Some wedding traditions come from much more violent beginnings then you would imagine. For instance, the bride stands to the left of the groom during the ceremony because of the “marriage by capture” trend from the old days. Apparently it was fairly normal for a bachelor filled with envy to try to steal a young bride away from the alter before the marriage was confirmed. If this were to happen, the groom would be able to easily defend his bride since his sword arm would already be facing the crowd and the attempted bride-napper. Turns out the whole “speak now or forever hold you peace” bit
was taken pretty seriously.
As if it wasn’t already tough enough out there for the bride, she could be trampled by her wedding guests next if she wasn’t careful. Anything the bride was wearing or holding was considered to be good luck and many people, particularly those that were still single, were very anxious to obtain some of that luck—even if it meant ransacking the bride and tearing her dress to shreds with no concern for her well being in the process (sounds really lucky). To avoid being attacked by the mobs, the bride would often run away, throwing the bouquet behind her for the crowds to catch, which eventually developed into the tradition of the—you guessed it—bouquet toss.
The garter toss developed from the same tradition. In an attempt to protect the bride from the crowds, the groom would throw the garter to the men so that they were able to have a piece of the luck too without risking the safety of the bride.
Luckily, the Anniversary Box is a new tradition stemming from much more docile beginnings. Relive the joy from your wedding day with hand written letters from those most special to you for fifty years of anniversaries—and don’t worry about being attacked by your guests in the process.
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