to demonstrate their wealth, while a woman of a lower class wouldn't think of being married in a dress that could not be worn again after being soiled.

 
he ancient Greeks and Romans wore veils to protect the bride from evil spirits. Anglo-Saxons lifted a canopy to represent the bride's release from the control of her parents. Muslims used the veil for modesty. Martha Washington's daughter, Nellie, brought the trend to America when she recreated her first meeting with her husband-to-be as she sat behind a lace curtain by wearing a veil for their nuptials.

 
ong ago bridesmaids wore the same dress as the bride to mask her from evil spirits.

 
edding cake , long ago, was made of wheat or corn flour, symbolizing the future and fertility.  A Roman couple would eat the first bite of a simple bun and the remainder would be sprinkled over their heads and eaten by guests. During the time of Queen Elizabeth, a stack of buns provided a centerpiece over which the couple would kiss. A 1600's French chef frosted a stack of buns with white sugar to hold it together, while in the same era an English baker created a cake which was an attempt to represent the spires of St. Bride's and the challenge began. Bakers for Queen Victoria created a masterpiece adorned with roses, weighing 300 pounds, fourteen inches high and three yards wide. Today’s bride may cut the first two slices to show her role as food preparer, while the groom who feeds his bride the first taste demonstrates his role as the provider. Holding his hand over hers is a gesture of his power.

 
n the 1500's French noblemen placed a piece of toast in a wine goblet and drank to the health of the ladies present, then passed the goblet around. The first woman to receive this vessel would eat the toast and traditionally be the recipient of the praises from the other guests.

 
ies to Juno, goddess of marriage and femininity, make a June wedding popular, although rain falling on a Swedish brides wreath portends prosperity and no more tears, while snow promises that the couple will know wealth.

 
 lowers symbolize everlasting love and fertility. For her wedding night, Juno wore orange blossoms. Evil spirits were repelled by garlic, herb and grain nosegays. Ivy represents faithfulness, lily of the valley is equated with purity, and roses speak of true love.

 
he bachelor party was once a last gambling fling so that the groom could still gamble once his new wife had control of the money.

 
he bridal shower evolved as alternative to the traditional dowry. When a disapproving father of the bride in Holland refused to provide the bride with a dowry, villagers supported the marriage by “showering” her with household goods.

 
orean wedding processions include ducks, who mate for life.

 
  pine tree, symbolizing luck and fertility, is planted at the newlyweds’ home in Switzerland and Holland.

 
n early England, the bride was thought to have good fortune. Spectators would tear away bits of her clothing and grab for bits of her headdress, flowers and ribbons, so she would  toss her bouquet in self defense of such actions. In modern times, it is believed that the single woman who catches it will be the next to marry. French brides in the 1300's threw their bouquets to an unmarried woman. American brides in the 1800's tossed small bouquets to each bridesmaid and whichever caught the one with the concealed ring was to be the next to marry.

 
lthough the advent of pantyhose did away with the need for a garter, today’s bride usually wears one to be tossed and worn as a prize by the one who catches it.  The garter toss as we know it originated from an English custom of "flinging the stocking", wherein guests would storm the bridal chamber and each would take a turn at throwing a stocking backward at the couple. The girl that succeeded at striking the groom was to marry within the year, as would for the unmarried male that struck the bride with her stocking.

 
 ack in the day - way, way back, like in 695 B.C. - Romans began the custom of kissing at the end of the marriage ceremony. "A kiss was a way of legally sealing a contract," according to William Kane, author of The Art of Kissing (St. Martin's Griffin, 2005). But it wasn't only marriage that was sealed with a kiss - this custom was done for all types of contracts. Imagine planting a big wet one on your baker, your calligrapher, the guy who's shooting your video...