120 Fun Facts About Bride & Groom

Where is a wedding band traditionally worn in Western culture?

The instruction goes back to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

What is the Latin name of the mythical vein said to run from the ring finger to the heart?

William Harvey's work in the 17th century showed all veins lead to the heart anyway.

Whose 17th-century work disproved the idea of a special vein of love?

The phrase itself was first recorded by an English church lawyer, Henry Swinburne, in 1686.

In which century did the first well-documented diamond engagement ring appear?

Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave one to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.

Which company's marketing campaign made diamonds synonymous with engagement rings?

Before World War II only about 10% of American engagement rings had a diamond.

In what year was the slogan 'a diamond is forever' introduced?

The campaign had started in 1938.

Before World War II, roughly what share of American engagement rings contained a diamond?

De Beers set out to make the diamond the only acceptable stone.

How many months' income did 1980s De Beers ads say a man should spend on a ring?

In Japan the same campaign said three months.

A Roman bride-to-be in the second century BC was given two rings: one gold and one of what?

Gold for wearing in public, iron for housework at home.

Britain's 1942 wartime 'utility' wedding rings were limited to which gold standard?

They also had to weigh no more than about three grams.

Grooms in the United States did not commonly wear a wedding band until when?

In Europe the male ring goes back to the Romans, according to the jurist Gaius.

In which two Nordic countries do brides wear engagement and wedding rings together on the left hand?

There both partners exchange plain engagement rings first.

An Eastern Orthodox bride moves her ring to which hand after the ceremony?

Before the wedding it sits on the left.

In Western tradition, a man traditionally asks whom for permission before proposing?

Today it is usually understood as a formality.

Folk tradition in Scotland, Ireland and Finland lets women propose on which day?

A man who refused was sometimes expected to pay a forfeit, usually a gift of clothing.

What is the traditional posture of a Western man proposing marriage?

The ring usually comes out of a small velvet box.

Who did the proposing when Britain's young monarch got engaged in October 1839?

As reigning monarch she had to; she did it five days after Albert arrived at Windsor.

Queen Victoria's white-dress wedding, credited with starting the trend, took place in which year?

Other royals and women of the time were already wearing white; the press coverage did the rest.

Queen Victoria's wedding dress was trimmed with lace from which English town?

The order was a big boost to Devon lace-making.

What did Queen Victoria wear on her head instead of a tiara at her wedding?

Orange blossom was a symbol of fertility.

Prince Albert was Queen Victoria's what?

He was German-born, from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The first documented royal bride to wear white was Philippa of England, in which year?

She wore white silk bordered with squirrel and ermine to marry Eric of Pomerania.

Before the Victorian era, which colour of wedding dress was popular in Finland?

Brides simply married in any colour they liked.

Chinese and Indian brides traditionally wear which colour for luck?

Indian wedding saris are usually red with golden brocade.

What was the colour of the flammeum, the veil worn by Roman brides?

It was meant to recall a candle flame.

The Romans connected the verb 'to be married' with which word?

Nubere and nubes: the bride was 'clouded over' with her veil.

According to old custom, a bride's veil was believed to protect her from what?

Queen Victoria helped popularise the wedding veil too.

Why did ancient bridesmaids dress exactly like the bride?

They veiled their faces heavily as well.

What is the chief bridesmaid called if she is married?

Unmarried, she is the maid of honour.

In the US, which two wedding-party members usually sign as official witnesses?

Everyone else is decoration, legally speaking.

In Victorian Britain, what colour did bridesmaids and groomsmen officially wear?

Victoria's bridesmaids matched her gown; she designed their dresses herself.

What were a groom's male attendants once called, in the days of marriage by capture?

They helped 'lift' the bride, or defended her from other would-be kidnappers.

The best man is usually picked from which group?

Groomsmen and ushers are the same attendants; the best man stands beside and slightly behind the groom.

In a military officer's wedding, groomsmen are replaced by whom?

They are usually close friends who served with the groom.

What traditionally happened to the bride if the best man or groom stepped away?

The groom would have to pay a forfeit to get her (or the shoe) back.

The word 'groomsman' is first attested in English in about which year?

Bride and groom themselves go back to Old English.

The word 'bridegroom' comes from Old English brydguma, meaning bride plus what?

Guma meant man, human being or hero; nothing to do with horses.

How old are flower girls usually?

They walk with a partner, usually the ring bearer or page boy.

Which young attendant carries the rings down the aisle on a small pillow?

The cushion is often passed on to other family members for their weddings.

Which four items does the traditional good-luck rhyme tell a bride to wear?

The full version adds a silver sixpence in her shoe.

In the 'something old' rhyme, what does the blue item stand for?

The sixpence stands for prosperity, or wards off frustrated suitors.

Which coin does the full 'something old' rhyme put in the bride's shoe?

The first recorded version of the rhyme appeared in an 1876 newspaper.

According to an 1898 folklore compilation, what was the 'something blue' usually?

Which is why the garter still plays a part in wedding rites.

Who traditionally removes an item from the bride's leg in front of guests at the reception?

He does it in front of the guests as the reception draws to a close.

The oldest traditional English wedding vows come from the manuals of which medieval diocese?

The Sarum manual was the main basis of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer service.

In what year was the first Book of Common Prayer, with its marriage service, published?

It was based on earlier Latin texts from Salisbury and York.

In the traditional Church of England vows, what did the bride promise that the groom did not?

The groom promised to love, cherish and worship; she to love, cherish and obey.

Which phrase in the vows had to be changed because a word's meaning shifted by 1662?

Depart once meant separate; it became 'till death us do part'.

Which tradition has no marriage vows in its traditional wedding service?

Vows are a Western Christian norm, not a universal one.

Which opera is the 'Here Comes the Bride' processional taken from?

Wagner wrote it in 1850; in the opera it is sung after the ceremony, not before.

Whose 1858 wedding made Wagner's Bridal Chorus popular?

She was Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, marrying Prince Frederick William of Prussia.

Mendelssohn's Wedding March was written as incidental music for which play?

Written in 1842, it is usually played on the organ as the couple leave.

At weddings, Mendelssohn's Wedding March is usually played at which moment?

Wagner's Bridal Chorus is the usual entrance music.

In which English town was Mendelssohn's Wedding March first played at a real wedding, in 1847?

Dorothy Carew married Tom Daniel at St Peter's Church, with Samuel Reay at the organ.

What are the couple doing when guests throw rice at them?

Rice symbolises prosperity and fertility, and it is not harmful to birds.

Is uncooked rice thrown at weddings harmful to birds?

In some cultures people throw shoes instead.

What is thrown instead of rice in several cultures?

Ethiopian newlyweds bow and kiss the elders' knees on the way out.

The word 'confetti' comes from the Italian for what?

The custom evolved from tossing grains and sweets at celebrations.

In medieval England, what did the bride and groom try to do over a tall stack of cakes?

A successful kiss over the pile promised a prosperous life together.

Which London church inspired the tiered wedding cake in 1703?

Baker's apprentice Thomas Rich copied its steeple for his own wedding cake.

What name did white frosting acquire after Queen Victoria used it on her wedding cake?

Pure white sugar was so expensive that only the rich could afford it.

Whose 1882 wedding cake was the first to be completely edible?

It was built in separate layers with very dense icing.

What is the traditional wedding cake in the United Kingdom and Australia?

It was the traditional American wedding cake too until the mid-20th century.

What is the traditional French wedding cake, a tower of profiteroles, called?

It gets a halo of spun sugar.

A groom's cake is a Victorian English tradition now most common in which region?

It is usually darker and richer than the bride's cake, often chocolate.

What was the traditional Korean wedding dessert?

Today guests are more likely to see sponge cake and fresh fruit.

A 'wedding breakfast' in England is held when?

The name has nothing to do with the time of day.

Where and when did the custom of a newlywed holiday originate?

Upper-class couples took a 'bridal tour' to visit relatives who had missed the wedding.

What did the French call the newlywed trip when it spread from Britain in the 1820s?

A journey in the English fashion.

The word 'honeymoon' is attested from which year, in the sense of the happy first period of marriage?

The idea being that the first month of marriage is the sweetest.

Modern honeymoons as pure holidays became widespread during which era?

They were one of the first forms of mass tourism.

What is the traditional gift material for a first wedding anniversary?

Wood is the fifth and tin the tenth.

Which anniversary is the golden one?

Silver is 25, ruby 40, diamond 60, platinum 70.

Which anniversary is traditionally marked with rubies?

Diamond is the 60th and platinum the 70th.

Linking anniversaries to gold and silver has been documented since the 1500s in which countries?

English-speaking countries took up anniversary gifts in the 19th century.

From which anniversary can a British couple request a message from the monarch?

Then the 65th, 70th and every one after that, by applying to Buckingham Palace.

US couples can get an anniversary card from the president from which anniversary on?

Australians can get one from the governor-general at the same milestone.

A bachelor party is called what in the UK and Ireland?

Australians and Canadians say buck's night.

Which ancient people held a dinner and toasts for the groom's last night as a single man?

The custom is traced to the 5th century BC.

Traditionally, who hosted the black-tie stag banquet?

It included a toast in honour of the groom and bride.

The scandalous 1896 'Awful Seeley Dinner' in New York was thrown by a grandson of whom?

A dancer called Little Egypt allegedly performed naked in the desserts.

A bachelorette party is called what in the UK, Ireland and Australia?

South Africans may call it a kitchen tea.

Who traditionally pays for the American rehearsal dinner?

Modern practice lets either family pick up the bill.

A wedding invitation is typically mailed how long before the wedding?

Historically the mother of the bride issued them on behalf of her family.

The bridal shower is said to have grown out of which earlier practice?

Friends brought gifts to make up a dowry when a father refused or could not pay one.

A dowry is paid by whose family?

Bride price runs the other way, from the groom's side.

What is a hope chest called in the United Kingdom?

Australians use both bottom drawer and glory box.

A wedding registry is meant to prevent what?

The merchant updates the list as each item is bought.

Which TV soap's 1981 episode may have helped popularise the unity candle?

The custom only took off in American Protestant weddings in the late 20th century.

A Jewish wedding canopy, the chuppah, symbolises what?

It is open on all four sides, like Abraham's tent of hospitality.

A chuppah is usually held up by how many poles?

Traditional Orthodox practice wants open sky directly above it.

In a Hindu wedding, what does the groom tie around the bride's neck?

It is usually black beads on a thread prepared with turmeric.

Which 1970s novel and miniseries popularised jumping the broom at weddings?

The custom originated in mid-19th-century antebellum slavery in the US.

What did critics mockingly call Britain's 1836 law introducing civil weddings?

Critics felt a marriage outside the Anglican church deserved no recognition.

Handfasting takes its name from what?

In later Scottish tradition it meant a temporary or probationary marriage.

Which 1754 English law sent runaway couples to Gretna Green?

Under-21s needed parental consent in England, but not in Scotland.

What were the Gretna Green blacksmiths who conducted weddings called?

Richard Rennison performed 5,147 ceremonies.

Since 1929, how old must both parties be to marry in Scotland?

They still need no parental consent, which is why Gretna stays busy.

Which newspaper called Las Vegas the 'Marriage Capital of the World' in 1953?

No blood test and no waiting period made Nevada licences famously easy.

Which two things does a Nevada marriage licence NOT require?

Once issued, the ceremony must happen within a year.

Since 1639, marriage licences have been required in which American colony-turned-state?

Their use gradually spread to other jurisdictions.

Charles and Diana married in 1981 at which London church?

An estimated 750 million people watched on television.

How long was the train on Diana's 1981 wedding gown?

The tulle veil ran to 153 yards, and the whole outfit was valued at £9,000.

Where did Charles propose to Diana in February 1981?

They had been seeing each other for about six months.

Who was William's best man at Westminster Abbey in 2011?

Catherine's sister Pippa was maid of honour.

Catherine Middleton's engagement ring had belonged to whom?

An 18-karat white gold ring with a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire and 14 diamonds.

Which fashion house's creative director designed Catherine Middleton's wedding dress?

Sarah Burton's dress was kept secret until the bride stepped out of the car.

Where did Harry marry Meghan Markle in 2018?

Unlike his brother's wedding, the day was not made a bank holiday.

Which fashion house did Meghan Markle's wedding dress designer work for?

Clare Waight Keller's veil was embroidered with flowers of the Commonwealth countries.

Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding gown was designed by a costume designer from which studio?

Helen Rose designed it; Kelly carried a lace and pearl prayer book down the aisle.

Grace Kelly retired from acting at what age to marry Prince Rainier?

She had just won the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl.

Roughly how many weddings take place in the United States each year?

The US wedding industry was worth about $70.5 billion in 2022.

Professional wedding planning became a recognised job in which decade?

Before that the work usually fell to the bride's mother or sister.

Which Chicago department store instituted the first bridal registry in 1924?

Couples used it to indicate their chosen china, silver and crystal patterns; Target pioneered the electronic version in 1993.

Traditionally, how many Jordan almonds are given as a wedding favour?

They stand for fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness; the bitter nut and sweet coating mirror married life.

In German weddings, the couple saw through a log together to symbolise what?

Baumstamm sägen uses a long two-handled saw so the pair must show teamwork in front of the guests.

What do Russian wedding guests chant to make the bride and groom kiss?

The kiss must last as long as the chanting continues; the best man and maid of honour are called 'witnesses'.

In the Greek pre-wedding custom of Krevati, what do friends place on the couple's new bed?

The name means 'bed', and the offerings are meant to bring prosperity and fertility.

In the rural French ritual la rôtie, newlyweds are served champagne and chocolate in what?

The unmarried revellers who find the couple then share the mixture and finish the night with onion soup.

In Bavaria and western Austria, how is the bride traditionally woken on her wedding morning?

Friends and neighbours gather at dawn outside her house to greet her.