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 Bouquet
For ancient Greeks and
Romans, the bouquet was a pungent mix
of garlic and herbs or grains. The garlic was supposed to ward off
evil spirits and the herbs or grains were to insure a fruitful union.
In ancient Poland, it was believed that sprinkling sugar on the
bride's bouquet kept her temper sweet.
 Cake
The wedding cake has
always played an important part in the
wedding. Ancient Romans broke a cake over the bride's head to
symbolize fertility or abundance. Many other cultures dropped
wheat, flour or cake on the bride's head, and then ate the crumbs
for good luck. The early British baked baskets of dry crackers,
and every guest took one home after the wedding. In medieval
times, guests brought small cakes and piled them on a table. The
bride and groom then attempted to kiss over the cakes.
Eventually, a young baker decided to put all the cakes together
and cover them with frosting, thus the tiered wedding cake was
born.
 Dress
Traditionally, brides did
not wear white wedding gowns. Through
the 18th century, most brides just wore their Sunday best to their
wedding. Red was a favorite during the Middle Ages in Europe.
Other colors were worn for symbolic reasons: blue meant
constancy and green meant youth. As years passed, white was
worn as a symbol of purity. Today, white merely symbolizes the
wedding and is worn by any bride, no matter if it is their second
marriage.
 Honeymoon
The first weddings
comprised of a groom taking his bride by
capture. He would take her somewhere hidden away so her
relatives and villagers couldn't find them. There they stayed for
one moon phase and drank mead, a wine make from honey, to
make them more amorous. Thus, the word "honeymoon" was
born. Today, the honeymoon is the time when the couple can get
away for awhile.
Kiss
The first kiss a bride and groom share at
the close of the
ceremony has carried special significance through the centuries.
Many cultures believed that the couple exchanged spirits with
their breath and part of their souls were exchanged as well.
 Ring
The wedding ring has traditionally been
worn on the third finger
of the left hand because it was believed that a vein in this finger
ran directly to the heart. The third finger of the left hand has
become the customary wedding-ring finger for all
English-speaking cultures.
Throwing Rice
One of the oldest wedding traditions, the
custom of throwing rice,
originated with the ancient Hindus and Chinese. In these cultures,
rice is the symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity. Tossing it after
the ceremony was believed to bestow fertility upon the bride and
groom. Eating rice and other grains was thought to guarantee
health, wealth and happiness for the newlyweds. Today, rice
tossing is being replaced by the more ecologically friendly
birdseed tossing, because uncooked rice is damaging to birds who
eat it off the church lawn.
Veil
Mystique and romance has surrounded the
veil for more than one
thousand years. Originally, the veil is thought to have been used
to hide the bride from abductors, just as the similar dress of her
bridesmaids was meant to do. But a more romantic interpretation
evolved later which believed that concealment (as the bride's face
beneath a veil) rendered what was hidden more valuable. Another
early interpretation of the veil was that it symbolized youth and
virginity.
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2006 WEDDING &
HONEYMOON FACTS |
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Average Honeymoon
Cost $ 3, 471.00 - 7 Nights |
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Top # Honeymoon
Destinations
-
Caribbean 31%
-
Hawaii 15%
-
Mexico 15%
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Interesting
Wedding & Honeymoon Facts |
- 19 % of all Engagements occur in
December.
- Destination Weddings Now Account
for 15% of all weddings & are growing rapidly.
- Average # of Guests for
Destination Weddings = 56
- Average Age for New Brides 27
& 29 for Grooms
- 90 % Have Some College
- 35% of Destination Weddings are
Beach Weddings
- 21% are Cruise Ship Weddings and
Growing the Fastest
- Most Secluded & Romantic
Honeymoon Destinations - Tahiti & Fiji
- # 1 Romantic Honeymoon - Tahiti -
Bora Bora Hotel - Over The Water Bungalow
- Most Secluded Romantic Resort -
Valtulele Fiji- Only 18 rooms
- Top Romantic Caribbean Islands -
Antigua, St John, St Lucia, Belize
- Top Adventure Caribbean Honeymoon
- Costa Rica
- Best Diving Honeymoon - Belize
& Turks & Cacios
- Best Island Honeymoon Value -
Cancun Mexico
- Top Cruise Ship Private Island -
Half Moon Cay Bahamas - Holland America
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More Wedding Statistics |
ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS
- The
average American engagement is 16 months.
- During
the engagement period, couples buy:
- $4
billion in furniture
- $3
billion in house wares
- $400
million in tableware
- June is
the most popular month for weddings, then August, followed by
September October and May
- Every
year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the
U.S.
- The
Wedding Industry is a 50 billion dollar a year industry
- Average
age for first-time brides is 25 years, for grooms it's 27.5
- 175
guests are invited to an average wedding
- One third
of engaged couples retain a Wedding Consultant
- An
average honeymoon vacation is one week
- The
average household income of a newly married couple is
$60,000/year
- Couples
are waiting longer to get married
- Tuxedoes
are typically purchased 5-6 months after the wedding gown
- Median
age for remarriage is 34 for women and 37 for men
-
Bridesmaids' gowns are general purchased 3-4 months in advance
of the event
- Average
size of wedding party: 12
- Most
brides (30%) plan their weddings for 7 to 12 months
- Most
(about 75%) first-time brides will receive a diamond engagement
ring (67% of repeat brides).
- About 15%
of weddings include ethnic customs
- 35% of
weddings occur in the summer; 29% in the spring; 23% in the
fall; 13% in the winter.
- 11% of
winter weddings are Christmas weddings
COST
STATISTICS
- $22,000
is the average amount spent on a traditional American wedding
- A total
of $72 billion is spent on weddings annually in the U.S.
- $19
billion is spent buying presents at wedding gift registries
- The
average amount spent on a bridal gown is $800
- David's
Bridal accounts for 20% of all bridal-gown sales, and that
percentage is increasing
- The
average ring costs $2,000
TOP
WEDDING DESTINATIONS:
- Las Vegas
(100,000 weddings/year)
- Hawaii
(25,000 wedding/year)
- Bahamas
(5,000 weddings/year)
- Jamaica
(5,000 weddings/year)
- U.S.
Virgin Islands (4,000 weddings/year)
OTHER
WEDDING STATISTICS
- 80% of
traditional weddings are performed in churches or synagogue.
- Four out
of five brides are employed.
- There is
a 43% chance of a marriage ending in divorce.
- 35% of
Brides and Grooms have a valid passport.
-
Percentage of couples living together before marriage: 64%
-
Percentage of engaged couples who’ve known each other longer
than 3 years: 69%
- 166,000:
Wedding ceremonies performed annually in Istanbul, Turkey
-
Percentage of brides who say they’ll be changing their surnames:
60%
- 93,750:
Approximate cost, in dollars, of an average Japanese wedding
- 150,000:
Wedding ceremonies conducted in Canada in 2002
- 53% of
weddings occur in the afternoon; 31% in the evening; 16% in the
morning.
- 30% of
receptions are held in churches; 20% in hotels; 20% in country
clubs; and 10% each in fraternal halls, private homes, and other
locations.
- 38% of
weddings have a buffet; 34% have a sit-down dinner; 28% serve
only cake and punch.
- 62% of
weddings have a flower girl.
- 56% have
a ring bearer.
- Brides 18
to 39 receive 85% of all wedding cards.
- More than
4.2 million unmarried couples live together.
- 67% of
women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their
wedding day.
MARRIAGES BY MONTH
- January
4.7%
- February
7.0%
- March
6.1%
- April
7.4%
- May 9.8%
- June
10.8%
- July 9.7%
- August
10.2%
- September
9.6%
- October
9.4%
- November
7.4%
- December
7.8%
WEDDING COSTS BY CATEGORY*
- Reception
28.3%
-
Consultant 15.0% (if hired)
- Wedding
Rings 11.5%
-
Photography/Video 6.6%
- Bridal
Gown 6.1%
- Music
5.2%
- Flowers
4.6%
- Bridal
attendants' apparel 4.5%
- Rehearsal
dinner 4.2%
- Men's
formal wear 3.2%
-
Invitations 2.8%
-
Attendants' gifts 2.1%
- Mother of
the bride apparel 1.7%
- Bride's
veil 1.6%
- Clergy
and ceremony fees 1.2%
- Limousine
0.9%
- Groom's
attire 0.8%
Source: Association of Bridal Consultants*
HONEYMOON STATISTICS
- Among
couples who choose a traditional wedding, 99 percent take a
honeymoon.
- Couples
spend an average of $4,000 on their honeymoon. That's three
times as much as the average U.S. adult spends on a vacation.
- The
length of an average honeymoon is seven days.
- 45
percent of honeymoon trips are to domestic locations; 55 percent
are foreign.
- The
Honeymoon Industry is a 12 billion dollar a year industry.
Most
Popular Honeymoon Activities:
- Visiting
a new place for sightseeing, restaurants, entertainment and
nightlife- 75%
- Beaches
and lakes - 45%
- Casinos -
20%
- Cruises -
15%
-
Golf/sports vacations - 10%
- Skiing
trips - 5%
Destinations that are most frequently chosen
- Aruba 8%
- Bahamas
20.2%
- Bermuda
3.1%
- British
Virgin Islands 7%
- Caribbean
34%
- Caribbean
Islands 6.3%
- The
Cayman Islands 10.5%
- Europe 4%
- Hawaii
33%
- Jamaica
17.1%
- Mexico 7%
- Puerto
Rico 3.8%
- St.
Marten 5.6%
- US Virgin
Islands 7%
Places To Stay While On The Honeymoon
- 46.1%
Hotel/Motel
- 35.2%
Resort
- 20.1%
Boat/Ship
- 8.2% Bed
and Breakfast/Inn
- 8.9%
Other
Transportation Used for Honeymoon
- 76.2%
Airplane
- 60% Rent
Car
- 16.4%
Their Own Car
- 27%
Boat/Ship
- 2.7%
Railroad
SOURCES
-
Association of Bridal Consultants
- Condé
Nast Bridal Group
-
Mediapost.com National Bridal Service
- National
Center for Health Statistics
- Greeting
Card Association
- National
Association of Wedding Ministers
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