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At Chris Laich Music Services, one of the things we’re known for is deejaying wedding receptions with a great mix of music tailored to each bride and groom. As we keep the dance floor moving, we’ve often wondered…where did the tradition of a wedding reception come from, anyway?
We did a little research, and you’ll never guess the answer!
Apparently, the wedding reception has its roots in a funny old Middle Ages custom called Charivari. To celebrate a couple’s wedding, friends and family would mock serenade a couple outside their bedroom window with pots, pans, and rowdy folk music, the idea being that this would keep the new couple awake (it was also often used to show disfavor to the couple).
By the time this custom made it to the US, it became geared toward making a racket until the couple invited the noisemakers in for some food and drink. Called Shivaree in the US, if the couple did not let the merrymakers in, sometimes the groom would be “kidnapped” and left naked outside to find his own way home!
This kooky combination of pranks and partying is said to be one of the precursors to today’s wedding reception!
information sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
