Whoever heard of National Kiss and Make Up day? If you haven’t, August 26th is the day. What a great way to make up with an old love. We’ve all had fights and arguments with someone especially if you have lots of relatives. This is a perfect way to end an ongoing feud. If you’ve been thinking of making up with someone, August 26th is the day. What a fun day this can be. By the way, the gladiola is the flower of the day. Remember making up can be lots of fun.
Did we tell you that August is also National Romance Month?
August would be a perfect month for a period wedding or any kind of wedding. I think a Roman Wedding would be good fun.
How about this Roman costume?
The Roman marriages were arranged and of course the bride came with a dowry and the contract sealed with a kiss. The dowry was anything the family could afford, sometimes it included slaves. Once the dowry was brought to the groom, it became his property. The rings were considered and important part of the wedding. At the engagement party, the ring was given to the bride by the bridegroom and the wedding was formerly announced.
Rings in ancient Roman culture were an important part of preparations for a wedding. The formal contract, publicly acknowledged at the engagement party, was marked by the giving of a ring by the groom to his bride-to-be.
Engagement ring tradition has developed since ancient times, yet Italian culture today still embraces many of the customs of Roman culture. I recently read the Romans invented the tradition of the engagement ring.
Wives held a high position in ancient Rome. Italian men took little part in the planning of the day; just as today’s weddings, the majority of the planning is left to the wife-to-be.
Italian men in modern wedding preparations may take a more active part in the wedding planning process.
Bridesmaids were also an important part of the wedding as they are today. Being invited to the wedding was considered a great honor and duty. If you turned down an invitation it was considered an insult to the families.
As the wedding day closed and turned to darkness, it was the matron of honor was to literally ‘rip’ the bride from her mother and the guests would throw walnuts at the couple. Walnuts are considered to be sign of fertility. The bride was to leave her parent’s house and walk to her new home to meet her husband. The groom was to carry the bride over the threshold and hopefully not trip. Tripping was considered very bad luck for the couple.
On the morning of the wedding the bride was dressed by her mother and had the ‘knot of Hercules’ (belt) tied around her waist. Hercules was considered the bride’s guardian and only her husband could remove the belt.
This veil was over her wedding dress which was covered with a wreath of flowers. The Romans borrowed the custom for their brides and sometimes decorated with metallic threads. Remember red is considered the color of love.
The bride entered the house she would again tell her husband that should be obedient. The matron of honor helped undress the bride and offer her to the bride’s husband
The Roman wedding was considered a great expenditure. The average couple in the U.S. is said to spend between $17,000 to $27,000 on their wedding. It sure does sound like a good business to be in, doesn’t it?
Traditions can be fun and meaningful; The Costumer has the costumes to make it both fun and authentic.
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