Elegant Wax Paper Backdrop
Whether you drape this beautiful white backdrop behind the altar, put it up as a reception decoration, or add it to your DIY wedding photo booth, it is guaranteed to add a simple touch of elegance to the ambience of your big day. The subtle white color and gauzy little cones of the Elegant Wax Paper Backdrop bring an airy and delicate feeling to any room without being overbearing. Like many paper crafts, this is a fairly inexpensive wedding idea.
Photograph by Gabriel Boone Photography
Estimated Cost$11-$20
Time to CompleteWeekend project
Primary TechniquePaper Crafts
Strange Origins of Common Wedding Traditions
You may rethink following some of these common wedding traditions when you learn how they all began.
1. The tradition of presenting a woman with a diamond ring when getting engaged hasn’t been around as long as you may think. It’s only been common since the late 1930’s; and it all started because the diamond industry needed to make more sales. Through some clever marketing techniques, we now have a tradition of spending 3 months’ salary before getting engaged.
2. The symbolic white wedding gown wasn’t popular until 1840, when Queen Victoria wore a white gown to her wedding. Up to this point, women wore colorful gowns, but the Queen’s statement quickly changed the fashion trend, and the symbolism of purity and innocence quickly followed.
3. The tradition of the groom not being allowed to see the bride before the ceremony is rooted from the time when arranged marriages were more common. No one wanted the groom to try and back out of the wedding if he didn’t like what he saw, so he couldn’t meet his bride until there was no turning back.
4. The bouquet and garter toss once had a very different purpose than deciding who the next couple to wed would be. Back in the day, a couple was expected to consumate their marriage as soon as the ceremony ended. The bride would throw her bouquet to distract the guests and ensure that no one came with them, and the groom would later toss out the garter as proof that the deed was done.
5. One origin of carrying the bride into a new home comes from Europe. It was improper for the bride to show any excitement or eagerness to consummate her marriage, so she would have to be forcibly carried into the home.
6. The tradition of saving the top tier of your wedding cake to eat at the first anniversary started as a more frugal and less nostalgic practice. Back in the day, a couple was expected to have their first child before their first anniversary, so couples would save the top tier of their wedding cake to serve at their child’s christening, rather than buying another cake.