Monday, Nov. 10, 2008

Traditionally speaking...

Sundays are important to me. They are the one day I can spend with my fiancé from start-to-finish. It is a tradition for us: Never jam-pack a Sunday; just go with the flow. If I schedule too many things on Sundays (which I often do), it really isn't a day-off.

I made a big breakfast this past Sunday, with omelets, biscuits (thanks, Pillsbury), home fries and bacon. Nothing says "artery clogger" like a good ol' fashioned American breakfast.

While I'm not sure about keeping with this American-breakfast-on-Sundays tradition, I am learning about a bunch of others.

Did you know that geese mate for life? Apparently Koreans do. Historically, the groom gives a a goose to the bride's family, symbolizing they will be together forever. Nowadays a wooden carving of a goose or geese are acceptable.

A traditional Korean ceremony involves the parents from both sides to toss dates and chestnuts into the bride's skirt. However many she catches symbolizes the number of children she will have, with the dates representing girls and chestnuts representing boys, or vice versa.

I Googled some Western traditions and was a little flabbergasted. FYI, we wear wedding bands on a certain left-hand finger because back in the day, ancient Romans believed a vein in that finger went directly to the heart.

Know why the bride carries an oftentimes expensive bouquet down the aisle? In olden times, they used to carry smelly herbs to drive away evil spirits. It changed to flowers because they represented fertility.

A rather disturbing tradition is the Best Man. Apparently back in the day, men would need a partner in crime to kidnap his bride.

Another not-so-innocent tradition is carrying the bride over the threshold. Women were supposed to be hesitant to consummate the marriage, therefore having to be carried into the house.

I've never been one for traditions. I'm not religious, so why do I need a church? Furthermore, why even bother with a priest? I'm opting for an ivory gown instead of stark white for obvious reasons (quoting Miranda from Sex & the City, "The jig is up"). I don't need a unity candle to harbor in my attic until I find it melted all over my wedding pictures 60 years later. And WHY do people save the top tier of their wedding cake for their first anniversary? I don't like keeping ice cream in my freezer for more than 2 months, so why would I keep a piece of cake in there for a year?

"Fine, miss fancy pants - what is your plan, then?" you might ask.

Honestly? I've always thought I'd elope. So this whole planning process is very new to me - especially when I hate planning big events.

Luckily, there are magazines such as Simply Weddings that offer a step-by-step guide to pulling off a stress-free wedding. Mr. Big purchased the latest magazine for $12.95 yesterday after seeing me scouring the pages at Barnes & Noble and nodding repeatedly to nobody but myself.

According to my wedding website, I have less than 299 days to go. So far we've set the date, chosen the venue, picked the dress and selected our bridal party. Next up - cake testing... Do we want chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, bavarian creme... Maybe this planning isn't so bad...