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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Custom of the “Bridal” Party Originate and Where Did the Tradition of a Wedding Reception Come From?

How Did the Custom of the “Bridal” Party Originate and Where Did the Tradition of a Wedding Reception Come From?

July 30, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expressions bridal feast, bridal bed, and bridal cake, among other bridal references, all date back to around 1200, when a wedding was a rather boisterous and bawdy affair.

The word bridal comes from “bride-ale,” which was the special beer brewed for the wedding and then sold to the guests to raise money for the newlyweds.

Because of the bride-ale, weddings were quite rowdy until around the seventeenth century, when the church managed to get a grip on the whole thing.

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  • Why Did the British Invent India Pale Ale and How Do the Hops In India Pale Ale Help Preserve the Beer?
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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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