12/12/12 It’s All In The Numbers

As everyone probably knows by now, December12, 2012 was the last consecutive date  for 89 years, until 01/01/2101. Which makes it special and for some couples, quite lucky. According to most published reports, approximately 7,200 couples got married yesterday on December 12, 2012 which is about a 1400% increase from the exact same date last year.

Couples came out in droves to have  12/12/12 as their wedding anniversary date. In Los Angeles, they were lined up as judges performed back-to-back city hall marriages for the entire day. Las Vegas was jammed with couples wanting to be a part of the 12/12/12 phenomenon and even in Chicago, wedding numbers surged with couples who hoped to be a part of something bigger than just any other day.

For now, the hype is over,  but, the next big lucky day according to numerologists is less than a year away… you got it:  11/12/13!! It is my guess that someone will always think of a way to spin certain dates so that they appear ‘LUCKY’  or interesting or numerically fascinating. For most of us, the only luck was finding the right person to marry, the date being much less of a factor.

 

Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo

The Ladies’ Priviledge – Leap Day Proposals

As an adult, I have a fairly good grasp of leap year.  Every four years we add a year to our calendar so that the days will be in sync with the seasons. There is also a lot of math involved;  every four years, a day is added to February except the one the 100th year unless it is the 400th year and then it is celebrated. As a kid, I never got it. I just thought it was like any other holiday and didn’t really pay too much attention. I’m not sure where I got the idea it was a holiday…  maybe because it was the ’70’s and  bra burning was popular so, I thought it had something to do with women’s rights. Which brings me to the history of Leap Day and marriage proposals.

The tradition of a woman proposing on a leap year has been attributed to various historical figures. One, although much disputed, was St Bridget in the 5th Century. She is said to have complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait too long for their suitors to propose. St Patrick then supposedly gave women a single day in a leap year to pop the question – the last day of the shortest month. Another popular story is that Queen Margaret of Scotland brought in a law setting fines for men who turned down marriage proposals put by women on a leap year. Skeptics have pointed out that Margaret was five years old at the time and living far away in Norway. I don’t know about you but I had other things on my mind when I was five other than the injustice of rejected marriage proposals. Any way you look at it, it is an old Irish tradition.

In the past years Leap Day proposals have lost their meaning since women have more rights, the more jobs, the more pay ( almost) and are able to think and act for themselves. We are taught that any woman sitting around for four years waiting for a man to propose should have her head examined.

Zsa Zsa Gabor has claimed that she proposed to all of her nine husbands. The first proposal was when she was only 15 years old, to her 35-year-old boyfriend (weird). It was Gabor’s parents who provided a ten carat diamond to seal the deal for their daughter. More recently, celebrities such as Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Heather Mills, and the singer Pink have admitted to proposing to their husbands… and not one of them on Leap Day which makes it crystal clear that women no longer need a special ‘holiday’ every four years to celebrate gender role-reversal. Score one for women’s rights!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

 

 

Is Your Luck Good or Bad?

There are so many symbolic things about weddings that if you go culture by culture, every single thing from the ring to the gown can be interpreted as either good luck or bad luck. Take for instance wearing pearls: Said to be bad luck in some cultures since each pearl represents the tears the bride will she during their marriage. Of course another culture sees pearls as good luck since each pearl replaces the tears of the bride leaving her care-free and happy forever. Seriously?  Pearls represent  the beauty of nature and nothing else.

More about  tears – if it rains on your wedding day it is good luck since it washes away all the tears. If it rains on your wedding day it is bad luck, dooming your entire marriage to a deluge of tears. Actually if it rains on your wedding day it is because there is a large amount of condensation in the clouds.

It is bad luck for the bride to make her own wedding gown because every stitch represents a tear (again with the tears). The truth is that it is bad luck for a bride to make her gown because there are a million other wedding  things to do. Plus, sewing, if done properly, is hard work and the fittings are next to impossible on yourself without a dress form that is a perfect match to your body. Making your own dress is a recipe for stress, nothing else.

If the bride or groom drops the wedding ring it is good luck since it shakes off evil spirits. However, if it is dropped by anyone else, they will be the first among you to die.  This is probably why modern ring bearer pillows have long ribbon ties since this is too big a sacrifice for a wedding.

Allegedly, if the mother of the groom throws a shoe at the bride as the couple leaves for their reception, the bride and mother in law will forever be best of friends.  I would have been thrilled if all my mother in law ever threw at me was a shoe! My guess is that if she hits the bride, all bets are off.

The time of day that the couple exchanges vows should be when the clock is moving upward so you are ascending toward heaven. Attention Brides: Move the time of your wedding  from 2 pm  to 2:30 pm. If you only have digital clocks, disregard.

Sharing the same last initial is bad luck. This omen comes with a handy rhyme  “To change the name and not the letter is a change for the worse and not the better.” I personally think it makes things a lot easier; monogrammed towels, stationery, luggage tags,etc.

Last but not least it is considered bad luck for the bride to sign her married name before the wedding. But why would she? Unless you are 12 years old and you are marrying Justin Beiber, scribbling your married name on a binder  “Mrs. Justin Beiber”….nobody does this.

Society is fraught with rules and omens  that no longer have any relevance to modern society. I would bet that 300 years ago  when someone handed the groom a wedding ring, they dropped it was because they were coughing so hard  from the black plague  – of course they were the next to die! OMG nobody touch the ring – you’re all going to die!

I am sure that these explanations and theories made sense at one time but not any more. Get married at 2 pm on a sunny day, drop the ring, make your dress and sign your married name the day before the wedding….just make sure you duck if you see your  mother in law removing her shoe. 

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Wednesday Wedding Trivia

Did you ever wonder how June became the most popular month for weddings? Why do brides carry a bouquet? Where the phrase “tie the knot” came from? Weddings are fraught with trivia that most people take for granted and never seem to even question. Wednesday seems like a good day to delve into the strange and wonderful world of wedding trivia!

June became the most popular month for weddings during the Victorian era because most people took their annual bath in May. Gross.

Brides began carrying fragrant bouquets to mask the smell of body odor. Even more gross, right? But, it explains the immense size of Victorian bridal bouquets.

The phrase ‘tie the knot’ came originated in Rome where the  corset had knots that the groom had to untie in order to undress the bride. It seems backwards, doesn’t it? But, in modern times it would seem odd to say you were “Un-tying the knot”.

In Old English, the word ‘bride’ actually means ‘cook’. I found that amusing.

Something blue? Most people think the blue item is to represent purity and fidelity. In Victorian England, the bride and groom were considered to be royalty (for the day) and the something blue was the blood of royalty. I would still wear blue shoes, it has a nice ring to it even if they aren’t suede.

Wedding veils originated in Ancient Greece and were worn to ward off evil spirits. The veil was worn over the face to protect the bride until she was safely presented to her future husband at the altar.

The tradition of bridesmaids dressing the same as each other and in similar style to the bride comes from ancient times when it was believed that evil spirits have a more difficult time distinguishing which one is the bride and putting a hex on her. In Ancient Rome a marriage required 10 witnesses in order to be legal.

The tradition of exchanging rings began in 1477 when Roman Emperor Maxmillian I gave his future bride a diamond ring. Women around the world decided “That’s a great idea – where’s mine?”

Engagements came about when Pope Innocent III  instituted a waiting period , and insisted a ring be used in the wedding ceremony.

The engagement ring and wedding band are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand  because the ancient Egyptians thought that the “vein of love’ ran from this finger directly to the heart.

When we drink to someone, we call it a “toast” because of an old French custom where a piece of bread was placed at the bottom of the wine cup for flavor. In France, partygoers would drink and pass the cup; when it reached the person being toasted, he would empty it – crouton and all.

Throwing the bouquet  dates back to Victorian England where the wedding guests would chase the bride, tearing her clothes and flowers in order to grab a piece of happiness.  The bride would toss the bouquet in order to distract the crowd long enough to make a clean getaway (hopefully with her clothes still intact).  

The custom of tiered cakes emerged from a game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over a higher-than-ever cake without knocking it over.
Last but most interesting of all, the bride stands at the altar to the left of the groom for practical reasons. In Medieval times, the groom needed to keep his right arm free so he could use his sword to protect the bride. I am wondering if there was an accommodation made for the less than 10% of grooms who are ‘lefties’ or if they had to improvise?
If all of these customs and trivia seem too  much to remember, just be glad you don’t live in Denmark where brides and grooms cross-dress to confuse the evil spirits.  Which makes me wonder how smart those evil spirits really are since they all seem to be so easily confused.
-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago