- Roman law required 10 witnesses to be present at a wedding, which was considered a precursor to the bridal party. Bridesmaids had to dress just like the bride to confuse vengeful spirit presences (or jealous suitors) who might try to harm the newly weds.
- Witnesses at the marriage bed were required to get REALLY involved. A tradition in medieval England and France was called ‘fingering the stock”. This practice involved checking the bride’s stockings for signs that the marriage had been consummated.
- Another bridesmaid tradition is biblical. When Jacob married Leah and Rachel, each brought her own “maid”. However, they were personal servants rather than your typical bouquet-holding bridesmaids.
- The Chief Bridesmaid was in charge of the dow-purse (much like the maid of honor would hold the bride’s bouquet). She would help the bride remove her gloves and hold them during the ceremony.
- In medieval times, bridesmaids made the bride drink and eat a concoction of plum buns in spiced ale to “restore the energies”.
- The bridesmaids were to walk carefully. If a bridesmaid stumbled on the way to the altar, superstition said she would never marry.
- In Victorian times, tradition called for all-white weddings. Bridesmaids were it was supposed to be younger than the bride, wore white dresses with short veils-contrasting with the brides more ornate veil and train. In the 20th century, this tradition became obsolete, the bride alone wore white to stand out.
- Victorian bridesmaids made party favors out of things like ribbons and flowers, pinning them to the sleeves and shoulders of guests as they left the ceremony.
- Bridesmaid’s of the past would walk down the aisle with aroma bunches of garlic, herbs, and grains to drive evil spirits away (and to make the atmosphere smell nice, in times when hygiene was a bit difficult).
- Being a bridesmaid was a good way of securing a husband. In the 16th century, if you had served as a bridesmaid three times (without getting married yourself), it was believed evil spirits had cursed you. To break this spell, you’d have to be a bridesmaid four more times, for a total of seven rounds on the wedding circuit.
- Another job, according to tradition, was the bridesmaids had to help undress the bride. They had to make sure to remove all pins. If a pin remained, it was bad luck for the wedding.
- Bridesmaids were responsible for leading the groom to the church for the ceremony.
- Open carriages were considered an easy target for evil spirits, so all wedding guests would use bells and firecrackers to scare them away. This translates to today’s celebratory car honking after the ceremony.
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