Thanks, Mith, for the long excerpt from the book. Wow. I'll warrant that took time typing up!
Bethberry, I've often considered what a marriage would include in ME, or any other fantasy world for that matter. Listening to wedding vows just yesterday, I thought, "Most of what takes place here has to do with God, but in ME, at least with the hobbits, there is no God to place first in life, before your spouse..."
But even without religion and without God, perhaps there are vows never to leave one another? Maybe to remain faithful, to honor, love, and obey until death parts them, or something. There are parts of the wedding and the vows that don't have to do with religion or God that are almost as important.
And as for wedding dresses only being worn once. . . .well, it seems to me that wedding dresses don't
have to be made to be only worn once. It's a huge waste of a thousand dollars much of the time. My wedding dress isn't going to be very expensive (as wedding dresses go) and I am deffinitely going to wear it often, so long as I can fit into it. I think that elves could at least wear their dress again. Hobbits probably could, too. Just because they have a special dress for their wedding doesn't mean they can't wear it again.
I think white has been a traditional color for weddings for a long time. The Bible often mentions the Bride wearing white. In that book, white is the color of purity.
But even so! They could definitely wear other colors.
-- Folwren