To Have and to Hold

1878

One of the most talked about weddings in 1878 was the marriage of Martha Douglas. This story is about the usual ways that brides and grooms marry in Canada. These ways are called traditions.

People who get married in Canada can choose to have a huge wedding or a small one for just family. They can marry inside or outside. They can write their own words or use the words from their religion. Canadian weddings these days are very personal.The bride and groom often make all of the decisions together. Although every Canadian wedding is different, everyone seems to agree that the bride's wedding dress is the centre of attention.

In the 1800s, brides from rich families often wore dresses made from velvet or silk.They were brightly coloured. They were the most expensive dresses their family could buy. Even poor brides were married in their best church dress.

First Nations had wedding traditions very different to those of the Europeans. In the morning, the bride would wash in the river to be blessed by Mother Earth. She usually wore a dress made by hand. It was often made from the skin of a deer and decorated with beads. At a First Nations wedding, there were many blessings and the couple sometimes gave each other an eagle feather. When both feathers were tied together, it meant the bride and groom were also tied together forever. After the wedding, everyone was invited to eat. The food was put on a blanket and everyone took what they liked.The food was corn, meat, berries, fried bread, and sometimes a cake.

White wedding dresses became popular in Canada after Queen Victoria was married in one. Victoria also wore a veil to cover her head and soon other brides were doing this. Canadians liked to copy the traditions of the British. When Queen Victoria was alive, that time was called the Victorian era.

Martha Douglas was the daughter of James Douglas. James was the first governor of British Columbia. He was an important member of the government, so Martha's wedding was huge and traditional. Martha's wedding dress was white and made of silk.She wore a veil on her head and the ceremony was a traditional, Victorian one.

We are not sure if Martha wore something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Likely she did because this was a tradition then which continues today. The bride chooses something old that ties her to her family and her past. She chooses to wear something new which is usually her dress. This is to tie her to her new family. Something borrowed was to come from an already married woman who had a happy marriage. It was thought this would bring the new bride the same good fortune. The colour blue represented someone untouched and faithful.

A FIRST

Martha had 10 bridesmaids to walk down the aisle of the church with her. They were her good friends and family. They were there to help her on her special day. She walked from the door of the church to her groom, Dennis. As Martha walked, the traditional song, the “Bridal Chorus” by Mendelssohn, was played. Martha and Dennis promised to love each other for as long as they both lived. They gave each other a wedding ring made of gold. Both of them wore these rings on the third finger of their left hand for the rest of their lives. Martha and Dennis signed their names in a book to show that they were legally married. As they left the church together people threw rice at them for good luck.

After the wedding, Martha and Dennis invited all their guests for a big feast. The wedding cake was a traditional one with three levels. It is said that if the bride and groom can kiss over the top of a tall wedding cake, they will be rich together. Everyone danced and ate and drank alcohol. As Martha was about to leave the party with Dennis,she threw her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder into the crowd of unmarried girls.Canadians believe that the one who catches a bride's bouquet will be the next to marry.

Martha and Dennis were given many beautiful and expensive gifts. They left the party to go on their honeymoon. This is a tradition for newly married couples. They spend a week or longer alone together, on holiday, before they have to go back to their lives and to their work. Martha and Dennis had a long, prosperous, and happy marriage.

Religious marriages are still the most popular in Canada and most of them are traditional. Anyone who is 16 years of age or more can marry. People can decide to end their marriage legally. This is called a divorce. Today, two people of the same sex can be married legally in Canada ( see 2005 ). It is still not legal for a man to have more than one wife or for a woman to have more than one husband.

Although marriage is popular in Canada, there are fewer people choosing it these days. Men and women are choosing to live together without being married now. This is mostly accepted by all but some of the more religious people living in Canada.