One key component of any wedding ceremony is the bridal party, a group of the bride and groom’s closest friends chosen by the couple to share in the ceremony with them. This tradition has been around for hundreds of years and, thankfully, has evolved immensely since it’s origin. That being said, we did some research on this beloved tradition and want to share with you what we learned about the origins of the bridal party!

The Beginning

The bridal party most likely stemmed from Ancient Rome, back when marriages were largely political alliances. At that time there was a Roman law that there must be 10 witnesses present for a marriage to be valid. This would include 5 “groomsmen” and 5 “bridesmaids” to help the couple prepare and complete various duties and tasks. The bridal party’s main function, however, was to make sure the alliance went through without a hitch.

Main Roles

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As we know, the bridesmaids were members of the community who agreed to be legal witnesses to the marriage. These women were also sometimes the brides actual handmaids, which is where the name stems from. Their duties were to help her prepare for the big day in any way she might need. In addition, if the bride’s father disapproved of the marriage and would not provide support, it was up to the bridesmaids to provide that support for the couple instead. The Matron of Honor, as the role was known back then, was usually a happily married woman in the community who upheld the virtues of a good wife and was meant to be an example for the new bride.

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The groomsmen were also members of the community who made up the rest of the required witnesses. Their main job aside from that was to protect the bride on her journey to her new grooms home and to ensure she was safe. They would also fend off any jealous suitors who would try to take her away and stop the marriage. They earned the name “brides knights” in the Victorian era because of their role in protecting the bride. The Best Man was usually the strongest of the groomsmen and would stand closest to the bride during the ceremony to protect her.

Superstitious Associations

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Since weddings were more business-like and were conducted like contracts, most traditions came from a place of business-like practicality. However, some aspects of the bridal party come from very superstitious roots. For one thing, everyone believed that the maid of honor must be a happily married wife so that her luck would hopefully rub off on the new bride. Also, the groomsmen would also be prepared to protect the bride from vengeful Gods or spirits as well as jealous suitors. Finally, one of the most well-known superstitions is the fact that, the bridesmaids and groomsmen would dress just like the couple to confuse any angry spirits who would bring bad luck to the couple.

Today’s Bridal Party

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Thankfully, marriage today is not thought of as a business transaction as it was all those centuries ago, so these traditions aren’t so rigid today. For one, there is no longer a requirement that the bridal party has to match the bride and groom, so couples can mix up their bridal party styles! Also, nowadays there is no rule about who needs to fulfill the roles anymore, so if the bride or groom want to have a groomswoman, bridesman, “Man of Honor” or “Best Woman”, then that’s great! There’s also no rule a to how many people you should have in your bridal party, so you can include as many people as you want! Everyone agrees that the bridal party should be made up of those closest to you whom you love and appreciate.

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