Wedding Hive Podcast

Wedding Traditions Unveiled

• Wedding Hive

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We explore the surprising and sometimes violent origins of common wedding traditions, revealing how they evolved from practical defense mechanisms to the cherished customs we know today.

• The garter toss began in medieval Europe when guests would try to rip pieces of the bride's clothing for good luck
• Brides started voluntarily removing and tossing garters to prevent guests from manhandling them
• The bouquet toss originated in 14th century England as a defensive move to distract grabby guests
• Brides would throw their bouquets so they could escape while guests scrambled for the lucky flowers
• Cake cutting evolved from ancient Romans breaking bread over the bride's head for fertility
• Medieval couples were challenged to kiss over stacked buns without knocking them over
• The tradition developed into tiered cakes by the Victorian era when cutting became a ceremonial highlight
• Modern wedding trends show about half of couples maintaining traditions while others create new ones
• Head tables featuring the entire wedding party are making a comeback after the post-COVID trend of sweetheart tables


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Speaker 1:

Hey Queens, welcome back to another episode of the Daily Buzz. Today, kelsey and I are talking about wedding traditions and where they came from. So first thing up is we have the infamous garter toss tradition. So it actually roots from medieval Europe. Basically, in medieval times it was considered lucky to obtain a piece of the bride's clothing, especially her garter, as a symbol of good fortune and fertility, just like with bouquet. This led to guests sometimes becoming overly aggressive, trying to literally rip parts of the bride's dress off to claim their lucky souvenir. And then, to avoid this, brides and grooms began voluntarily removing and tossing the garter to appease the crowd without being manhandled.

Speaker 1:

Dang, that is is so sad, that's like kind of intense. Um, I would did not expect that yeah, but I mean.

Speaker 2:

So going straight into the bouquet toss. It originated in england during the 14th century, so back then people believed it was good luck to touch the brides the bride, not brides, bride. So guests, especially women, would often rush her at the ceremony, trying to grab pieces of her dress, hair or flowers for good fortune. To protect herself and her dress Bride started throwing their bouquet as a distraction, along with the garter Um while the eager crowd scrambled for it. The bride then could make a quick escape with her new husband. So over time this shifted and became a defensive move into a playful tradition symbolizing passing along luck and love. The superstition grew that women who caught the bouquet would be the next one to marry. That is so that's crazy.

Speaker 1:

That is just Everyone's, really just all about the luck and like good fortune. I swear.

Speaker 2:

They're like give me it, yes, but I think another fun one. Since we're talking about the traditional reception pieces, let's talk about cake cutting. Okay, so the cake cutting tradition has a long history and it's a ritual that we know today is rooted in several older customs, so it originally started in ancient Rome. This earliest version wasn't a cake, it was bread. At Roman weddings, a loaf of bread was broken over the bride's head to symbolize fertility, prosperity and good fortunes. Guests would scramble to eat the crumbs for good luck. Then fast forward to medieval England. By the Middle Ages, weddings were featured with stacked spice buns or small cakes piled high. The couple was challenged to kiss over the tower without knocking it down. If it was successful, it meant prosperous future. This later evolved into the tiered cake idea. Aw cute. That's where the tiered cake came from. That's adorable.

Speaker 1:

I love that.

Speaker 2:

I really like that. So the 17th and 18th century um in europe, as refined sugar became more available, elaborate wedding cakes emerged. The cutting of the cake together became symbolic. The first life slice showed the couples shared a future. Feeding each other represents love and commitment, and serving guests show hospitality and generosity. By the Victorian era, cutting cake together was the highlight of the reception, as this is a tradition we still see today. So cake cutting isn't just about the dessert. It's about a symbolic act of unity, prosperity and hospitality that evolved from breaking bread to towering sugar masterpieces.

Speaker 1:

That's like a whole, that's like full circle.

Speaker 2:

I know, wow, that's a good one. I feel better about the cake cutting than the bouquet toss and the garter toss Very aggressive. That was very violent.

Speaker 1:

I know Trying to get your good luck and fortune. He's like girl I spent money getting ready and you're going to rip off my dress.

Speaker 2:

I would throw hands if somebody started tearing at my dress.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I do love all the traditions. Now how they are, though, yeah, just keep it fun and light.

Speaker 2:

But traditions are going away so quickly.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think I feel like it's 50-50 at this point, like 50% of people in couples like to keep the traditions and then the other half are just like I'm over it, like the something it was like. I saw the other day the doing the something borrowed, something Blue, something, no, something used, something used. I didn't do that, but I feel like that was a big tradition and now a lot of people don't really do that one of the random and this could probably be more so towards a trend, less than a tradition.

Speaker 2:

But post COVID we saw so many couples sit at sweetheart tables where just bride and groom, without the rest of the bridal party head tables are coming back.

Speaker 1:

I do kind of like that. I didn't do that, but my sister when she got married, geez, 13 years ago, we did that. It was them in the middle and the bridesmaids and groomsmen and I like that. Yeah, I want that to come back because I think it's cute and it involves everyone. I just I think it's cute.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, maybe it's good that I'm not going to be. I don't think I'm going to be a guest or a bridesmaid in a wedding anytime soon, and if I am, then please cross me off your list, because I don't want to be in your wedding.

Speaker 2:

You said I don't want to do that. No, but I one thing I do love about either sweetheart tables or the thought of that your bridesmaids or your groomsmen still get to sit with their family. So the wedding that I was in recently I still got to sit with my husband and my kids because I got to be with my family. I wasn't excluded from my family. But it's one day. It's not about me, it is about what bride and groom wants. So I am completely counteracting what I'm saying because the day is not about me.

Speaker 1:

Come on, Kelsey. We've talked about this. It's about the writing room and what they want, not what you want, I know.

Speaker 2:

I know so. All right, friends, that is your daily buzz. We will see you next time. Bye.