Ritual, routine and culture all play a big part when it comes to getting married. Each nationality has its own traditions and customs and the unification of two people into Matrimony is one of the biggest events of a lifetime. Traditions are willingly adhered too and welcomed, making the typical British wedding a template of tradition, so some would think. The truth is the weddings we organise are not as steeped in tradition as we think, and are in actual fact barely a hundred years old. The really old customs of matrimonial bonding involve a ceremony known as handfasting, which is now a popular part of a neopagan lifestyle. This ceremony involves the guests tying fabric in a knot around the clasped hands of the happy couple, and sometimes the traditions of maypole dancing and Morris dancing are part of the ceremony as well. These ceremonies have their roots in the pre Christian era of British culture, a time when Britons worshipped nature and it is these elements that are reflected in the ceremony. The traditions we have become used to today are based on the notion of Holy Matrimony and are a reflection of religious devotion. The notion of a white wedding however is based on the preferences of Queen Victoria when she chose to wear a white dress for her wedding. At the time, a white dress was for Royal funerals, and deemed inappropriate for a wedding. The choice was incredibly popular with the public and the white wedding dress became the number one choice for ladies wedding attire, soon taking over the former trend for a well tailored evening gown. One of the most solid traditions in the wedding ritual is the marriage proposal and the offering up of an engagement ring. The ring is offered to the woman by the man as a token of sincerity and as a promise that the proposal will be honoured. This practice dates back to the Roman era, and the ring is said to symbolise truth and devotion. The practice of wearing it on the third finger is often attributed to the belief in ancient Egypt that the heart meridian runs along this point. It is considered common etiquette that if the proposal is broken off, the engagement ring should be returned to the former groom in waiting, as it stands as a token of assurance, not as a gift. The practice of having an engagement ring set with diamonds dates back to the middle ages, with the then rarity of diamonds signifying great wealth. Although other gems were popular, a diamond, as the hardest gem of them all was synonymous with the strength of the bond in marriage. Although the diamond industry has grown, and thereby reduced the value of the sparkling solitaire, a diamond is still the number one choice for the rock on a ladies finger. In fact, it is estimated that a staggering eighty percent of engagement rings have a diamond as the main gem, and regardless of value, that is what a lady expects when she is asked for her hand in marriage. So, despite religious connotations, spiritual background, or royal fashions, the world of weddings is constantly building new rituals. What we think are age old traditions are just part of an everyday growing trend in wedding fashion and fancies. However, it cannot be denied that as diamonds are a girls best buddy, that diamond engagement rings are probably here to stay.
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