When you hear "wedding gloves tradition" what comes to mind? Most people today think it has to do with the bride wearing gloves, and while that is part of it, the original tradition made popular in the 18th and 19th centuries included gloves as a customary wedding favor for guests. In fact, wearing of wedding gloves was actually “required” by wedding etiquette until 1960.
While
formal etiquette still recommends that brides wear gloves as a symbol
of grace, today, some brides choose to wear gloves to make an elegant
fashion statement or as an embellishment on their special day, while
others decide to forego this fashion accessory all together. While most
brides don’t really consider etiquette when deciding whether or not to
wear gloves, it still helps those who want to wear gloves to decide on
length and style to complement their dress.
Wedding gloves etiquette
When it comes to glove length, wedding gloves etiquette doesn’t offer a set of hard and fast rules but rather provides common sense guidelines when pairing gloves and dress. Along with the style of dress, another factor that plays a role is whether the wedding is formal or informal. Martha Stewart offers detailed guidelines regarding what wedding gloves work best based on wedding dress style and level of formality.
In general, wedding gloves length is dictated by sleeve length. For instance, wrist-length gloves are most appropriate for longer sleeves and classic elbow length gloves offer a stylish touch with a sleeveless dress. For instance, long gloves work well for brides wearing a ball gown style wedding dress, because they complement the dress in elegance and formality and draw attention to your arms. However, shorties (wrist length gloves) can also be worn for a subtler effect. Opera gloves are formal gloves that reaches beyond the elbow and can be paired with simple gowns as an embellishment for a bold fashion statement. Modern brides sometimes even choose black opera gloves instead of white.
One more thing to consider when wearing gloves is the exchange of rings during the wedding ceremony. In the 80s, fingerless gloves were the rage, perhaps this is why. Most often, gloves are worn when walking the aisle of the church, and when the bride hands off her bouquet to her maid/matron of honor, the gloves can be slipped off and handed off too.
While wedding gloves offer a custom with a rich history, today modern brides can choose to wear them or not. For those who do want to adhere to tradition, along with glove length, matching the fabric of the wedding dress is another consideration. However, for today’s brides it’s more common to choose gloves that match your wedding day dreams, so if you want to wear lace gloves with your satin dress, go for it.
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While food plays a huge role in Greek weddings, music and dancing are equally essential. To put it in perspective, Greek culture boasts more than 4,000 traditional dances, so it’s no surprise that dancing is a central part of the wedding celebration. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Money Dance. In this tradition, the dance begins with the bride, the groom, and a handkerchief, and during the dance, family and guests give the couple their wedding gifts in the form of money. That’s right—forget toasters, crystal, or linens. Greeks give the gift everyone truly needs: cash to start their new life together.
Money Dance
Is there a certain kind of handkerchief used?
In traditional Greek weddings, the handkerchief used for dances, especially the Money Dance, is usually a simple but elegant piece of cloth rather than an ordinary handkerchief you’d keep in your pocket. Here’s what’s typical:
Material & Style
Often white or ivory, symbolizing purity and celebration.
Made from linen, cotton, or lace, sometimes with delicate embroidery.
Can be plain or slightly decorative, but not overly flashy, the focus is on its symbolic use, not the material itself.
Size
Usually large enough to be held comfortably between two hands, allowing the couple or dancers to grip it without letting go.
Cultural Names
In Greece, it’s sometimes called a mantili, meaning handkerchief, or shamiin some dialects.
Function in the Dance
Connects the bride and groom to their guests.
Provides a surface for guests to attach or drop money during the Money Dance.
So while there’s no strict rule, the handkerchief is traditionally elegant, symbolic, and functional. It’s chosen to honor the custom and the joyous occasion.
The Handkerchief Dance
The Handkerchief Dance is called the handkerchief dance because the leader
and the second dancer in line hold onto a handkerchief. In
the Greek culture folk dances, like this one, performed today at weddings are believed
to have originated from ritual dances in ancient Greece. They make perfect dances for weddings because they are performed by groups arm-in-arm in a line or in an open circle moving counter
clockwise. The leader of the group often improvises, while those following repeat the basic steps.
During the traditional Kalamatianós, because the
lead dancer holds the second dancer by the handkerchief instead of the
hand, it allows them the freedom to improvise with more elaborate steps.
How
to dance the money dance
Like the popular Greek Syrtos dance, the Money Dance (Kalamatianós) is a line dance, and it’s also affectionately called the Bride’s Dance. The celebration begins with the bride and groom dancing together, connected by a handkerchief.
Before the wedding, the parents of the bride and groom prepare for this special moment by pinning together stacks of the largest bills in their currency. Some families even create an elaborate crown made of money for the couple! During the dance, the parents step forward first, draping their money creation over the happy couple and holding hands with them to form the start of a curving line of dancers, all facing right.
Once the parents have done their part, the rest of the guests join in. They pin money onto the couple, or in some regions, they throw money toward them, never coins, of course. The scene is lively and sometimes chaotic, but that’s all part of the Greek wedding tradition. After offering their gifts, guests join the dance line. The dancer at the right end of the line becomes the leader, and may even perform a solo, showing off moves like slapping their thighs while everyone else keeps the basic steps going.
What is the meaning of the Greek wedding dance handkerchief?
In Greek weddings, the handkerchief (or sometimes a small cloth) used in the traditional dance plays a symbolic role. Specifically, during dances like the Kalamatianos or Syrtaki, the handkerchief is held between the hands of dancers, often connecting the bride, groom, or family members with the rest of the wedding party. Here’s what it signifies:
Connection and unity – The handkerchief symbolizes the bond between participants and the joining of families through the wedding.
Guidance and support – In some dances, especially the “money dance” or “kefi dances”, the handkerchief allows the couple to be guided through the dance while others may throw coins or bills onto it.
Tradition and blessing – It represents the passing of good luck, prosperity, and protection to the couple.
The Money Dance is more than just a ritual and the handkerchief isn’t just decorative; it’s a cultural and symbolic tool that reinforces community, blessing, and celebration. It’s a joyful, communal expression of love, prosperity, and celebration, where everyone in attendance becomes part of the couple’s first dance as newlyweds.
Jordan almond wedding favors are a common tradition that carries a special meaning with it. In the Greek wedding tradition, these candy-coated almonds are known as koufeta. I’m thinking that may be connected to the generic word used for this candy which is confetti. In the Italian wedding tradition, they are called coriandoli. As wedding favors, these sugared almonds are placed in pretty boxes or tulle bags called bomboniere which are often personalized with the couple's names and wedding date.
Koufeta meaning in the Greek wedding tradition
In the Greek tradition, the bride and groom share little bombonieria (favors) filled with koufeta right after the ceremony as they greet their guests. In America, this tradition is slightly altered as they are included as one of the wedding favors at the reception. This wedding tradition finds its roots in Eastern Orthodox weddings and has been practiced for more than 3000 years, although back then the almonds were honey dipped. The salty-sweet combination is thought to symbolize life’s ups and downs and the hope that there will be more sweet than bitter. These favors typically include an odd number of almonds which represent the indivisible power of the couple’s marriage. Five is the most traditional number of almonds included in these wedding favors as each almond is thought to symbolize five hopes for married life: health, happiness, fertility, wealth and a long life.
Meaning
of Jordan almond wedding favors in the Italian wedding tradition
In Italy, these bomboniera are crafted by hand using silk, organza, tulle, ribbon and flowers and may be filled with confetti, almonds, or chocolates. A little tag (bigliettino) from Italy is attached. When using almonds, traditional Italian weddings include five Jordan almonds which represent five wishes for the bride and groom: health, wealth, happiness, children and longevity. As with any wedding tradition, you can adjust the Jordan almond tradition to make it your own. Pack the almonds in small decorative boxes, serve a handful in a champagne glass or a small glass bowl. However you decide to present these special wedding favors, be sure to include a small card that explains the meaning with your guests using this traditional poem:
Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet. Five wishes for the new husband and wife –Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!
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Greek weddings are known for huge guest lists, plate smashing, and Greek foods including Baklava, so I thought it would be fun to look at a typical ancient Greek wedding day. I'll start by saying that in ancient Greece, the
wedding ceremony was considered a decisive coming-of-age rite with the
marriageable age for girls ranging from 12-15 years (men were 25-30).
To narrow the focus, what we will look at today are the customs included in the wedding
festivities back then that in some ways reflect our own modern customs.
Ancient Greek wedding feast
In ancient Greece, every wedding included a feast. It provided a bountiful amount of meat often supplied by the prenuptial sacrifices. Friends and family of both the bride and groom feasted together in a ritual sense of community, but men and women sat on opposite sides of the room.
In Euangelos’ play the Anakalyptomene, we get an idea of just how ostentatious the food displayed might have been. In his depiction, the feast included veal, pork, hare, custards cheese, pastries, lydian treats, eggs cake, and while foods did vary from one region to another, there was one traditional food offered at every Greek wedding called “sesame.” It was made from ground sesame seeds mixed with honey and formed into cakes. This custom was tied to fertility. The belief was that the prolific nature of the sesame seed could somehow be transmitted to the new couple.
Ancient Greek bridal customs
Ancient Greek bridal fashion included loosely draped gowns gathered at
the waist and touching the floor. Form-fitting bridal gowns suggested the
sensuality of their gods and today the elegant goddess gown continues to be a popular choice.
Ancient Greek brides also wore veils of yellow or red. These colors represented fire and were thought to scare away evil spirits. Today brides most often wear white which is thought to symbolize purity.
In Ancient Greece, the brides also wore diamonds. In that culture they were considered teardrops of the gods,
reflecting the “flames of love.”
Ancient Greek brides brides carried or wore flower garlands because they believed flowers signified new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility.
Wedding guest list
Like modern-day Greek weddings, the ancients also invited friends and relatives of the bride and groom to the celebration. At that time, men and woman didn’t gather together publicly in the same place but weddings were different. The men and women were allowed to assemble in the same room, but as I mentioned above the men sat on one side and the women on the other. So the brides and grooms of ancient Greece basically had the same problem of deciding who to include on the guest list. In ancient Athens, they tried to curb this problem through legislation that limited the number of guests to 30. Even with this restriction, it was common-place to find freeloaders trying to take advantage of the abundant food.
Wedding venue
Ancient Greek weddings were often held in the home of
one of the families--either the father of the bride or the groom, but in most cases the two families collaborated. However, weddings didn’t always take place in the home. The wedding depicted in Menander’s Dyskolos took place in the shrine of Pan. Today evidence from inscriptions reveal this happened in real life too. In a 300 B.C inscription from Cos, there is evidence that weddings were held in cult sanctuaries. In this particular case, the wedding took place in the sanctuary of Herakles Dionmdonteios. However, not just anyone could use a sanctuary because use was only available to members of the group who oversaw and cared for the facility. And with the use of a sanctuary there were rules. In this particular case, the wedding had to take place in the same month in which they celebrated a festival to Herakles and then the wedding could use part of the meat of the festival sacrifices as part of the feast. However, Herakle had to be present at the celebration in the form of a statue, and he also had to have his own dining couch.
Dancing
and wedding processions
Today when we say “wedding dance” we would probably
think of the father of the bride dancing with his daughter and the groom dancing
with his mother, or even the bride and groom’s first dance as husband and wife.
However, in ancient Greece, dances accompanied all the stages of the ceremony.
This included young men whirling in dance as the bride was led through the city
in the wedding procession. Yes, a wedding procession was a formal part of the
wedding day and it included flutes, cymbals and songs. Sometimes the groom took
part in the procession but not always. Other times, the bride was brought to
the bridal chamber to meet the groom there.
Another procession followed the wedding as the bride
was ushered back to the groom’s house. While we might look at these processions
as tradition, the ancient Greeks’ thought them to be divine in nature and
involving a combination of gods and heroes. I might have to write a post on
this topic alone as it is quite involved.
The last custom I’ll mention here is that of pelting
the bride and groom with leaves and blossoms which was another fertility
custom. In what I found in my research, it looks like the modern-day Greek’s
might still throw rice. Much of what we can learn about ancient Greek weddings
is depicted on vases from that time. To learn more specifics about ancient
weddings in Greece check out TheNuptial Ceremony of Ancient Greece and the Articulation of Male Control ThroughRitual.
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Celtic wedding traditions like “tying the knot” with
handfasting, jumping
the broom, having bagpipes play as the bride walks down the aisle, or
dressing in a kilt or wearing a jacket or a hat with a Tartan worn over the
shoulder are popular Celtic traditions chosen by many modern-day couples for their wedding ceremony, but one
less practiced Celtic tradition that can add a fun element to your special day is to
make it a barefoot wedding.
Barefoot weddings today
Today, this ancient custom has been adopted for
country themed weddings, and in some circles it is considered a “sign of purity”
when you enter any religious site barefooted because the removal of shoes is
thought to represent a person baring their soul. And of course, beach weddings
are often barefoot weddings because it’s easier to walk on sand with bare
feet. But what did going shoeless mean to the ancient Celts?
Celtic barefoot weddings
In the ancient Gaelic and Celtic tradition, the bridal
party attended the ceremony with bare feet as a sign of simplicity and humility.
This was also thought to represent the natural relationship being consecrated
at the ceremony -- “natural” was key. Back then, Celtic marriages took place in a
natural setting and were held in circles rather than in a church with an aisle,
so guests stood in a circle to welcome the bride and the groom. (Circles are the
design behind life-giving systems in nature and thought to be symbols of
wholeness). And so bare feet making direct contact with the soil was a way of
connecting to Mother Earth.
Barefoot sandals are a popular choice for brides who
want special “footwear” for their barefoot wedding, but before you decide on a
barefoot wedding, it is important to note that some people are not fans of bare
feet. In fact, some think walking around without shoes as rude, disgusting and
unsanitary while others argue that shoes carry the same things as bare
feet on their soles. So if you decide to go with a barefoot wedding, make the barefoot element clear on your
invitation and maybe even include "why" you're choosing this ancient custom to avoid any problems on your special day.
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