Title: Rehearsal Dinner

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore, wedding tradition
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Haven Burns
• Date Collected: 2-21-18

Informant Data:

• Haven Burns was born on October 12, 1970 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was starting his own business at the time. She lived in Chattanooga for the all of her young life, attended college in Knoxville, Tennessee at the University of Tennessee, and then moved around many times from Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, and finally settled back in Tennessee. She met her now-husband, Kirk Burns, working at Shaw Carpet Industries in Dalton, Georgia. Kirk lived in Kansas for the majority of his life and attended the University of Kansas before ending up in Georgia. They both shared religious values, attending the Episcopal Church in their youth and beyond.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: At many weddings, the night before the ceremony there is a “rehearsal dinner” for the people participating in the ceremony. Guests include the family of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. At the rehearsal dinner, there is singing and dancing and it is a chance for the bride and groom and friends to celebrate the wedding in a more informal way.
• Social Context: Haven told me about her rehearsal dinner when I asked if anything about her wedding was particular about the South.

Item:

• At the rehearsal dinner, Haven wanted to have a hoedown with line dancing, barbeque, and country music to celebrate her southern heritage and welcome her future husband’s family and friends to the south. She said she had her friends and family teach line dancing to her husband’s family.

Collector’s Comments:

• The informant lit up when asked this question, as it seems that the rehearsal dinner was one of the most fun parts of the wedding.

Collector’s Name: Bethany Burns

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary lore
• Wedding traditions

Title: Father Walking the Bride Down the Aisle

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore, wedding tradition
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Haven Burns and Becky Dagg
• Date Collected: 2-22-18 and 2-24-18

Informant Data:

• Becky Dagg was born on September 1, 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was the music director at the Church of the Good Shepard. She lived in Chattanooga for the majority of her life, attended college in Auburn, Alabama at Auburn University. She met her husband, Christian Dagg, when she was attending graduate school for architecture at Harvard University. Christian had grown up in Rutland, Vermont, and received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. Christian did not come from a very religious family, while Becky’s father was very involved with the Episcopal Church.
• Haven Burns was born on October 12, 1970 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was starting his own business at the time. She lived in Chattanooga for the all of her young life, attended college in Knoxville, Tennessee at the University of Tennessee, and then moved around many times from Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon, Arizona, and finally settled back in Tennessee. She met her now-husband, Kirk Burns, working at Shaw Carpet Industries in Dalton, Georgia. Kirk lived in Kansas for the majority of his life and attended the University of Kansas before ending up in Georgia. They both shared religious values, attending the Episcopal Church in their youth and beyond.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: On the wedding day, it is common for the bride to come in last into the ceremony and be escorted by her father. The bride’s father walks her down the aisle to the groom, and then hands her away to watch from the audience.
• Social Context: For both informants, this piece of folklore was given in response to a question about their family’s involvement in their weddings.

Item:

• When the bride’s father walks the bride down the aisle at the beginning of the wedding ceremony, he hands her away to the groom once they reach the front of the venue. If the father is unable to complete this task, another important man in the bride’s life completes this task. It is said to symbolize the bride moving from one stage in her life to another with a new man.

Transcript:

• Becky Dagg: “My dad unfortunately passed away a couple of years before my wedding. It was sad because he never got to meet my husband, but I knew he was there with me in spirit. I had my uncle walk me down the aisle to keep the tradition, but I, of course, wish my father could have been there to celebrate.”
• Haven Burns: “I will never forget the moment my dad hugged me and we both look teary-eyed into each other’s eyes. He then gave my husband a firm handshake and it was time for me to be married.”

Collector’s Comments:

• This question was difficult for Becky to answer, as you could see she really wished that her dad could’ve been at her wedding.  This tradition definitely meant a lot to her and to Haven.

Collector’s Name: Bethany Burns

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary Lore
• Father at the wedding

Title: Wedding Ring on the Third Finger of the Left Hand

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore, marriage tradition
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Harriette Hogue
• Date Collected: 2-21-18

Informant Data:

• Harriette Hogue was born on March 23, 1940 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was an actuary. She lived in Chattanooga for the majority of her life, attended college in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the University of Chattanooga. She met her husband, Billy Hogue, at a sorority party at the University of Chattanooga. Billy lived in Fort Worth, Texas for most of his life and attended the Texas Tech before ending up in Chattanooga working for a bank. They both shared religious values, with Harriette attending the Episcopal Church growing up while Billy attended the Methodist Church growing up. Billy was willing to attend the Episcopal Church with Harriette once they married.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: In the United States, most married couples wear a wedding band, or a ring, on the third finger of their left hand. This is considered the “ring finger,” and is a sign of marriage.
• Social Context: The informant brought up this item when asked about some of the biggest takeaways from her marriage after the day itself. She explained she had great pride in wearing her wedding ring, even though she had an engagement ring in the months leading up to the wedding, because her husband also had one. She felt that the bond between them was significant and the wedding ring symbolized that.

Item:

• The wedding ring, or wedding band as it is sometimes referred to, is worn on the third finger of the left hand because it was thought that a vein ran up that finger to the heart. Therefore, having the wedding band on that finger touched the heart indirectly with the eternal love from the wedding band.

Transcript:

• “When Billy put my ring on, I immediately had chills. I felt like that was the moment when I truly felt married. Waking up the next morning and seeing the band on his finger made me feel like we were in unison and together. Even as we lived our lives years and years after the wedding, every once in a while I would look at his hand and think about the promise we made each other, and I felt so lucky to be married to such a great man.”

Collector’s Comments:

• The informant spoke with such great passion about her ring and her marriage. Her husband died a few years ago, and she still wears her rings.

Collector’s Name: Bethany

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary Lore
• Wedding band

Title: Throwing the Bride’s Bouquet

General Information about Item:

• Customary Lore, wedding tradition
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Bethany Burns
• Date Collected: 2-21-18

Informant Data:

• Harriette Hogue was born on March 23, 1940 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was an actuary. She lived in Chattanooga for the majority of her life, attended college in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the University of Chattanooga. She met her husband, Billy Hogue, at a sorority party at the University of Chattanooga. Billy lived in Fort Worth, Texas for most of his life and attended the Texas Tech before ending up in Chattanooga working for a bank. They both shared religious values, with Harriette attending the Episcopal Church growing up while Billy attended the Methodist Church growing up. Billy was willing to attend the Episcopal Church with Harriette once they married.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Brides often have a special bouquet at their weddings, and they typically have a few to several bridesmaids, which are their best friends that they choose to take part in their wedding. After the traditional wedding ceremony, there is typically a reception that follows with food and dancing.
• Social Context: This specific recipe was mentioned when the interviewee was asked about food recipes. Backpackers often share food recipes with one another.  Often, the recipes shared are interesting and easy to make but use very simple ingredients because of the limited options in food items backpackers usually have on them.

Item:

• At the wedding reception, the bride has her bridesmaids line up around 10-20 feet behind her. She then turns around and throws her bouquet over her head. The woman to catch the bouquet is granted good luck in her future relationships and love life.

Transcript:

• “One of my favorite parts of my wedding was throwing my bouquet. I didn’t have a big wedding, so I only had I think four bridesmaids, but they stood behind me and I threw the bouquet and my best friend from college caught it. She was so excited. And then, just a couple years later, I was in her wedding, so I guess it really does provide good luck.”

Collector’s Comments:

• I find it especially interesting that this tradition is one of the informant’s favorites because it isn’t centered on the new couple. The idea of giving some of your good luck to one of your friends is fun and shows the way in which people celebrate their marriage with their friends and family, not only their significant other.

Collector’s Name: Bethany Burns

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary Lore
• Bride’s bouquet

Photo credit: Haven Burns