The Origins of Wedding Traditions and Mimi & Robert’s June Wedding

Wedding

Where Do Wedding Traditions Come From?

I have no idea how many weddings I have photographed at this point, not a single clue. I also don’t know why many of the traditions that are in them take place. My curiosity got the best of me this week, so did a little digging to find out the origins of wedding traditions and how they relate to my latest work at Mimi and Robert’s June Wedding!

Tradition 1: The White Wedding Dress

First of course, is the white dress. A sign of virginity? Psh please…

The white wedding dress came around when Queen Victoria chose a “white wedding” because she could simply afford a purely white gown, which was not easy to attain in 1840. The Victorian elites loved the idea and so the “virginal white wedding gown” was born. Honestly, I’m looking forward to the day when the bride tells me she will be wearing black — oh the drama we will create!

Tradition 2: The Bridal Party

Another wedding tradition I find to be curious is the idea of a bridal party. When it comes to your bridal party, usually you’re just hoping the attire you’ve asked them to wear for 8+ hours is liked because after all they’ll be on display and captured in wedding photos. Don’t make me say it, good wedding photos are important!

So what was the original purpose of the wedding party? Ages ago, wedding parties were added to confuse the evil spirits lurking about so that the bride and groom would be kept safe from harm. Yep. Seriously. Also, the bride’s bouquet used to be made from herbs and garlic, once again to scare off the spirits. Frankly, I think it would be totally entertaining to see a bride carry a bouquet of garlic and herbs down the aisle!

Tradition 3: The June Wedding

Now let’s talk about the tradition of the good ol’ June wedding. This is a tradition that actually dates back to 2000 years ago! During this time, the Romans celebrated Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, in June. The Middle Ages came along and June was the month when, well, after a long, hard winter people would finally bathe. Yea, bathe! Then, in more modern times when people would marry young, June was the month they were out of school and the weather turned warm. Now this tradition does make sense, especially the bathing detail!

Following Tradition: Mimi & Robert Get Hitched in June!

Now that you know where all of these wedding traditions originated, here’s a look at them all meshed together in Mimi and Robert’s stunning June wedding. Tradition really can be beautiful!

This loving couple’s wedding was just a little bit of everything to be had. They were married under the trees of Hoover Redwood Grove in Golden Gate Park, we took photos on the beach with their wedding party, and then dinner was served riverside (yes, triple location!) at the cozy Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola.

Mimi and Robert were a delightful couple from start to finish. Not only did they do everything under the sun to make sure that their guests were comfortable, they also really took care of us vendors! Mimi was beautiful inside and out, not to mention that she never stopped smiling or laughing the entire day. The portraits of these newly-weds are true, contagious and just full of love. There is nothing more I can ask for from a couple. When a bride and groom are this open to me, these are the times when I get the images that are felt and remembered.

Mimi and Robert, I wish you many years of happiness, love, and non-stop laughter! Thank you for letting me capture your special day full of tradition and love.

Misti

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