When you think of getting married, your mind is probably filled with thoughts of romance and love.  Although today’s couples generally get married as a means of showing their affection and commitment to one another, weddings weren’t always so sweet and romantic.  In fact, many weddings of the past were downright scandalous!

The early wedding was more about increasing the size of a tribe than it was about showing affection.  As such, a man from one tribe or village would kidnap a woman with the help of his male friends.  These male accomplices eventually evolved to be the best man and the groomsmen that are part of the modern day wedding.  After the couple was wed, they would leave the tribe or village for a period of time in order to avoid the possibility of retaliation.  This tradition has also continued through to the modern day wedding in the form of a honeymoon.

In the past, it was also common for a man and woman to be married for political reasons.  For example, high ranking families from different tribes or villages may have their children married in order to bring the tribes or villages together.  In these cases, it was not uncommon for the couple to have never met before the day of their wedding.  In some countries, the practice of marrying for political reasons is still followed today.

Weddings as we know them today didn’t really start to occur until the Elizabethan times.  These weddings typically involved some of the more romantic aspects of a wedding, such as the exchanging of vows and rings, while also including the addition of bridesmaids.  Although these weddings were more romantic, however, they were often still arranged for those in the higher class.  Furthermore, it was not uncommon for the groom to receive a dowry, which is a payment in the form of money, land, goods or a combination of the three, when agreeing to marry.  Although dowries were technically illegal during these times, the parents of the bride were able to work around this legality by claiming the dowry was simply a gift.

The belief that marriage was more about business than about love continued through to the Victorian era, though women were generally allowed a bit more of a say concerning who they would marry.  Therefore, it was at this time that choosing to wed started to be at least somewhat influenced by how the couple felt about one another. 

Today, it is certainly true that some people still take social standing and possessions into consideration when deciding who they will marry.  Nonetheless, most of today’s couples marry more for love than any other reason.