Marriage Toronto May Be Thoroughly Modern Age But Some Traditions Remain

Added: 11/28/2005

With Canada being right across the border from the United States, it's probably natural that both countries share many of the same customs and rituals concerning marriage. But Canada has managed to keep its identity intact. A marriage Toronto has several elements unique to the local area. First on the list, is the wedding tradition known as the "trousseau tea".

The trousseau Tea is a private party that is arranged by the bride's mother and is usually held for those neighbors and friends that for one reason or another didn't get put on the marriage Toronto invitation list. This particular party is kind of like an informal shower. An opportunity to show off wedding gifts, a hope chest and other items related to the ceremony.

The tea party is not the only Canada-specific wedding tradition on hand at a marriage Toronto. Residents of Manitoba for example, put on a village dance that is held in honor of the happy couple. Although linked to Manitoba, a marriage Toronto is not a stranger to this custom either. It usually costs a few dollars to get in, and these profits from the dance are given to the couple to help them get started on the right foot and with a few dollars in their pocket. It seems like every township has a similar event. Not just a couple preparing for a marriage Toronto. Meanwhile, over in outer lying regions of Ontario, the social dance/fundraiser is known as the "buck and doe". You can probably figure out who is the buck and who is the doe!

Don't ask me how one of the customs of the Ukraine found its way to Canada, but a variation of the Ukraine "butterfly dance" has been done at many a marriage Toronto and elsewhere. You've no doubt seen the butterfly dance: groups of 3 dancers dance around the ballroom and take turns whirling themselves around the dance floor. Sounds like some crazy variation of slam dancing to me and who knows why it would be done at a marriage Toronto. But like any wedding ceremony and the festivities that accompany it, no doubt crazier things have occurred at a wedding in Toronto. Speaking of which, if a bridal shower invitation for a wedding in Toronto says "presentation only" that is a dead give away for a gift of money. Let it be said that Canadians are at least forthright in what they expect for a bridal gift!

Another tradition found in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada is the presentation of "dainties". Don't let the term fool you, lest you think you have an obligation to present underwear as a gift! Dainties refer to an assortment of pastries and small cakes that are served at pre-wedding social gatherings.

The most off-beat term I've heard to describe a Toronto bridal shower or stag party is a "whoop up"! One can only imagine where the term originated, but you can surely imagine that a whoop-up describes a Toronto bridal or stag party that will be rowdy and last all night long! Toronto and Alberta are famous for this kind of party. To give you a hint as to the origins of this party, one has only to think back to Southern Alberta's famous "Fort Whoop-Up". A legendary (for all the wrong reasons) fort known for its illegal whiskey trade to Indians!

As was stated, the traditional wedding ceremony in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada has its roots in neighboring America and even France. No surprises there. The bride in flowing white and the groom in black. Organ music, a priest and a crowd of friends and relatives.

It's the parties that occur before and after the wedding that leave their mark and separate Toronto and other townships from their North American neighbors.

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