The real reason behind the tradition of grooms not seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle

While first looks are becoming more popular, the tradition of not seeing your fiancé before you walk down the aisle is still a popular choice. But where does that tradition come from?

Not seeing your partner before the ceremony makes that first moment as you walk down the aisle all the more special. But the tradition has less-than-romantic origins.

Arranged marriages used to be the norm, acting more as a business deal between families than a love match. The marriage was usually arranged by the bride's father, who wanted his daughter to marry rich to help his own family.

However, the dad would often worry that if the groom saw the bride before the ceremony, he might not find her attractive and could call off the wedding - which was considered a serious shame for the bride and her family. So most couples had never seen one another before the wedding at all.

The veil comes into play here, too - by having a veil over the bride's face, the groom wouldn't see her until the very last moment (at the end of the ceremony!) when it was too late to back out.