Italy marriage part 2

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The Dowry 
For the first year of marriage the groom is not supposed to pay for any clothing for his wife,but instead the bride’s family would buy her clothing and accessories. 


Wedding Favors 
 Favors are made of crystal, silver or Limoges porcelain. Everyone must receive the same weddinig favor because there are no friends or relatives more important than others. 


Rice
Rice is thrown at the couple to symbol a shower of fertility. 


The Bouquet 
According to tradition, the bouquet is the last gift from the groom to promise the bride it is the ending the betrothal stage. The groom customarily sends it to the bride’s house on the morning of the wedding, although often it is the bride who chooses it, as it must match her gown. At the end of the ceremony it is thrown and whoever catches it has good luck to marry in a few years.
The custom of bedecking the bride with flowers is a very ancient one, and it comes from the Arab world. Here, on her wedding day the bride would be decorated with delicate white flowers – orange blossoms – to symbolize fertility. This custom came about to represent the hope that the woman would bear many children. 

The Bridesmaids 

The ancient Egyptians believed that on the wedding day, evil spirits would gather where the marriage was being celebrated in order to ruin the happy atmosphere. Therefore, the bride’s girlfriends would dress in opulent gowns and follow the bride in order to confuse the evil spirits: unable to recognize the bride, these spirits could not wish any misfortune on her. 


The Honeymoon 

In ancient Rome, the bridal couple would eat honey for the duration of “one moon” after the wedding (perhaps to recoup from the long wedding day!). This has led to the custom of using the term “honeymoon” to refer to the beginning of the newlyweds’ life together. 

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