Romantic Trivia Tid-Bits:

Wedding Traditions:

•  The bachelor party was originally made as the last chance before the new wife took over the finances for the groom to gather money by gambling for his own future use.
• Many centuries ago, men who had decided upon a wife often had to forcefully take her with him (or kidnap her) if her family did not approve of him. The groom-to-be would sometimes bring along his "best man" to help him fight for the woman.
• The origin of the Bridal Shower: When a bride's father did not approve of the husband-to-be, he would not provide her with the necessary dowry. The brides friends would therefore "shower" her with gifts so she would have her dowry and thus marry the man of her choice.
• Inviting women to be members of your bridal party dates back to ancient times. One Roman custom was to dress the bridesmaids in a fashion similar to the bride's to confuse evil spirits trying to kidnap the bride.
• During the days of "Marriage by Capture," the bride was certainly not going to go peacefully into the bridegroom's abode, thus, she was dragged or carried across the threshold - a tradition that stuck!
• Diamond Engagement Rings - These lavish gifts were given by medieval Italians in the belief that the diamond was created in the Flames of Love.
• The signing of the guest book was a record of all people who witnessed the wedding. For that reason, the guest book is supposed to be signed following the official wedding ceremony (not before).
• The term 'honeymoon' comes from the tradition of the bride drinking mead (a brewed, fermented drink made of honey) for one month after the wedding to encourage fertility, and a male child in particular.
• Loud noises were said to chase away evil spirits, and during the ceremony, the guests would make noises to keep the spirits away.  This is why it's traditional that the bridal party honk their car horns while leaving the ceremony.
• In Anglo Saxon times, to establish his authority the groom symbolically struck the bride with a shoe. Brides would then throw a shoe at the bridesmaids to see who would marry next. Makes you appreciate the bouquet toss, doesn't it?
• Chivalrous gentlemen sent a pair of gloves to their true loves. If the woman wore the gloves to church on Sunday, it signaled her acceptance of proposal.
• A ritual bath is a widespread custom in many European countries, especially in France. The custom symbolizes the purification of the bride of all evil influences - and thoughts of previous boyfriends - from earlier in her life.
• According to legend, when a bride and groom drink their wedding toast, whoever finishes first will rule the family.
• The expression "tying the knot" actually dates back to Roman Times when the bride wore a girdle secured by a knot. On the wedding night, the groom then had the honors of "untying the knot." The couple's lives were then tied together. Rituals of binding were also popular in ancient Carthage. The couple's thumbs were laced together with a strip of leather. In India, the Hindu groom knotted a ribbon around his bride's neck, and once tied, the marriage was legal and binding. For much of history the rope was the most powerful way to connect things and people. So, it made sense to talk about "tying the knot."
• The first wedding cake, Roman times: A thin loaf was broken over the bride's head at the close of the ceremony to symbolize fertility.
• Traditionally, if a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.

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As A Matter of Fact...

• In 1970, brides were on average 20.8 years old when they married, while grooms were 23.2. Americans are now marrying later in life. In the year 2000, brides were on average 25.1 with their grooms averaging 26.8.[Source: USA Today]
• Oldest Bride - Minnie Munro became the world's oldest bride when she married Dudley Reid at the age of 102 on May 31, 1991. Reid, the groom, was 83 years old. [Source: Guinness Book of World Records]
• Oldest Groom - Harry Stevens was 103 when he married 84 year old Thelma Lucas at the Caravilla Retirement Home in Wisconsin on December 3, 1984.[Source: Guinness Book of World Records]
• The Longest Engagement - Sixty-seven years, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The happy couple finally wed at age 82!
• Two out of five marry their first love.
• Only 4% of men ask for the parent' approval for their bride's hand in marriage.
• One in 5 men proposes one one knee.
• 6% of men proposed to their girlfriends over the phone.
• 49.8% of paperback books sold in America are romances
• Most recent research indicates just about 9,000 romantic couples each year take out marriage licenses, then fail to use them.
• Studies by Dr. Karl F. Robinson of Northwestern University reportedly prove that men change their minds two or three times more often than do women.
• Experts insist that the average person falls in love seven times before marriage.
• It's reported that more than 10,000 marriages a year now are directly traceable to romances which begin during coffee breaks.
• It's the unmarried girl under the age of 21 who's statistically most inclined to get a headache.
• The German language contains 30 words that refer to the act of kissing. There is even a word, Nachkuss, for all the kisses that haven't yet been named.
• Only 14% of brides in the USA are engaged to the men they actually marry more than one year. Length of the average engagement is six months. Engagements that are considerably longer tend to raise the odds against happy matrimony.

Now That's ODD!!!

• A lover on the island of Trobriand customarily bites off his lady friend's eyelashes. He would never take her out to dinner, however, unless they were married. To share a meal with her would disgrace her.
• Many an early wooden bathtub was fitted with a shelf across the middle to hold food and drink. Oval in shape, said tub was designed so two people could face each other over the shelf, and dine. The practice was practical, to get the maximum out of a minimum of hot water.
• Scholars recently returned from New Guinea said they noted a lot of elderly natives there had missing fingers. Research revealed that it was the custom some years ago for a young fighting man to give his lucky girlfriend a finger cut from the hand of an opponent. And said girlfriend wore that finger on a string around her neck.  - YUCK!
• COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - He just called to say he loved her. The problem was he did it over and over, running up a phone bill of at least $117,000 to his sweetheart in India. Now the 24-year-old Dane could face jail for fraud because he can't pay the bill, police said Friday. The lovesick Dane, whose name was not released, has never even met his 18-year-old flame from Madras, India. They got in touch through a magazine that publishes names and phone numbers of people all over the world who want to know foreigners. But the Dane clearly couldn't resist the sound of her voice. Police said the long-distance lovebirds once spent 21 of 24 hours on the phone to each other. He got away with it for so long by switching telephone companies. {We're close hun!}
• The longest kiss listed in the Guinness Book of World Records lasted an incredible 417 hours.
• In medieval Italy kisses weren't taken -- or given -- lightly. If a man and a woman were seen embracing in public they could be forced to marry.
• There's a curious difference in the ways that single girls and bachelors pick their romantic partners. The girl might have a dozen boyfriends, none of whom seems to be like another or anything like the sort of fellow she eventually winds up marrying. But the young bachelor is inclined to select all his lady-friends, including finally his wife, for their similar qualities.

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