How Did Weddings Begin?

Throughout history, there have been three types of weddings. The first type was the marriage of primitive man, who simply stole the woman he wanted for his wife and dragged her off to his cave.

The second type, as man became more civilized, was marriage by contract or purchase. In this type, the groom bought the bride from her family, using money, cattle, or horses as payment. In fact, among the early Anglo-Saxons, the word “wed” meant this payment the groom’s family paid to the bride’s family, usually when the couple were still babies, to insure the marriage when the couple came of age.

The third type of marriage, practiced in most countries of the world today, is the marriage for love.

The record for the most weddings is held by King Mogut of Siam (the “King” in The King and I), who had 9,000 weddings, and 9,000 wives!

Possibly Related Amazing Facts:

• Why Do Brides Wear “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue” To Their Weddings?
• Why is June the Most Popular Month For Weddings and How Did the Custom Originate?
• Why Do We Throw Rice at Weddings?
• Why Do Women Cry at Weddings and Why Don’t Men Cry at Weddings to Express Their Happiness?
• What Does “Wedlock” Mean, Where Did the Word Come From, and Why is Marriage Called “Wedlock”?