Are You “Tying the Knot”?

from Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

Most people are familiar with the phrase "tying the knot" although relatively few know the origins of the saying. For much of history, rope has been the most powerful way of connecting things and people. “Hand-fasting” is an ancient custom of binding together the hands of the bride and groom during the wedding ceremony, and a special knot was used for this. As such, the expression of "tying the knot" supposedly came from this tradition according to some historians.

Another story about how this expression came to be actually dates back to Roman Times when the bride wore a girdle secured by a knot. After all the festivities of their wedding night, the groom had the honor of "untying the knot." The couple's lives were then "tied together."

Other stories of ritual binding were also popular in ancient Carthage where the couple's thumbs were laced together with a strip of leather. In India, the Hindu groom knotted a ribbon around his bride's neck, and once tied, the marriage was legal and binding.

Get the inside scoop about other wedding traditions and ways for less stressful wedding planning by contacting Megasound. Don’t wait too long as there is limited availability on many key wedding dates in 2010!