“ Thus “bridegroom” is the newly married man, and “bride-bell,” “bride-banquet” are old equivalents of wedding-bells, wedding-breakfast. “Bridal” (from Bride-ale) , originally the wedding-feast itself, has grown into a general descriptive adjective, e.g. the bridal party, the bridal ceremony. The bride-cake had its origin in the Roman confarreatio, a form of marriage, the essential features of which were the eating by the couple of a cake made of salt, water and flour, and the holding by the bride of three wheat-ears, symbolical of plenty. ”

“ These were called bidding-weddings, or bid-ales, which were in the nature of “benefit” feasts. So general is still the custom of “bidding-weddings” in Wales, that printers usually keep the form of invitation in type. ”