Plan a Historical Wedding and We'll Guess What Strong Woman You Were in a Past Life

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By: Jennifer Post

6 Min Quiz

Image: FrareDavis Photography / Stockbyte / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Emily Post wasn't the only one who wrote books on etiquette, and surprisingly, the wedding traditions were the ones that she could be most relaxed about. However, there were plenty of other staunch wedding traditionalists out there writing the rules on politeness. Clara de Chatelain wrote "Bridal Etiquette" in 1856 and outlined rules pertaining to weddings. One of them even says that telling people you have just been wed is a big faux pas. Once the couple leaves for their honeymoon, they are to stop talking about the wedding because it's over. 

One thing you'll notice about historical wedding traditions is that a lot of them were based on keeping evil spirits away, confusing the evil spirits or bringing good luck and good weather to the day. Those traditions have been updated to fit the modern era, but some are just flat-out interesting. Did you know it was commonplace for brides to have complete control over the color of their wedding dress? It wasn't until religion became the forefront of weddings that the virginal white became a tradition. But a lot of strong women have followed those traditions, and a lot have not. Plan a wedding based on historical traditions and we'll tell you which strong woman you are!

Back in the day, bouquets were made out of pungent items to ward off evil spirits. Which of the below would you rather have?

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Would you want your parents to be the first people to congratulate you after the ceremony, as outlined in "Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness?

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In another book of etiquette, only men could give toasts at weddings. Is that cool with you?

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People still do this today, but back in the day, the first look the groom got at your dress came as you walked down the aisle. That was the only option. How do you feel about that?

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It's common knowledge in tradition that the bride's parents, specifically the father, would foot the bill for the wedding. Does that sit well with you?

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People get really creative with rings these days, but would you be OK with diamonds being the only permissible gem for the rings, as it was in the 1930s?

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Sending off the newlywed couple with rice was common practice back in the day. Would that be your preferred thing to throw?

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Veils have become a popular accessory for brides, but it used to be that only brides who were of appropriate age could wear them. If you got married today, would you be able to wear a veil?

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Nowadays, the top tier of the wedding cake is saved for the first anniversary, but historical tradition calls for it to be saved for the birth of the first child. Which would you rather save it for?

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Exactly one month before your ceremony, you'll need to bury a Bourbon bottle to ensure fair weather. Cool?

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Would you want to try and kiss your new spouse over a pile of spice buns that are stacked up in between you?

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Wedding shoes can be uncomfortable enough, but how willing would you be to put a silver sixpence in the shoe as extra good luck?

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One of the more fun traditions that couples still practice today is carrying the bride over the threshold. Would you do it?

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Saturdays are arguably the most desired day for a wedding, but back in the day they could only take place on weekdays because Saturdays were considered unlucky. Would you have a weekday wedding?

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Sunset ceremonies are beautiful, but would you consider a noon ceremony, like in the early 1900s?

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Would you ever wear someone else's underwear as your "something borrowed"?

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Up until 1840, white wedding dresses weren't a thing. What other color would you wear?

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Too bad if you want a winter wedding! Nuptials could only happen in June as far as tradition goes. What would you not like about a June wedding?

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If you wanted to walk down the aisle to anything other than the traditional bridal chorus (Here Comes the Bride), you're out of luck. Does that song work for you?

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Another thing to keep the evil spirits away, church bells would ring. Seems like a harmless tradition, right?

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An unusual tradition was that guests used to rip off pieces of the bride's dress for good luck. What would you do if someone did that?

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Can we all agree to stop smashing the cake in the bride's face after the cake cutting?

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The matching bridesmaid dress tradition started in Roman times, but it is still done quite often. Would you follow it?

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Tossing the garter and the bouquet only highlights the single people at the wedding. Is that fair?

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The idea of wedding favors is dying out because weddings are already expensive enough. Would you still go out of your way to give each guest a favor?

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It used to be that if a man wanted to cut in on the father-daughter dance, he would throw a dollar on the floor. What even is that?

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Can you believe that engaged people used to have to pretend to be only friends when out in public?

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Brides weren't really supposed to eat much during the wedding. How would you deal with that?

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Pretty much everyone in the wedding party, including the bride and groom, were supposed to wear gloves. Is that comfortable?

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When it comes to your wedding party, would you want to keep it the traditional groomsmen and bridesmaids?

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