Editing Bride (section)

== History ==
{{Update-EB|date=February 2025}}
The term ''bride'' appears in combination with many words, some of which are obsolete. Thus, "bridegroom" is a newly married man, and "bride-bell," "bride-banquet" are old equivalents of wedding-bells, wedding-breakfast. "Bridal" (from ''Bride-ale''), originally the wedding-feast itself, has grown into a general descriptive adjective, the ''bridal'' ceremony. The [[wedding cake|''bride-cake'']] had its origin in the Roman ''{{Lang|la|[[confarreatio]]}}'', an [[upper-class]] form of marriage, the essential features of whose ceremony were the eating by the couple of a cake made of salt, water and [[spelt]] flour, and the holding by the bride of three wheat-ears, a symbol of plenty.

The cake-eating went out of fashion, but the wheat ears survived.<ref name=e1911>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bride}}</ref> In the Middle Ages, they were either worn or carried by the bride. Eventually it became the custom for the young girls to assemble outside the church porch and throw grains of wheat over the bride, and afterwards a scramble for the grains took place. In time the wheat-grains came to be cooked into thin dry biscuits, which were broken over the bride's head, as is the custom in Scotland today, an oatmeal cake being used. In [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]'s reign these biscuits began to take the form of small rectangular cakes made of eggs, milk, sugar, currants and spices. Every wedding guest had one at least, and the whole collection were thrown at the bride the instant she crossed the threshold. Those that lighted on her head or shoulders were most prized by the scramblers. At last these cakes became amalgamated into a large one that took on its full glories of [[almond paste]] and ornaments during [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]'s time. But even today in rural parishes, e.g. north Notts, wheat is thrown over the bridal couple with the cry "Bread for life and pudding for ever," expressive of a wish that the newly wed may be always affluent. The throwing of rice, a very ancient custom but one later than the wheat, is symbolical of the wish that the bridal may be fruitful.<ref>{{Harv|Monger|2004|pp=49–52}}</ref><ref>{{Harv|Monger|2004|p=232}}</ref>

The ''bride-cup'' was the bowl or [[loving-cup|loving cup]] in which the bridegroom pledged the bride, and she him.<ref name=e1911 /> The custom of breaking this wine-cup, after the bridal couple had drained its contents, is common to both the Greek Christians and members of the Jewish faith.  It is thrown against a wall or trodden under foot. The phrase "bride-cup" was also sometimes used of the bowl of spiced wine prepared at night for the bridal couple. ''Bride-favours'', anciently called bride-lace, were at first pieces of gold, silk or other lace, used to bind up the sprigs of rosemary formerly worn at weddings. These took later the form of bunches of ribbons, which were at last metamorphosed into rosettes.
[[File:Bride's crate (1a).JPG|thumb|Hungarian bride's crate]]
The ''bride-wain'', the wagon in which the bride was driven to her new home, gave its name to the weddings of any poor deserving couple, who drove a "wain" round the village, collecting small sums of money or articles of furniture towards their housekeeping.<ref name=e1911 /> These were called bidding-weddings, or bid-ales, which were in the nature of "benefit" feasts. So general is still the custom of "bidding-weddings" in Wales, that printers usually keep the form of invitation in type. Sometimes as many as six hundred couples will walk in the bridal procession.

The ''bride's wreath'' is a Christian substitute for the gilt coronet all Jewish brides wore.<ref name=e1911 /> The crowning of the bride is still observed by the Russians, and the Calvinists of Holland and Switzerland. The wearing of orange blossoms is said to have started with the Saracens, who regarded them as emblems of [[fecundity]]. It was introduced into Europe by the Crusaders. The ''bride's veil'' is the modern form of the ''{{Lang|la|[[flammeum]]}}'' or large yellow veil that completely enveloped the Greek and Roman brides during the ceremony. Such a covering is still in use among the Jews and the Persians.<ref>Brand, ''Antiquities of Great Britain'' (Hazlitt's ed., 1905)</ref><ref>Rev J. Edward Vaux, ''Church Folklore'' (1894)</ref>

The "bride's crate" was the bride's container to gather all the things for the wedding in Hungary. Once all the underwear and clothes were finished, the girl was ready for marriage.