The story behind wedding announcements: History, etiquette, and modern trends

Wedding announcements are more than a note to friends and family. They provide a lens that focuses on social history, etiquette, and evolving traditions. From medieval church banns to Instagram posts today, these declarations tell a story about how society has marked one of life’s most celebrated moments. Today's post delves into the fascinating journey of wedding announcements, their etiquette rules, and how they’ve adapted to the modern age.

 

History of Wedding Announcements

The tradition of announcing marriages dates back centuries, long before save-the-date cards, printed invitations, or social media existed.

• Medieval Europe: In many communities, couples’ intentions to marry were publicly declared in churches on three consecutive Sundays. These “banns of marriage” provided an opportunity for anyone with legal or religious objections to speak up. Back then, society was largely illiterate, and this practice provided an essential public form of communication.
• Heralds and Nobility: Among aristocratic families, marriage announcements were often delivered by heralds, high-ranking officers of a monarch or nobleman. These formal proclamations weren't just about love. In fact, love might not be a factor at all. They signaled information about social alliances, inheritance, and status.
• The Printing Press Era: The advent of the printing press offered a new way to publicly record matrimonial unions. Because of newspapers, printed marriage announcements came about in the 17th and 18th centuries. These announcements were initially a privilege of the wealthy, who could afford the cost of printing their names and lineages in local papers.

By the 19th century, etiquette guides formalized the style and wording of announcements, often detailing the family lineage of both the bride and groom. Newspapers became the standard medium for the broader public, while handwritten and engraved announcements remained a mark of prestige.

 

Etiquette of Wedding Announcements

The shift from pre-wedding notices to post-wedding announcements happened gradually over several centuries:

17th–18th Century Newspapers

• As printing became common, newspapers began publishing wedding notices.
• By the late 18th century, most announcements were post-wedding rather than pre-wedding.
• The focus shifted from legal or community obligations to social recognition and prestige.

Victorian Era (19th Century)

• Engraved announcements mailed after the wedding became fashionable among middle- and upper-class families.
• Including the date and venue after the ceremony allowed families to celebrate the union and broadcast their social status. 

  

Modern Trends in Wedding Announcements

Today, the way couples announce their marriages reflects changes in society, technology, and personal style:

• Digital announcements: Social media, email, and wedding websites allow couples to share news instantly with friends and family worldwide. Some even combine photos, videos, and interactive elements.
• Design and personalization: Many couples now choose custom designs, illustrations, monograms, or keepsake-quality stationery to reflect their personalities. Minimalist and eco-friendly designs are increasingly popular, and sites such as Canva provides a wide range of customizable templates with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
• Blending tradition and modernity: Some couples honor tradition by sending printed announcements while also posting online, merging historical etiquette with contemporary convenience.

 

Why Wedding Announcements Matter

Wedding announcements are more than a formality. They:

• Connect communities: Historically, they informed communities of a major life event.
• Reflect social customs: The format, wording, and medium show societal values across centuries.
• Preserve memories: Whether printed or digital, they serve as keepsakes of a milestone moment.

Even in the digital age, announcements continue to honor the balance between sharing news and celebrating personal milestones with style and intention. 

From church doors and town criers to newspapers, engraved cards, and Instagram posts, wedding announcements have evolved alongside society itself. They combine history, etiquette, and creativity, offering couples a meaningful way to celebrate and share their marriage. Understanding their origins enriches the modern tradition, reminding us that even a simple announcement carries centuries of social and cultural significance.

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History and Meaning of the Father–Daughter Wedding Dance

The tradition of a father and daughter sharing a dance is a cherished moment across many cultures. While it is now most widely recognized at weddings in Western society, the practice has a rich history rooted in symbolic rites of passage, family alliances, and cultural celebrations.

 

The father–daughter wedding dance is one of the most sentimental highlights of a wedding reception. Today, it’s seen as a touching way for a bride to honor her relationship with her father (or a father figure). But this tradition has a long history that reveals how weddings once reflected family duty, social order, and transition.

From “Giving Away” to Dancing Together

The roots of the father–daughter dance lie in European customs of the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, weddings were often less about personal romance and more about family alliances and social status. Formal balls were a central feature of upper-class society, and etiquette guides emphasized the father’s role in presenting his daughter.

For example, the Victorian handbook The Habits of GoodSociety (1859) describes how dances followed strict rules of propriety. Fathers frequently danced with daughters first before introducing them to their husbands or other partners. The act was not just sentimental—it symbolized guardianship and the formal transition from one household to another.

The Symbolism of Transition

The dance originally echoed the broader ritual of a father “giving away” his daughter during the ceremony. In many traditions, the father would begin the dance with the bride and then step aside for the groom, symbolizing the transfer of responsibility and blessing.

Similar practices appeared in debutante balls, where young women were formally presented to society. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica’s entry on debutantes, fathers often danced first with their daughters before allowing other men to join them on the dance floor, reinforcing the idea of protection and transition.

 

Modern Evolution

By the 20th century, particularly in the United States, the father–daughter dance had shifted in meaning. Weddings became less about family contracts and more about personal celebration. The dance transformed into a moment of love, nostalgia, and gratitude.

Today, the father–daughter wedding dance is often customized with personal touches:

• A favorite childhood or meaningful song (see Brides.com’s overview of the tradition).
• Any dance style, from classic waltz to upbeat swing, or even choreographed routines.
• Inclusion of stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, or close family friends when a father isn’t present, reflecting modern family structures.

  
Why It Endures

Even though its original meaning was rooted in social formality, the father–daughter wedding dance has endured because of its emotional power. It marks a moment of connection between generations, a pause in the whirlwind of celebration where father and daughter acknowledge their bond and the transition into a new chapter of life.

 

What began as a ritual of duty has become one of the most heartfelt and personal traditions in modern weddings.

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Photo credits: Bart, wikimedia.org

Why Do Grooms Wear Boutonnieres? The History and Meaning Behind the Tradition

When you picture a groom on his wedding day, one classic detail often stands out. A small, elegant flower pinned to his lapel. This floral decoration, known as a boutonniere, might seem like just a pretty accessory, but it carries a rich history and meaningful symbolism that dates back centuries.

 

What Is a Boutonniere?

A boutonniere (pronounced boo-ton-yehr) is a small floral arrangement, typically worn on the left lapel of a suit or tuxedo. Traditionally, it’s worn by the groom, his groomsmen, and sometimes close family members or honored guests. Though modest in size, the boutonniere holds a big place in wedding traditions worldwide.

 

Serwalin Champagne Rose Corsage and Boutonniere Set

Ancient Origins: Flowers as Symbols of Protection and Love

Roots of the boutonniere tradition stretch as far back as ancient civilizations. Warriors and soldiers often adorned themselves with herbs, flowers, or sprigs believed to ward off evil spirits and protect them in battle. These floral tokens were seen as charms of good luck and courage.

 

Medieval Romance: Wearing the Lady’s Colors

By medieval times, the boutonniere took on a more romantic meaning. Knights would wear their beloved’s chosen flower or colors pinned to their armor or clothing before heading into battle. This act was a public display of devotion and a way to keep their love close, even amid conflict.

From Battlefields to Ballrooms: The Wedding Tradition Emerges

As warfare gave way to courtship and celebration, the boutonniere evolved into a decorative accessory for formal occasions, especially weddings. By the 19th and 20th centuries, wearing a boutonniere became a refined way for the groom to signify his special role and connection to the bride.

 

Modern Boutonnieres: Style, Symbolism, and Unity

Today, boutonnieres are carefully selected to complement the wedding’s color palette and floral arrangements. Often, the groom’s boutonniere echoes elements of the bride’s bouquet, symbolizing their unity and shared journey. Beyond tradition, it’s also a stylish detail that adds a touch of elegance and personality to the groom’s attire.

 

The next time you see a groom sporting a boutonniere, you’ll know there’s more to that little flower than meets the eye. It’s a living tradition—rooted in history, romance, and symbolism—that continues to bloom beautifully on weddings everywhere.

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Image credits: pickpik.com, picryl.com

Sparta’s Unique Marriage Traditions

When people think of ancient Sparta, images of warriors, strict discipline, and military training usually come to mind. But what about the women? Specifically, the brides of Sparta? Marriage in ancient Sparta was unlike that in any other part of Greece, and the role of a Spartan bride offers fascinating insights into the values and priorities of this unique society.

 

Brides in Sparta Married Later

In contrast to Athenian girls, who often married as young as 12, Spartan brides typically married in their late teens or early twenties. This was intentional. Spartans believed that healthy, physically mature women would produce stronger, healthier children, especially the warriors Sparta depended on for survival.

From childhood, Spartan girls trained physically alongside boys. They ran, wrestled, danced, and competed, building strong bodies and confidence. This training prepared them not only for motherhood but also for the respected role they would hold in society.

 

 

The Unusual Wedding Ritual

Spartan marriage customs were strikingly different from the rest of Greece. Ancient Spartan weddings involved a ritualized "abduction." With her family’s consent, the bride would be taken away by her groom. Before their first night together, her hair was cut short, and she was dressed in men’s clothing or a simple cloak. She would wait in a darkened room, and her husband, who continued to live in the communal military barracks until age 30 would visit her in secret.

This ritual symbolized her transition from maidenhood to wife. It also reflected the Spartan emphasis on discipline, simplicity, and symbolic transformation.

 

Life as a Spartan Bride and Wife

Becoming a bride in Sparta meant gaining significant independence compared to women in other Greek city-states:

• Household Authority: With men constantly engaged in military life, Spartan wives managed households, estates, and finances.
• Land Ownership: Women could own and inherit property, and by some accounts, Spartan women controlled nearly half the land at certain points in history.
• Respected Role: A Spartan bride’s primary responsibility was to bear strong children, but she was also expected to speak her mind and uphold Spartan values. Unlike the secluded wives of Athens, Spartan women were visible and influential.

 

The Legacy of Spartan Brides

Spartan brides symbolized the society’s priorities: strength, discipline, and service to the state. They were not passive figures but respected participants in the communal life of Sparta. Ancient writers often commented on their confidence and boldness, sometimes with admiration, sometimes with criticism. In Sayings of Spartan Women, Plutarch includes several instances of their frankness, known as parrhēsia. While sometimes presented positively, he also expresses unease when women speak on matters seen as outside their domain.

Ultimately, to be a Spartan bride was to step into a role that carried both duty and power. In a society built on warriors, the women who raised them were central to Sparta’s identity and survival.

Photo Credits: picryl 

 

Why Do Newlyweds Tie Tin Cans to a Just Married Car?

Have you ever seen a “Just Married” car clattering away with tin cans bouncing behind it? I used to think this tradition started as a prank so the bride and groom couldn't make a quiet getaway, but that is not the case. It wasn't just for laughs. Turns out that, like most traditions, this quirky wedding tradition has a long and fascinating history.

 

A Noisy Beginning: Charivari and Old-World Customs

The roots of this tradition go way back to Europe. In France, they had a custom called charivari (also known as “shivaree”). After a wedding, neighbors would gather outside the newlyweds’ home, banging pots and pans late into the night. It was loud, chaotic, and meant to celebrate the couple, but also to scare away evil spirits that might bring bad luck to the marriage.

Over in Tudor England, there was another unusual custom: throwing shoes at the couple’s carriage. Believe it or not, it was a playful, slightly chaotic gesture meant to usher in luck if the shoe hit! Thankfully, that one faded out, but the idea of sending the couple off with a noisy, symbolic farewell stuck around.

 

Why All the Noise?

In many cultures, noise has long been seen as a way to ward off evil spirits. Weddings were seen as vulnerable moments where bad luck might try to sneak in, so communities did their part to keep the couple safe—with a whole lot of racket.

But noise wasn’t just about superstition. It was also about joy, fertility, and letting the world know that something worth celebrating had just happened.

 

From Carriages to Cars

As transportation changed, so did the tradition. Horse-drawn carriages gave way to automobiles, and instead of banging pots and pans outside a house, people started attaching objects that would clatter as the couple drove away. Tin cans were cheap, easy to find, and perfectly noisy—the ideal solution. And sometimes a shoe or two is still added to the mix.

And just like that, the “Just Married” car we know today was born.

 

What It Means Today

These days, tying tin cans to the back of a wedding car is less about superstition and more about fun. It’s a playful way to say, Hey world, we’re married!

Some couples stick to the classic cans, while others swap them out for ribbons, bells, or eco-friendly alternatives. No matter the variation, the tradition carries the same spirit: sending the couple off into married life with joy, laughter, and maybe a little extra good luck.

 

A Tradition Worth Keeping?

Whether you love the nostalgia of rattling tin cans or prefer a modern twist, the meaning behind the tradition is the same. It’s about celebrating loudly, boldly, and together.

So the next time you see a car clattering down the road with a “Just Married” sign and a string of cans, you’ll know it’s more than just noise—it’s history, love, and joy on wheels.

 

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Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Thanks so much for being part of our success.

 

 

Photo credits: Amazon, Freepik, Wikimedia