symbolize two people journeying through life together as one. Early women"s rings also .

             had keys carved in them, symbolizing that women were able to unlock the hearts of their .

             husbands. .

             It was "Pope Nicholas I [in 860 AD, who first] decreed an engagement ring become a .

             required statement of nuptial intent," (Kendrick). He insisted that this ring also be made .

             of gold, it"s worth requiring a sacrifice on the man"s part for the woman he was about to .

             marry. This ring went up in value in the fifteenth century when a diamond was added to .

             it. It was believed that the diamond"s durability and strength would symbolized the .

             strength of the relationship.

             Most of these traditions deal with the strength of the relationship (or its worth or .

             value), but there are other wedding traditions that deal (directly or indirectly) with .

             fertility. For example, in the first century BC the Romans began using wedding cakes. .

             However, these cakes weren"t eaten, they were either thrown at the bride or broken over .

             her head (Kendrick). This was believed to assure many healthy children for the couple.

             In more recent times it became common for the couple to save the top tier of their .

             cake to be eaten on their first anniversary. This originated in the ninetieth century, when .

             the extra tiers of the wedding cake were preserved and served at the christening of the .

             couple"s first child, an event that normally occurred about a year after the marriage.

             A wedding cake is for the most part white. Many would probably say this was to .

             symbolize purity or virginity, but there was actually an economic reason for it. In .

             Victorian times, "ingredients for the wedding cake were much harder to acquire, .

             especially for the icing. White icing meant that only the finest refined sugar was used, .

             and so the whiter the cake, the more affluent the families involved were perceived," .

             (Cake).

             Today, most couples have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other .