The History of Bridesmaids
Let's talk about bridesmaids.
I (Whitney) was a bridesmaid last weekend. Being on this end of the wedding process was certainly a change of pace, and honestly, a bit difficult to stray from the habit of constant vigilance. As we sat waiting to make our ceremony entrance, Maid of Honor and Scorpio queen Jen explained, to my utter DELIGHT, the amazingly creepy/hilarious theories of the origin of the bridesmaid tradition:
"History is not clear on this, but there are several theories. One is that bridesmaids were “stand-ins” for the bride, in case evil spirits, which hated to see anybody happy, tried to do her harm. The bridesmaids would look and dress much like the bride to fool the spirits. Another theory says that bridesmaids, or some crowd of people, were needed to witness the wedding. In ancient Rome, one needed at least ten witnesses to get married. Bridesmaids also may have evolved from a medieval custom of having as many people as possible at a wedding, just in case a former boyfriend showed up to kidnap the bride." (thanks, Farmer’s Almanac)
So, next time you wonder why it's been the norm for a bunch of gals to be wearing the same (or nearly the same) outfit, you'll think about demons. You're welcome!
Anyway, don't these dresses look AMAZING on Claire's bridesmaids?
Do you know of any other bizarre wedding tradition origins? If so, please share in the comments. We simply must know.
