Bachelor Parties, or dinners as they were once called, originated in the ancient days of Sparta. A feast was held for the groom and his friends as a way of "celebrating" the end of bachelorhood. Throughout the years the bachelor party has gone through many changes. From high class, black tie events to the more risque stag parties, over-indulging in drinking and lewd behavior are becoming a thing of the past.

Current trends lean toward more creative get-togethers, such as camping trips, sporting events, or a card game. Whatever the theme may be, a night for the groom and his friends continues to be a wedding tradition.

Originally called a Bride's Tea, the bride would host this formal event for her bridesmaids.

Bachelorette parties as we know them today, are often similar to the bachelor party. A special evening is planned for the bride to gather with her wedding attendants and friends. While some parties are "out on the town", most occur at home, and you'll even find an occasional pajama party or a day at the spa.

It is said that the first wedding shower came about out of need rather than want. A father was unhappy with his daughter's choice of a husband and refused to include a dowry along with her hand in marriage. When the towns people heard of this, they decided to shower the bride and groom with gifts to make their life easier.

Today's wedding showers range from the traditional, all female parties to more casual couples parties. At one time, practices such as relatives hosting the party or inviting those not on the wedding list, were considered unacceptable. Today these rules are much more relaxed and the bride's preferences seem to be the most important guideline.

There is one more line to this old saying:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Although it is not known for sure, many think that this wedding tradition originated in England during the Victorian era. The items in the poem are meant to bring good luck to the bride. Something old represents the past and continuing relationship that the bride has with her family. Something new relates to the brides future. Something borrowed would be from a friend or relative that is happily married and wants to pass on their good fortune. Something blue relates to ancient times when blue was a color associated with weddings. The silver sixpence promises wealth and prosperity for the new couple.

This tradition dates back to medieval times when the groom would carry his weapon in his right hand. This was usually a sword in case the groom needed to fight off any attackers.

The history of the bouquet can be traced to England where it symbolized the bride's beauty and would ward off evil spirits with its scent. The bouquet was not what the bride originally threw over her shoulder. Since it was considered good luck to have a piece of the bride's clothing, the bride would tear off a piece of here dress to throw to the guests. As time went on, the bouquet was thrown in order to keep the dress intact.

The first wedding cakes were not eaten by the bride and groom. Instead, the cakes (made of wheat) were broken over the bride's head to bring here good luck and fertility. The crumbs of the cake were eaten by the guests also for good luck.

Today, the tiered wedding cake is the most popular and some couples also choose to have a groom's cake, usually made of chocolate. A new trend is to serve the groom's cake as a dessert at the rehearsal dinner.