Trivia Time!!

I am secretly incredibly nerdy (maybe it is not such a secret!!) but I LOVE games of all kinds, especially those involving trivia.  I am intrigued by history and the origin of sayings, traditions and the like so I thought it only appropriate to start a feature that highlights some of the traditions you encounter along the road to “I do.”

“Why does the bride stand on the left of the groom during the wedding ceremony?”

Believe it or not one of the biggest problems grooms had to deal with “back in the day” was the pesky little issue of a potential kidnapping of their bride on the big day.  After this became a bit of a scary trend they started to show up a little more prepared.  The bride would stand on the left of her groom in order for her (hopefully) soon-to-be hubby to have proper access to his sword which was typically worn on the left and grabbed from his sheath with his right hand.

His back up plan?  His boys.  Traditionally the groomsmen he selected were there as his modern day “posse” in case he needed some extra muscle to ward off jealous guys trying to snatch his girl!  What about the bridesmaids you ask?!  Well they were more like…bait.  All of the girls dressed like the bride with the hopes of confusing those hoping to kidnap the actual bride.  It seems like a pretty dangerous gig just to ensure your gal pal’s happiness!  Talk about dedicated friends!

While most of us modern brides don’t worry too much about being kidnapped by an ex on our wedding day the traditions still live on today.  So remember: be a gracious couple and thank those in your wedding party for all of their time and support during the whole process.  And if they complain about their duties you can remind them that things really aren’t that bad these days…