It is a goo idea to have the best man prepare the car for departure after making sure that everything is packed away and in order. When you're ready to leave, the guests form two lines and the couple runs through a hail of rice to their waiting car. In ancient Rome, the doorstep or threshold was the domain of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, who is associated with virgins. In respect to the goddess and to protect the bride from the evil spirits that hovered about the house, she was carried over the threshold of her new home. This custom is still done today.
Some couples adapt many of the customs from other lands to their weddings.
In Europe, couples ride to and from church in horse-drawn carriages decorated with flowers and ribbons. In England, bells peal as the bride enters the church to be married and again as she leaves it with her husband. In Bermuda, the couple plants a small tree to grow with the marriage. Click here to return to the Front Page The Online Wedding Planner and Bride's Fair of Ventura County is a publication of kneppix graphix.