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Brides' Guide 2009 Budgeting tips, Formal attire, Wedding etiquette, Planning Essentials |
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A: Many ancient cultures believed that the left middle finger contained the “vein of love”, which ran from the left ‘ring’ finger directly to the heart. Thus expressions of love such as rings were worn on said finger.
Q: From where do we get the word “diamond”?
A: According to philologists (people who study the history of words) the word diamond comes from the Ancient Greek term ”adamant”, which meant steady, eternal or indestructible. Diamonds were believed to be invincible, indestructible, and exceedingly strong.
Q: How did the word “betrothed” come into existence?
A: Again, philology tells us the modern word “betrothed” comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word “troweth”, a word associated with truth and loyalty. To be” betrothed” in Middle English meant to have had taken an oath or sworn fidelity to another. Nowadays, to be betrothed means having vows of eternal loyalty at a wedding ceremony.
Q: Is there a difference between being ‘wed’ and being ’betrothed’?
A: Interesting tid-bit here… In its modern usage, to be ‘wed’ is to be declared married by secular institution, while to be ‘betrothed’ is to be declared married by a religious entity.
Q: What was the smallest engagement ring know to have been offered?
A: The smallest engagement ring known in history was given to the two year old Princess Mary, daughter to the infamous King Henry VIII of England’s House of Tudor. She had been betrothed by her parents by-proxy to another infant, Prince Dauphin of France. The ring was specially made to fit her tiny finger.
Q: What is a “princess engagement ring”, and how does it differ from a regular engagement ring?
A: A princess engagement ring was an early English design that consisted of three to five diamonds arranged in a row across the top of the ring. Though no current differences exist between the two terms, in pre-Magna Carta England there existed laws stating that only royalty or church officials could possess rings consisting of multiple stones.
Q: From where and when did the custom of a ‘wedding band’ on top of a ‘betrothal ring’ (engagement ring) originate?
A: No one can really say, as the concept of gifting two rings (one before and another after a wedding) is a rather recent phenomenon of current prevailing Western cultural ideals which some researches have noted seems to have sprung up quite organically across the globe some 100 or so years ago.
Q: How and where did the traditional engagement ring and wedding band "guard" originate?
A: In 1761, King George III first introduced the tradition of the "keeper," or guard ring. He presented a band encircled with diamonds to his bride, Queen Charlotte. Today such rings continue their popularity as a wedding or an anniversary band.
Q: In which country was it traditional for the bridegroom to give a ring to everyone who attended the wedding ceremony?
A: The custom existed in Persia.
FYI: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert gave out six dozen rings, each engraved with the queen's profile, at their wedding ceremony.
