History of the Wedding Honeymoon
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The honeymoon hasn't always been the
post-wedding vacation as we know it today. The word actually originated in
northern Europe from a tradition involving wine made from mead and honey. The
newlywed couple drank this bittersweet wine, called metheglen, for a month
after the wedding to bring them good luck in the marriage.
Since a month was known as a "moon," this period of time acquired the name honeymoon. The first wedding honeymoon in which a couple traveled occurred during the bride-by-capture era. The groom would capture his bride and go into hiding for about a month. Very often family and friends of the captured bride would go out looking for her to bring her home. It was the husband's hope that the bride would be pregnant by the time her family would find her. This honeymoon wasn't the fun vacation it is today. In the 16th century the honeymoon turned into a very romantic event for the couple. Later, during the Victorian era, the honeymoon became an expected part of the wedding celebration that the groom and his family would pay for. During this era, the bride and groom were kept apart from each other during their wedding engagement and the wedding honeymoon was a time for the newlywed couple to go away and get to know each other. By Nicole Mazzeo Wrapwithus wedding favors |