It seems that I have attended two of my own weddings having absolutely no clue about the folklore surrounding the tradition. I could easily have been spirited away by fairies, had I not been so very well protected by the veil I wore and the somewhat small bevy of bridesmaids at my side.

I’ve read, that the veil ‘hid’ me from the mischievous plans of the wee folk, my maids were a sort of decoy to be abducted in my stead, (this is bad precisely because I put my own two very young daughters in harms way at my second wedding, so now shall have more guilt about my mothering skills), and wore a blue garter to somehow ward of the bad spirits. My father walked me down the isle at my first wedding so he could, theoretically, have been fairy fodder as well for serving as my ‘protector’!

For all these reasons, I think that I should never marry again, and this may come as a relief to my present day husband. There is simply too much to lose on the way down the aisle. But, let’s say, just to play devil’s advocate, I DID get married once more, I would have to make very careful selections as to bridesmaids and maid of honour. How exactly would I explain to the partner or parents of a maiden spirited away that it was, indeed, the fairies, who kidnapped her? You can see the dilemma. I’m also thinking that I have lived under a rock until now, not having known the cuffufery (an actual word) around wedding rituals, and how much they have to do with tricking the tricky folk. Does any else know about this?