--tradition--

    valentine's-day got me thinking,
about love, marriage, and its many
traditions... here are some of my
thoughts--

     i have watched a few movies,
 and heard tales of runaway brides,
or groom no-show nightmares...it
occurred to me last night, this may
be due to the loss of some ancient
traditions, that still linger today, in
small ways--
     some of this is guess-work on
my part, but i think i'm on to something...

   first off, the brides-maids were not
merely good-looking friends of the bride,
in the old days, before the availability of
toothbrushes, hair extensions, plastic surgery,
and what-have-you, a good-looking spouse
was a hard thing to find... let alone, a cutie
with a good job--
     so, if a lady was in love, and to be wed,
it was the duty of the brides maids(and her
family), to watch the groom, the cake, and
all other aspects of her big day...so nary a
glitch was to be had--
     you see, back then(and maybe today),
another jealous person, might place a burr
in the horses saddle, or loosen the wheel on
the carriage, or rub a toad on his face the
night before--
     although the bride and groom weren't
to see each other(prior to the wedding), the
brides-maids didn't take their eyes off him,
the whole day... i imagine the level of sophistication
those ladies had put the secret service to
shame, even a hundred years ago--
   the grooms-men had a similar job, to watch
the bride, and thwart trickery, or mishaps, of
any kind(because there might be some)...
 the custom of the father walking his girl down the
aisle, is to be sure she gets there(and to the
right man)...
   and the grooms "best man", wasn't exactly
his "best friend", he was his "scariest friend",
he defended the occasion, and upon the preacher
asking for any objections, he looked around the
room, to see if there was, and helped that man
find his seat(or the front door...if needed), he guarded
the wedding-night after the ceremony as well, to
make sure the deal "got sealed", without interruption--
   so, if your future spouse didn't make it to the wedding,
you should sit back, and let the fact soak in,
that you don't have any close friends(and neither
does the person you are trying to marry)--

    if a woman decided to elope, her lady-friends
got involved, got the best horse, checked the saddle,
packed her things, and found her man--
     all that aside, at the wedding, even if everybody
showed-up, a brave lady had the right, to speak her
peace, uninterrupted, when the preacher asked(sometimes
resulting in a wedding disaster)--
    that's why it's a miracle, anyone, ever successfully gets 
married, falls in love, or even dates(in the present day), if
your one-true-love is amazing...somebody else may have
noticed too, game on--
       --cupids got too many arrows sometimes--
  ( it's best not to be jealous, but wise to be aware...
to trust...and be trusted, is the only way)--

     anyway, for all those lovers getting married over the
holiday...
                  -- congrats, and best wishes--


(rd)