126 Fun Facts About Weddings

What color is a traditional Western wedding dress?

White: a royal wedding in 1840 set the fashion for white gowns; before that brides simply wore their best dress in any colour.

Complete the Victorian rhyme for what a bride should carry: 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something…'?

Blue completes the rhyme, a Victorian custom from Lancashire; 'and a sixpence in her shoe' is the final line most people drop.

What does a groom traditionally carry his bride over after the wedding?

The threshold: carrying the bride over it into the new home is held to bring luck, and the word names the strip of wood or stone at the bottom of a doorway.

What does the bride traditionally throw over her shoulder to the unmarried women at a Western wedding reception?

Her bouquet: whoever catches it is said to be the next to marry, which is why the toss is aimed at the unmarried guests.

Where is the wedding ring traditionally worn in Western cultures?

Fourth finger, left hand: folklore held that a vein ran from that finger straight to the heart, though anatomy says otherwise.

In which 2002 comedy does Toula marry outside her heritage, to her family's dismay?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), written by and starring Nia Vardalos, became one of the highest-grossing independent films of all time, earning over $368 million worldwide on a $5 million budget.

What is the general term for the person, religious or civil, who leads a wedding ceremony?

Officiant covers priests, rabbis, judges and, in many places, a friend ordained online for the day.

What classic wedding song starts with "Here comes the bride, all dressed in white"?

The Bridal Chorus by Wagner, sung in his opera as the heroine Elsa is escorted to the bridal chamber after the ceremony; some churches discourage it as a theatre piece.

What is the traditional top tier of a wedding cake sometimes saved for?

The couple's first anniversary: many couples freeze the top tier and thaw it a year later, a custom descended from saving cake for the first child's christening.

What does the best man traditionally keep safe until it is needed during the ceremony?

The rings: the best man holds them until the exchange, and usually also organises the bachelor party, witnesses the certificate and gives a reception speech.

What is the gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be before her wedding called?

Bridal shower, a name possibly from a Victorian custom of hiding presents inside a parasol that 'showered' the bride with gifts when it was opened.

Which British monarch popularized the white wedding dress in 1840?

Before Victoria married Albert in 1840 in white lace, brides simply wore their best dress; her widely reported choice made white the default.

In which 1998 Adam Sandler comedy does a jilted musician fall for waitress Drew Barrymore, who is engaged to the wrong man?

The Wedding Singer, set in 1985, spawned a Broadway musical in 2006; Sandler and Barrymore reunited for 50 First Dates and Blended.

What is the traditional material for a 25th wedding anniversary gift?

Linking milestone anniversaries to precious metals has been documented in Germanic countries since the 1500s. In Romania couples mark the 25th by exchanging silver rings, worn alongside the originals.

In a traditional Jewish wedding, what does the groom break underfoot at the end of the ceremony?

A glass, wrapped in cloth, as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem even at a moment of joy; guests shout 'Mazel tov!'

What 2011 comedy film starring Kristen Wiig follows the chaotic lead-up to a best friend's wedding?

Bridesmaids (2011) was a critical and commercial hit, grossing over $288 million worldwide. It earned Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

What do guests traditionally throw over newlyweds as they leave the ceremony, a symbol of abundance?

Rice, though venue managers prefer birdseed because it is easier to sweep up; the idea that rice harms birds is a myth.

What do we call the trip a newly married couple takes after their wedding, a word first recorded in 1546?

Honeymoon originally meant the sweet first month of marriage, likened to a full moon that soon wanes; the sense of a post-wedding trip came later.

At a German Polterabend on the eve of a wedding, what do guests smash for luck?

Porcelain: at a Polterabend guests break crockery (never glass, which is unlucky) and the couple sweep up the shards together, following the saying 'Scherben bringen Glück', shards bring luck.

What is the meal shared by the wedding party on the evening before the ceremony called?

The rehearsal dinner typically takes place the evening before the wedding, after the wedding party has practiced (rehearsed) walking through the ceremony. It is traditionally hosted and paid for by the groom's family.

In a traditional Hindu wedding, what do the bride and groom walk around seven times?

A sacred fire: in the saat phere the couple circle the fire seven times, each circuit carrying a vow, with Agni, the fire god, as witness to the marriage.

Whose 1981 wedding gown for her marriage to Prince Charles had a 25-foot train?

Lady Diana Spencer's ivory silk taffeta gown had a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil; it arrived badly crushed after being squeezed into the glass coach, and some 750 million people watched.

What is the traditional wedding anniversary gift for the 50th year of marriage?

Gold, the 'golden wedding'; couples reaching fifty years can also request a congratulatory card from the US president or a message from the governor-general in Canada and Australia.

In which country is it traditional for a bride to wear a red wedding dress?

China: red is the colour of luck and joy, and the traditional qungua is embroidered with dragons and phoenixes; many brides now change between a Western white gown and the red outfit during the day.

What De Beers advertising slogan, launched in 1947, permanently linked diamonds to engagement rings?

'A Diamond Is Forever' was written for De Beers in 1947 by a copywriter at the N. W. Ayer agency; Advertising Age named it the slogan of the 20th century, and diamond engagement rings were far less common before it.

What is the name for the canopy under which a Jewish wedding ceremony takes place?

The chuppah (also spelled huppah) is a canopy supported by four poles under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is performed. It symbolizes the new home the couple will build together and God's presence over the union.

In the 1991 Steve Martin comedy, what is the title character's relationship to the bride?

Father: in Father of the Bride (1991) Steve Martin plays George Banks, overwhelmed when daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) announces her engagement; it remade a 1950 film of the same name.

What traditional role does the "maid of honor" play at a wedding?

Chief bridesmaid; in Britain 'maid of honour' originally meant a queen's attendant, and the wedding sense arrived via American English.

What does "RSVP" on a wedding invitation stand for?

Répondez s'il vous plaît, French for 'respond if it pleases you'; the variant 'RSVP, regrets only' flips the default so that silence is taken as acceptance.

Where in London did Prince William and Catherine Middleton marry in 2011?

Prince William and Catherine Middleton were married on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide watched the ceremony. Kate's dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, became instantly iconic.

What does tradition say happens if the groom sees the bride before the ceremony on the wedding day?

It brings bad luck, alongside British warnings against marrying in green and giving knives as a wedding gift.

At which castle did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marry in 2018?

Windsor Castle: Harry and Meghan married on 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel inside the castle walls, before an estimated 1.9 billion viewers worldwide.

What traditional African American wedding custom involves the couple jumping over an object?

Jumping the broom is a wedding tradition with roots in enslaved African American communities, where legal marriages were often prohibited. The broom symbolized sweeping away the old and welcoming the new. It has been revived as a cultural celebration of heritage.

At an Italian wedding, guests are handed 'confetti' as favours. What are they?

English borrowed the word for the paper kind from these sweets, which were traditionally thrown at carnivals; the Italian word for paper confetti is coriandoli. They are usually packaged in fives, for happiness, health, longevity, wealth and fertility.

What does the groom traditionally remove from the bride and toss to the groomsmen?

In the Middle Ages the groomsmen would rush the new bride to grab her garters as a prize. Today the toss is done at the end of the reception, after the bouquet toss.

In which 1997 film does Julia Roberts play a food critic plotting to stop a wedding?

In My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Julia Roberts plays Julianne Potter, who realizes she's in love with her best friend (Dermot Mulroney) just as he announces his engagement. Cameron Diaz co-starred as the bride-to-be, Kimmy.

In which Korean post-wedding ceremony does the groom often piggyback his mother and then his bride?

Pyebaek: held with only family present, the groom's parents toss jujubes and chestnuts, symbols of children, for the bride to catch in her skirt, and the piggyback ride shows the groom accepting his duties to both women.

Which Etta James signature song, recorded in 1960, is a perennial choice for a wedding first dance?

'At Last' was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for Glenn Miller, whose 1942 recording reached number two; Etta James's 1960 version became her signature, and Beyoncé sang it at Obama's 2009 inaugural ball.

What is "eloping" in the context of weddings?

Marrying suddenly and in secret: to elope originally meant running away with a lover, and today covers any hurried, private wedding; in the Philippines the equivalent practice is called tanan.

Which ancient people are credited with the earliest bachelor parties?

The Spartans are credited with a feast for the groom on the eve of his wedding; 'bachelor' itself originally meant a knight in training, and Chaucer first used it for an unmarried man.

What did 'weddian', the Old English ancestor of the verb 'wed', mean?

To pledge: Old English weddian meant to pledge or wager, and the same Germanic root gives Dutch wedden and German wetten, both meaning 'to bet'.

In ancient times, why did bridesmaids dress exactly like the bride and veil their faces?

To confuse evil spirits: identically dressed, veiled attendants were meant to stop malicious spirits (or jealous suitors) from picking out the bride; Victorian bridesmaids likewise often wore white.

What is "mehndi" in the context of Indian weddings?

Common motifs include peacocks, paisleys and mandalas, and the names or initials of the bride and groom are often hidden within the design. In the West it is usually called a henna tattoo.

What happens to the couple during a Celtic 'handfasting'?

The couple's hands are bound with cord or ribbon; the word comes from Old Norse handfesta, 'to strike a bargain by joining hands', and Scotland recognised irregular marriages by declaration until the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939.

Which celebrity couple married at Forte di Belvedere in Florence in May 2014?

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West married at Forte di Belvedere on 24 May 2014, seven months after Kanye's stadium proposal in San Francisco and after pre-wedding festivities in Paris.

In traditional Igbo weddings, what does the bride do with a cup of palm wine to select her groom?

The rite is the Igba Nkwu, or wine-carrying ceremony, and the cup is traditionally a gourd or a buffalo or cow horn. Finding the groom among the guests and offering him the wine publicly confirms her choice.

What is a "ketubah" in a Jewish wedding?

A marriage contract: traditional ketubot are written in Aramaic and set out the husband's obligations to his wife; the archive of a 2nd-century woman named Babatha, found in the Cave of Letters near the Dead Sea, includes one.

Which of Henry VIII's queens was beheaded in 1536, barely three years after marrying him?

Anne Boleyn married Henry formally in January 1533, was arrested in May 1536, tried before a panel of peers that included her former suitor Henry Percy, and beheaded on 19 May 1536.

Whose 1477 betrothal to Mary of Burgundy is the first well-documented use of a diamond engagement ring?

Archduke Maximilian of Austria, later Holy Roman Emperor, married Mary in Ghent in August 1477; the match brought the Burgundian Netherlands to the Habsburgs.

What Latin name was given to the vein once believed to run from the ring finger straight to the heart?

Vena amoris, the 'vein of love'; the idea was popularised in England by Henry Swinburne's Treatise of Spousals, printed in 1686, though no such vein exists.

Which N. W. Ayer copywriter coined De Beers's 1947 slogan, the century's best per Advertising Age?

Frances Gerety, a copywriter at N. W. Ayer, scribbled 'A Diamond Is Forever' late one night in 1947; the line is widely credited with inspiring the title of Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever.

In the Irish legend behind leap-day proposals, which saint talked Saint Patrick down to one day every four years?

Saint Bridget, in the legend, complained that women waited too long for proposals and Patrick conceded 29 February; a man who refused was expected to buy the woman gloves or a silk gown.

On an Irish Claddagh ring, what quality does the crown atop the heart stand for?

Loyalty: the crown stands for loyalty, the heart for love and the clasping hands for friendship; worn on the left ring finger with the heart pointing to the wrist, it signals the wearer is married.

The 12-carat oval gemstone in Diana's engagement ring, later Catherine's, was mined in which country?

Sri Lanka: the 12-carat Ceylon sapphire, set by Garrard, was chosen by Diana in 1981; William proposed with it in Kenya in October 2010 and the engagement was announced that November.

Meghan Markle's engagement ring's large central diamond was sourced from which country?

Botswana, where the couple had holidayed; the central diamond is flanked by two from Diana's collection, the ring was made by Cleave and Company, and Harry proposed at Nottingham Cottage in November 2017.

How long had Octavio Guillén and Adriana Martínez been engaged when they finally married in 1969, aged 82?

67 years: both were 15 when they got engaged in 1902, kept postponing the wedding, and finally married in June 1969 in Mexico City, a Guinness record for the longest engagement.

The word 'fiancé' comes from French via Vulgar Latin, ultimately from a Latin adjective meaning what?

Faithful: Latin fidus, via Vulgar Latin fidare and French fiancer, 'to promise'; the same root gives 'fidelity' and 'confidence', and an English verb 'to fiance' was in use from about 1450 to 1600.

'Engagement chicken', a lemon-and-herb roast reputed to prompt proposals, was created in 1982 at which magazine?

Glamour: fashion editor Kim Bonnell passed the recipe to an assistant in 1982, who got engaged soon after cooking it; the magazine coined the name when it printed the recipe in 2003.

In the Chinese betrothal custom guo da li, in what quantities does the groom's family give gifts?

Even numbers, because good things come in pairs: traditional gifts include wine, oranges and tea, and the bride's family returns a portion of them to the groom's side.

Napoleon's engagement ring for Joséphine, auctioned in 2013 for about $949,000, pairs a diamond with which gem?

Sapphire: the pear-shaped sapphire and diamond sit side by side in a 'toi et moi' setting; Osenat had estimated the ring at around $20,000 before it sold for nearly fifty times that in 2013.

When bride's and groom's cakes were served together, the groom's was traditionally what?

Darker, smaller and fruity: the groom's cake was typically a rich dark fruit cake, often laced with liquor, beside the white bride's cake; the custom nearly died in Britain but was revived in the American South.

Who is the first documented royal bride to wear a white wedding dress, in 1406?

Philippa of England, Henry IV's daughter, married Eric of Pomerania at Lund in 1406 in a tunic and cloak of white silk bordered with squirrel and ermine.

In a Hindu wedding, what does the groom apply to the parting of the bride's hair?

Sindoor, a red vermilion powder, is applied by the groom to the parting of the bride's hair; married Hindu women traditionally wear it daily as a sign of their status.

Wearing the wedding ring on the left hand follows a tradition set by which liturgical text?

The Book of Common Prayer: its 1549 marriage rite directed the ring onto 'the fourth finger of the woman's left hand', replacing the right-hand custom of the medieval Sarum rite.

A gimmel ring, given by 16th- and 17th-century European husbands, consisted of what?

Two interlocking bands: 'gimmel' comes from Latin gemellus, 'twin'; the hoops were often split between the betrothed and reunited on the wedding finger at the ceremony, like a puzzle ring.

Traditionally, what gift material is recommended for a fifth wedding anniversary?

Wood for the fifth; the traditional list runs paper (first), cotton (second), leather (third), fruit or flowers (fourth) and wood (fifth), with tin for the tenth.

In Commonwealth realms, from which anniversary can a couple receive a message from the monarch?

The 60th, the diamond anniversary; the monarch also sends messages for the 65th, 70th and every anniversary after that, on application to the Anniversaries Office.

Before receptions became popular, evening weddings were typically followed by what?

A ball: an evening wedding was traditionally followed by dancing, while morning weddings, once the norm in England, were followed by a 'wedding breakfast'.

Which Christian tradition has no marriage vows in its traditional wedding ceremonies?

Vows are based on Western Christian norms and are not legally necessary in most jurisdictions.

What is the name for a wedding forced on a couple by the bride's parents, typically because of a pregnancy?

A shotgun wedding implies the father's gun at the groom's back; an elopement is the opposite, sudden, secret and without parental approval.

Before printing, how were weddings in England typically announced?

By a town crier, who walked the streets calling out the day's news, and anyone who heard was welcome; handwritten invitations appeared only among the nobility, since illiteracy was widespread.

Why does a sheet of tissue paper traditionally sit on top of a wedding invitation?

It kept engraved ink from smudging: engraved invitations were slow to dry, so a sheet of tissue was laid over the text, and the habit survived after printing methods changed.

What are the first names of the two title characters in Wedding Crashers (2005)?

John and Jeremy: Owen Wilson's John Beckwith and Vince Vaughn's Jeremy Grey are divorce mediators who spend the summer crashing weddings, until John falls for Rachel McAdams's Claire Cleary.

Whose daughter's wedding do the Wedding Crashers gatecrash, leading to a fateful weekend invitation?

The US Treasury Secretary's: Christopher Walken plays Secretary William Cleary, whose daughter's wedding the pair crash before being invited to the family's seaside estate for the weekend.

Which Wet Wet Wet cover from Four Weddings and a Funeral spent 15 weeks at UK number one?

'Love Is All Around', a cover of the Troggs' 1967 hit, topped the UK chart for 15 weeks in 1994 and was withdrawn by the band so it would not overtake Bryan Adams' 16-week record.

Roughly how long did it take to shoot Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Six weeks: the film was shot in 36 days in the summer of 1993 on a budget of under £3 million, and went on to become the highest-grossing British film up to that time.

Mamma Mia! (2008) was filmed mainly on which Greek island?

Skopelos: the island's clifftop Agios Ioannis chapel served as the wedding church; Sophie invites three possible fathers to her wedding, and ABBA's Benny and Björn scored the film.

Charles and Diana married in 1981 at which London church?

St Paul's Cathedral, chosen over Westminster Abbey for its larger capacity; Archbishop Robert Runcie conducted the marriage on 29 July 1981 before a global TV audience of about 750 million.

During her vows, Diana accidentally called her groom by what name?

Philip Charles Arthur George: she swapped the first two names of Charles Philip Arthur George; she also declined to promise to 'obey' him.

Which husband-and-wife team designed Diana's 1981 wedding gown?

Elizabeth and David Emanuel, a young husband-and-wife team, made the ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown with its 25-foot train; Diana had worn an Emanuel gown to her first official engagement.

Which Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the marriage of William and Catherine in 2011?

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, took the vows; the Dean of Westminster, John Hall, conducted the service and Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, preached.

William and Catherine first met in 2001 while studying at which university?

St Andrews: both arrived in 2001, he switching from history of art to geography, and they shared a student flat with friends from their second year.

Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller for which fashion house?

Givenchy: Clare Waight Keller, the house's first female artistic director, made the boat-necked silk gown and a 16-foot veil embroidered with flowers of the 53 Commonwealth countries.

Which American bishop delivered the sermon at Harry and Meghan's wedding?

Michael Curry, then presiding bishop of the US Episcopal Church, gave a 14-minute sermon on the power of love that quoted Martin Luther King Jr.

Which song did the Kingdom Choir sing at Harry and Meghan's wedding?

'Stand By Me': the Kingdom Choir, led by Karen Gibson, sang Ben E. King's 1961 hit during the service after Prince Charles suggested the group.

Roughly how much was Harry and Meghan's wedding estimated to have generated for the British economy?

£1 billion: consultancy Brand Finance put the boost at about £1.05 billion, including £300 million from foreign tourists and £50 million spent on souvenirs.

Queen Victoria married Prince Albert on 10 February 1840 at which venue?

The Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, where Victoria arrived in a white satin gown trimmed with Honiton lace; the wedding breakfast followed at Buckingham Palace.

Instead of a tiara, Queen Victoria wore a wedding wreath made of which flowers?

Orange blossom is a symbol of fertility and also trimmed the dress.

Which Roman marriage rite, reserved for patricians, was symbolised by sharing spelt bread?

Confarreatio, named for the cake of far (spelt) shared before the Pontifex Maximus and ten witnesses; plebeians married by coemptio (a token purchase) or usus (a year's cohabitation).

Under Roman 'usus' marriage, how could a woman avoid her husband's legal control?

By staying away three nights a year, the trinoctium: under the Twelve Tables a year's cohabitation created manus, so an annual three-night absence kept a wife under her father's authority instead.

What does the Hindu wedding ritual 'Saptapadi' literally mean?

Seven steps: the couple take seven steps together, each with a vow, and under India's Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 a marriage that includes the rite is complete on the seventh step.

In a Jewish wedding, how many witnesses sign the ketubah?

Two witnesses sign the ketubah, which sets out the groom's obligations to the bride, including food, clothing and marital relations.

What is 'yichud' in a Jewish wedding?

The couple being alone together: straight after the ceremony the newlyweds retreat to a private room for a few minutes, and some rabbinic opinions hold this seclusion is what completes the nissuin, or marriage.

In a Japanese Shinto wedding, what do the bride and groom share in the san-san-kudo ritual?

Sake: in san-san-kudo ('three-three-nine times') the couple each take three sips from each of three nested cups of sake, sealing the marriage.

In an Islamic marriage, what is the 'mahr'?

A gift from the groom to the bride: the mahr, money or property, becomes the wife's own, and the nikah contract centres on her acceptance of it before witnesses.

What is the name of the Islamic marriage feast?

Walimah, the feast hosted by the groom after the nikah, which the Prophet's tradition encourages even with a single sheep; khitbah is the proposal stage and zifaf the couple's send-off.

Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' was written in 1842 as incidental music for which play?

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Mendelssohn wrote the overture at 17 in 1826 and the full incidental music, including the march, in 1842 for a Potsdam production; a royal wedding in 1858 made it a staple.

Whose 1858 wedding to Prince Frederick William of Prussia popularised the famous wedding marches?

Victoria, the Princess Royal, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, chose Wagner's Bridal Chorus and Mendelssohn's Wedding March for her 1858 wedding in London, and fashionable brides followed.

Wagner's 'Bridal Chorus' comes from which 1850 opera?

Lohengrin, premiered at Weimar in 1850 under Liszt; the chorus is sung after the ceremony as Elsa is led to the bridal chamber, and the marriage collapses before the act is out.

Which Baroque composer wrote the Canon in D that is now a wedding processional favourite?

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706): the Canon's date is unknown, and it lay in obscurity until a 1968 recording by Jean-François Paillard's chamber orchestra made it famous.

'Wedding Bell Blues', a 1969 number one for the 5th Dimension, was written by whom?

Nyro wrote and recorded it herself in 1966.

Billy Idol said 'White Wedding' was inspired by whose wedding?

His pregnant sister's: Idol said the song was loosely inspired by his younger sister's shotgun wedding, though he later stressed it was not really about her; it appeared on his 1982 debut album.

Which group took 'Chapel of Love' to number one for three weeks in 1964?

The Dixie Cups, a New Orleans trio, held number one for three weeks in June 1964 with the song, written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector.

Gretna Green's runaway marriages began in 1754 after which English law took effect?

Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753, in force from 1754, required parental consent for under-21s in England; couples fled over the border, where Scots law allowed marriage by simple declaration, and blacksmiths who officiated became 'anvil priests'.

Gretna Green's most prolific 'anvil priest', Richard Rennison, performed how many ceremonies?

5,147: Rennison married couples over the anvil from 1927 until the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939 ended irregular marriages in 1940; the blacksmiths' nickname came from the smithy where the ceremonies took place.

A bachelor party is known by what name in Australia?

A buck's night, or bucks' party, in Australia and New Zealand; the British equivalent is the stag do.

A bachelorette party is called what in the UK and Ireland?

A hen night (or hen do) in the UK and Ireland; Australians and New Zealanders say hens party or hens night.

Flower girls in a traditional wedding procession are usually what age?

Three to seven: etiquette guides put flower girls between about three and seven, old enough to walk the aisle scattering petals ahead of the bride; older girls serve as junior bridesmaids.

Who played the title role in the original 1950 Father of the Bride?

Spencer Tracy, Oscar-nominated as Stanley Banks; Elizabeth Taylor played his daughter Kay and Vincente Minnelli directed.

Muriel's Wedding is set in which fictional Australian beach town?

Porpoise Spit, a fictional Gold Coast-style town from which Toni Collette's ABBA-loving Muriel escapes to Sydney in search of a glamorous wedding.

In Bride Wars, at which New York hotel have the two friends always dreamed of marrying?

The Plaza: Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway play friends who both book June weddings at the Plaza on the same day after a clerical error, and turn on each other.

Wealth transferred from the bride's family to the groom's is called what?

Dowry: property the bride's family gives to the groom or the couple; bride price (and the Islamic mahr) runs the other way, from the groom's side, and dower is a husband's provision for his widow.

The first dinner jacket is traditionally traced to 1865 and which future king?

Edward VII, as Prince of Wales, had Henry Poole & Co cut a short evening jacket in 1865; it reached Tuxedo Park, New York, in 1886, and in many languages the garment is called a 'smoking'.

A boutonnière is traditionally worn through the buttonhole of which lapel?

It sits on the same side as a pocket handkerchief.

A croquembouche, the traditional French wedding cake, is a cone of choux puffs bound with what?

Threads of caramel: the choux puffs are stacked into a cone and glued with hard caramel, often wrapped in spun sugar; the name means 'crunches in the mouth'.

The full 'something old, something new' rhyme is first recorded in a newspaper from which year?

It is sometimes called the Lancashire version; the sixpence line came later.

In which shoe should the bride's lucky sixpence traditionally be worn?

The sixpence line was a later Victorian addition to the rhyme.

Jesus's first miracle, turning water into wine, took place at a wedding in which town?

Cana in Galilee: the story, told only in the Gospel of John (chapter 2), has Jesus turn water into wine after his mother notes the hosts have run out.

Marriage licenses have been required since 1639 in which US state?

Massachusetts, whose Bay Colony required a licence or the publication of banns from 1639; by contrast Australia has no marriage-licence requirement, only a notice of intended marriage.

Which country was first to give legal effect to same-sex marriage, on 1 April 2001?

The Netherlands: the first four same-sex couples married in Amsterdam just after midnight on 1 April 2001 with the mayor officiating; Denmark had pioneered registered partnerships in 1989.

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kris Humphries after how many days of marriage?

72 days: they married on 20 August 2011 and Kardashian filed for divorce on 31 October, after dating since October 2010.

In Bermuda, what is traditionally placed on top of the wedding cake?

A cedar sapling: Bermudian couples top the cake with a small cedar tree, which they plant afterwards so that it grows along with the marriage.

What are the ribbon-joined crowns placed on a couple's heads at a Greek Orthodox wedding called?

Stefana: the sponsor, or koumbaros, swaps the two crowns, joined by a ribbon, three times over the couple's heads; the crowning is the heart of the Orthodox rite.

Groomsmen were once called 'bride-knights', a survival of which early custom?

Marriage by capture: in the folk explanation a man called on friends to help 'lift' the bride from her family, or to defend her from rival kidnappers, and those helpers became the bride-knights.

Who served as maid of honour at the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine?

Pippa Middleton, the bride's sister, whose fitted Sarah Burton bridesmaid dress drew almost as much attention as the gown; Prince Harry was best man and brother James gave a reading.

What was the estimated overall cost of the 2011 royal wedding of William and Catherine?

The couple asked for charity donations instead of gifts, and the Treasury covered security and transport.