Bridal Shower Rings and Rhymes

The Shower

1. 100 A bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for whom? Response: a bride-to-be A bridal shower is a gift-giving party held for a bride-to-be in anticipation of her wedding. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”
2. 200 How many weeks before the wedding is a bridal shower commonly held? Response: four to six weeks They commonly take place four to six weeks before the wedding. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”
3. 300 In Australia and New Zealand, what was the party before a wedding, related to the bridal shower, traditionally called? Response: a Kitchen Tea In Australia and New Zealand, a custom related to the North American bridal shower, known as a Kitchen Tea, was traditionally held before the wedding. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”
4. 400 The bridal shower is said to have grown out of which old custom, the money or goods a bride's family gave at marriage? Response: dowry The custom of the bridal shower is said to have grown out of earlier dowry practices, when a poor woman's family might not have the money to provide a dowry for her, or when a father refused to give his daughter her dowry because he did not approve of the marriage. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”
5. 500 In which decade did bridal showers begin in American cities? Response: the 1890s In the United States, bridal showers started in urban areas in the 1890s mainly among the upper middle classes. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”

Something Old, Something New

1. 100 Finish the wedding rhyme: something old, something new, something borrowed, something what? Response: blue In this country an old couplet directs that the bride shall wear:—"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." Source: Wikipedia, “Something old”
2. 200 In the later last line of the rhyme, which coin goes in the bride's shoe? Response: a sixpence The final line "and a sixpence in her shoe" is a later Victorian addition; the coin should be worn in the left shoe. Source: Wikipedia, “Something old”
3. 300 The lucky coin should go in which of the bride's shoes? Response: the left shoe The final line "and a sixpence in her shoe" is a later Victorian addition; the coin should be worn in the left shoe. Source: Wikipedia, “Something old”
4. 400 The first recorded version of the rhyme as we know it, from 1876, is named after which English county? Response: Lancashire The first recorded version of the rhyme as we now know it (the so-called Lancashire version) was in a 1876 newspaper, which reported a wedding where the bride "wore, according to ancient custom, something old and something new, something borrowed and blue." Source: Wikipedia, “Something old”
5. 500 By 1905 the full rhyme had reached the United States in a novel by which etiquette writer? Response: Emily Post By 1905, the full rhyme had crossed the Atlantic to the United States as it appeared in the novel Purple and Fine Linen by Emily Post. Source: Wikipedia, “Something old”

Rings

1. 100 In Western culture, on which hand is a wedding ring usually worn? Response: the left hand In western culture, a wedding ring is typically worn on the base of the ring finger of the left hand, following the tradition of the Book of Common Prayer (1662). Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding ring”
2. 200 In the United States, what else is a wedding ring called? Response: a wedding band A wedding ring, also called a wedding band in the United States, is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding ring”
3. 300 The ring finger is linked to an old belief called vena amoris. What does vena amoris mean? Response: vein of love The ring finger is widely said to be associated with the traditional belief known as vena amoris ("vein of love"). Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding ring”
4. 400 Which 16th-century ring was made of two interlocking bands, one worn by each partner until the wedding? Response: a gimmel ring During the 16th and 17th centuries, European husbands bestowed a gimmel ring upon their wives. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding ring”
5. 500 Which archduke gave the first well-documented diamond engagement ring, in 1477? Response: Maximilian of Austria The first well-documented use of a diamond ring to signify engagement was by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in the imperial court of Vienna in 1477, upon his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy. Source: Wikipedia, “Engagement ring”

Dress and Cake

1. 100 In Western culture, what colour is a wedding dress most often? Response: white In Western culture, the wedding dress is most commonly white, a tradition popularised by elites in the Victorian era after Queen Victoria wore a white dress at her wedding to Prince Albert. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding dress”
2. 200 Which queen set the fashion in Western wedding dresses when she married Prince Albert? Response: Queen Victoria In Western culture, the wedding dress is most commonly white, a tradition popularised by elites in the Victorian era after Queen Victoria wore a white dress at her wedding to Prince Albert. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding dress”
3. 300 In Chinese and Indian weddings, brides often wear which colour for good fortune? Response: red In Eastern cultures, such as Chinese and Indian cultures, brides will often wear red to their weddings to symbolize auspiciousness. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding dress”
4. 400 Before the sweet wedding cake, which savoury dish was served at most weddings in the 16th and 17th centuries? Response: the bride's pie During the 16th century to the 17th century, the "bride's pie" was served at most weddings. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding cake”
5. 500 Which French tower of piled pastries is said to come from a chef who saw English couples kiss over stacked rolls? Response: the Croquembouche The pastry chef then went back to France and piled sweet rolls up into a tower to make the first Croquembouche. Source: Wikipedia, “Wedding cake”

The Honeymoon

1. 100 What is the trip newlyweds take after their wedding called? Response: a honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Source: Wikipedia, “Honeymoon”
2. 200 In early 19th-century Britain, upper-class newlyweds went on what kind of tour to visit relatives who missed the wedding? Response: a bridal tour Upper-class couples would take a "bridal tour", sometimes accompanied by friends or family, to visit relatives who had not been able to attend the wedding. Source: Wikipedia, “Honeymoon”
3. 300 Which waterfall was a favorite trip for American newlyweds in the 1980s? Response: Niagara Falls Niagara Falls was a popular honeymoon destination for Americans in the 1980s, but it has since become less favored due to the increasing costs of air travel. Source: Wikipedia, “Honeymoon”
4. 400 What is the French phrase for the newlyweds' trip, meaning moon of honey? Response: lune de miel In many modern languages, the word for a honeymoon is a calque (e.g., French: lune de miel) or near-calque. Source: Wikipedia, “Honeymoon”
5. 500 What is the new name for a separate solo holiday a newlywed takes without their spouse, a play on the usual word? Response: solomoon An emerging 21st-century travel trend is the "solomoon" or "unimoon", a separate, solo holiday the newlyweds take without their spouse. Source: Wikipedia, “Honeymoon”

Final round: Shower Origins

The earliest stories of bridal showers come from which European city, around 1860? Response: Brussels The earliest stories about these events have been known to originate in Brussels, Belgium around 1860. Source: Wikipedia, “Bridal shower”