Modern american wedding traditions from the 1900s

It's interesting:
"During my research - and yes, believe it or not, this was researched - I looked into the three key elements of a wedding day: first, the aisle, the longest walk ..."

Weddings are buried in traditions from different cultures and time periods. The American weddings often mix many different traditions, from the color of the dress to the preparation of the invitations. Modern weddings still use traditional conventions from the turn of the twentieth century, even if the traditions have been slightly changed to reflect modern times.

1. Invitations

   • The wedding invitation was originally only word of mouth, as printing was limited and many citizens could not read or write. In 1796, an Austrian named Alois Senefelder invented lithography, which increased the number of printed wedding invitations. By 1900, it was customary in America to send wedding invitees an official printed invitation in black and white or color. The tradition has extended to save the date and separate reception invitation cards, but the original 1900 wedding invitation remains in modern wedding ceremony preparations.

   White Brides

   • In 1840, Queen Victoria of England was married in a white wedding dress. By 1900, the rise of the department store and Queen Victoria's influence found many American brides dressed in white. Department stores made clean white dresses available to brides, so every bride was able to have a new dress, rather than having to use a family heirloom, which may be grayed by storage. The white wedding dress is used in modern times and continues to symbolize purity and girlhood innocence.

   Layered Wedding Cake

   • The mountainous people of North Carolina solidified the American layered wedding cake for modern wedding celebrations. Each guest of the wedding reception was to present a layer of cake, which would be stacked with the other layers of other guests. The popularity of a newlywed couple was directly related to the number of layers on the cake. This North Carolina mountain tradition is carried through to modern celebrations through the layered, or tiered, wedding cakes present at modern receptions.

   Time of Day and Licences

   • Edwardian England traditions influenced American traditions in the turn of the twentieth century. One fashionable English tradition adopted by Americans in 1900 was the time of the wedding. Afternoon weddings, usually at 2 p.m., were widely popular. Americans adopted this tradition and continue to hold modern weddings in the early afternoon. Due to English weddings only being legal between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. in the 1900s, wedding licences were issued to allow for afternoon weddings. This tradition was adopted by the Americans and is a requirement for modern day marriages.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: traditions from, adopted Americans, american wedding, american wedding traditions, from 1900s, Modern american