 French has many unique traditional customs that make your wedding day special and memorable. Some of early French wedding traditions have persisted today, transplanted to other parts of the world and influenced modern wedding ceremony as it is known today. There is no surprise that French wedding customs are rich mix of customs from other cultures together with those nurtured in the most romantic country in the world, because France has always been a crossroads of Europe.
French Wedding Dress
Many years ago during the renaissance periods, wedding dress did not require any special colors; they could wear even black if the groom was a widower. The girl took her best dress and transformed into a wedding dress. Then decorate it by jewelry, embroidery, ribbons, beading and so on. And later daughter of Francis II, wore white wedding gown at her third marriage in 1499. But anyway it did not get popular, before 19th century. Nowadays the white color is popular and tradition, it is the color of purity. Although many brides prefer colored dresses, like many years ago. The customs of having fragrant flowers as decorations and bridal bouquets has also been popular for centuries. Each flower represents a special and unique meaning to the bride and groom, and especially fragrant flowers helped freshen things up a bit, before deodorant and perfumes were invented. Wedding bells in France were usually heard in spring and summer when it was warm enough for everyone to bathe!
Bridal Trousseau and Wedding Armoire
The traditional bridal trousseau, or hope chest, originated in France and came from the French word trousse, meaning bundles of linens or clothing. The trousseau usually would contain clothing for Sundays, everyday dresses, lingerie and embroidered linens she had prepared with initials of her future family.
According to French tradition, wedding armoire, also known as hope chest is used for the bride's trousseau. It is hand-carved with symbols of wealth and well-being by the father of a future bride and is given to her when she is still a young girl. As she grew up, she would fill it up with her own wardrobe and take it with her to her new home. The chest would become a major piece of furniture in the newlywed’s home.
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