Live Life Team
Ever wonder why it is considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding day, There may be two different explanations behind the tradition, neither of which have anything to do with romance.
In ancient and perhaps not so ancient times, marriages were arranged by families and were more business deals than anything else. The selection of prospective mates took many things into account, including wealth, breeding and political gain. Even heads of states were not excluded from this practice. Many kingdoms were joined with the wedding of a prince and princess, even if they had other ideas.
Most times in such arrangements the bride and groom would not see each other until the wedding day. This is where the veil comes in. Her identity and looks would be concealed until the end of the ceremony so that the groom would not have second thoughts about the union if the lady in question was less than he expected. Though the groom wore no veil, keeping the intended groom away from his betrothed most likely kept the bride in the dark as well. Of course it was more difficult in those days for her to change her mind.
Brides that had been abducted were usually brought away with a sack over their head and may not have been able to see their intended. Perhaps the intended was a non traditionalist who had someone do his bride stealing for him. Some may not have been agreeable to the arrangement. Keeping the bride in seclusion until the ceremony, and then taking her to the church with her head covered, lessened the chance of her turning and running until it was too late. The practice may have also helped to disguise her identity and kept rescuers from her own village from finding her until it was too late.
