Fashion

20 Interesting Wedding Facts

20 Interesting Wedding facts and traditions from around the world

For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day.
(photo via bride in Gali)
Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.

(photo via Pinterest)
Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony.

(photo via Green Organics)
Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart

(photo via bride)
In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.

(photo via Imgur)
Seventeen tons of gold are made into wedding rings each year in the United States

(photo via Bracelet 958)
Ancient Greeks and Romans thought the veil protected the bride from evil spirits. Brides have worn veils ever since.

(photo via bride in Fatima)
Most expensive wedding ever? The marriage of Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum's son to Princess Salama in Dubai in May 1981. The price tag? $44 million

(photo via OMGTens: Top 10 Most Expensive Weddings)
Brides carry or wear "something old" on their wedding day to symbolize continuity with the past. The "something blue" in a bridal ensemble symbolizes purity, fidelity, and love.

(photo via The Knot blog)
The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where revelers broke a loaf of bread over a bride's head for fertility's sake.

(photo via bride)
Queen Victoria's wedding cake weighed a whopping 300 pounds.

(photo via Daily Mail)
In many cultures around the world -- including Celtic, Hindu and Egyptian weddings -- the hands of a bride and groom are literally tied together to demonstrate the couple's commitment
to each other and their new bond as a married couple (giving us the popular phrase "tying the knot").

(photo via Pinterest)
Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve are the two busiest "marriage" days in Las Vegas -- elopement central!

(photo via Pinterest)
Men who kiss their wives in the morning are said to live five years longer than those who don’t.

(photo via bride in Diana)
Las Vegas is the top wedding destination with over 100,000 weddings a year, followed by Hawaii at 25,000 weddings a year

(photo via Pinterest)
In many cultures, the groom historically often kidnapped the bride, and the groom’s friends would help him, leading to the modern-day groomsmen. At the alter, the groom always stood on the bride’s right side so his right hand—or his sword hand—would be free to fight/defend a jealous rival

(photo via bride and Nij Photography)
Guests in ancient times would tear off part of the bride’s gown as tokens of good luck, leading to the tradition of the bride throwing both her garter and her bouquet

(photo via bride)
Greek brides believed that tucking a lump of sugar into the wedding gown would bring sweetness throughout married life

(photo via E of Dreams)
More than 40% of couples now plan their weddings together, and three out of four grooms help select items for their wedding gift registries

(photo via bride and S.J. Holliday Photography)
Because eyebrows are considered intensely alluring in the Orient, historically the bride’s eyebrows were shaved entirely, rendering her powerless to attract a man