Bridal Veil
When marriages were arranged by family
members, the newlyweds very rarely were
allowed to see one another. Family members
exchanging a dowry were afraid that if the
Groom didn't like the appearance of the
Bride's face, he might refuse to marry her.
This is why the Father of the Bride "gave
the Bride away" to the Groom at the actual
wedding ceremony. Only after lifting her
veil just prior to the ceremony did the
Groom see the Bride's face for the first
time! Early Greek and Roman Brides wore red
or yellow veils to represent fire, and to
ward off demons.
The bride’s veil and bouquet are of greater
antiquity than her white gown. Her veil,
which was yellow in ancient Greece and red
in ancient Rome, usually shrouded her from
head to foot, and has since the earliest of
times, denoted the subordination of a woman
to man. The thicker the veil, the more
traditional the implication of wearing it.
According to tradition, it is considered bad
luck for the bride to be seen by the groom
before the ceremony. As a matter of fact, in
the old days of marriage by purchase, the
couple rarely saw each other at all, with
courtship being of more recent historical
emergence.
The lifting of the veil at the end of the
ceremony symbolizes male dominance. If the
bride takes the initiative in lifting it,
thereby presenting herself to him, she is
showing more independence.
Veils came into vogue in the United States,
when Nelly Curtis wore a veil at her wedding
to George Washington’s aid, Major Lawrence
Lewis. Major Lewis saw his bride to be
standing behind a filmy curtain and
commented to her how beautiful she
appeared. She then decided to veil herself
for their ceremony. |
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