Research for A COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL

Researching is part of a writer’s job. Most of the time it’s fun, we tend to write about what interests us so we find the research fascinating. It was no different for me when it came to finding interesting facts about weddings for my November release, A COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL. I learned all kinds of wedding history and trivia from the wacky to the wonderful. And I actually got to use some of it in my book!

A few of the more expected things you’ll see in my Sweetheart Ranch series are, of course a canine ring bearer, vow renewal ceremony, live-streaming a wedding, and an elderly couple marrying. Did you know that rain on a wedding day is considered good luck in Hindu tradition? Well, I used that, too.

Maybe some less expected things I wrote into the book were a groom and his groomsmen riding up to the ranch house on horses while his bride and her maids were delivered in a horse-drawn carriage. I also used a bride and groom on horseback during the ceremony with their horses also wearing bride and groom wedding costumes.

I admit to “borrowing” an idea from a post on Facebook about a parapalegic man walking down the aisle using an robotic exoskeleton. I admit, that one brought a tear to my eye. I also had a former servicewoman with scaring from third degree burns over a large portion of her body marry the love of her life. Yeah, more tears. And then there was the musician couple musician couple who sang their vows rather than recite them.

Did you know that Egyptians are believed to be the first culture to exchange rings of love? They also believed a vein or nerve ran directly from the ring finger to the heart. Speaking of the Egyptians, during their weddings, the bride was pinched by female guests for good luck. Here are a few more interesting wedding facts:

1) The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck.

2) Ancient Romans studied pig entrails to determine the luckiest time to marry.

3) The reason brides wear veils is because the Greeks and Romans believed a veil protected the bride from evil spirits.

4) The custom of tiered wedding cakes is from an old game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over an ever-higher cake without knocking it over.

5) In many olden cultures, the groom often kidnaped the bride, and the groom’s friends would help him, leading to the modern-day groomsmen.

6) The groom always stood to the right of the bride so that his right hand—or his sword hand—would be free to fight/defend a jealous rival.

7) Scholars believe the word “honeymoon” comes from the Teutonic custom of newlyweds hiding out and drinking hydromel (fermented honey and water) for 30 days until the moon next waned.

Not sure how I can use these in my future Sweetheart Ranch books, but you never know. Inspiration may strike, or a truly weird moment!

Warmest wishes to you and yours,

Cathy

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