A Bride's Book of Wedding Traditions [Hardcover]

Arlene Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 1995

Whether it's candlelit and black tie, breezily casual, or sleek and postmodern, every wedding reflects the unique values, taste, and heritage of the bride and groom. Arlene Hamilton Stewart helps today's bride fill her wedding with special meaningful touches by revealing traditions and customs that span cultures and centuries and have symbolized love, luck, fruitfulness, and joy from time immemorial. She shares dozens of ways a bride can adapt these rituals to give her ceremony extra beauty and resonance. Perhaps it's a sheaf of golden wheat at the altar (an ancient Greek custom); elegant calligraphy invitations (as were done by medieval monks); or a Victorian "regard ring," in which the first letter of each gemstone spells out a message or a name. Sharing traditions from ancient times through the Victorian era and the postwar years as well as African-American, Native American, Asian, and other ethnic traditions, this book will help brides personalize their weddings as never before.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Weddings are at the heart of all our family traditions. In this wonderfully detailed book, Arlene Hamilton Stewart has created a treasury of marriage customs, inspirations for brides-to-be for years to come. For the rest of us, this is marvelous reading of times too gracious ever to forget."-- Nancy Lindemeyer Editor in Chief, "Victoria Magazine

About the Author

Arlene Hamilton Stewart frequently writes on lifestyle issues. She is the co-author of the bridal boxed set Victoria: From This Day Forward and Victoria: The Heart of Christmas and is the author of I Call Thee Friend: A Keepsake for My Bridal Attendant. She also created The Jewelry Book and The Lanyard Book. She lives with her daughter in Katonah, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (March 20, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688127681
• ISBN-13: 978-0688127688
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book of wedding traditions in its genre, August 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Bride's Book of Wedding Traditions (Hardcover)

A Bride's Book of Wedding Traditions is quite well-written. The smooth prose presents information in a clear and concise format while informing the bride-to-be/reader of the symbolism behind familiar wedding traditions, and introducing traditions from other cultures. Covers areas from engagement to betrothal, to honeymooning to happily-ever-after. Contains wedding superstitions, examines new traditions as well as including an assortment of wedding readings. The bibliography is extensive and representative of the topics discussed within the text

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Buy it used, if at all!, July 9, 2003

By 

Jolene Goodheart (Manhattan, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bride's Book of Wedding Traditions (Hardcover)

The book has some wedding history in it, but I would not purchase this book again. From the title and an Amazon.com search, I anticipated more cultural traditions, and while there are a few intertwined in the writing, they are not clearly defined. Everyone is different, so I hope that if you do purchase this book, you find something useful in it! I gave it 2 stars for an easy read.