THE GOING AWAY.—The rice and confetti thrown after the newly-wedded couple signifies fruitfulness and plenty, and the flowers, usually roses from which the thorns have been extracted, bestrewing their path denoted happiness, just as the orange blossom and the myrtle of the bridal bouquet were emblems of constancy and never-dying love.
THROWING OLD SHOES.—In Anglo-Saxon marriages the bride's father presented his daughter's shoe to her bridegroom, who touched her on the head with it to remind her that he was now her master. Then the throwing of shoes came to be considered a sign of good luck. "Nowe, for goode lucke caste an olde shoe after mee." The custom, too, is symbolical of the parting of the new life from the old, or of shaking the dust of a place from one's feet and severing all connection with it.
A TEAR HANDKERCHIEF.—In some parts of the Tyrol a beautiful old custom is still observed. When the bride is starting for the church, her mother gives her a fine handkerchief, woven for the purpose of the best linen possible. This is called the "Tear-Kerchief," and with it the girl is supposed to dry the tears she will naturally shed on leaving home.
After the marriage-day the "Tear-Kerchief" is folded up carefully and laid in the linen closet, where it remains till its owner's death; then it is taken out and spread over her face.
THE BRIDAL DRESS
Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue.
So runs the ancient rhyme regarding the bride's wedding dress. White is the popular wear, and has been for several centuries, but previously yellow, pink, and a brilliant scarlet were frequently chosen, unless by a girl named Mary, who was expected to wear blue, the Virgin's sacred color. Some years ago, the daughter of a duke, who was united in marriage to a commoner, shocked society by insisting on a "green" wedding. In less than a year, she and her baby were buried in the family tomb.
WHICH COLOR
Married in white, you have chosen aright.