Apparently so. The wedding cookie tradition is very popular, and thought to have originated, in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Cookie tables are also common in West Virginia, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. The tradition is that the women in the bride's family (her mother, aunts, sisters, grandmothers etc) bake cookies using recipes that have been within the family for years. We are not just talking a couple cookies here either, usually each lovely lady bakes several dozen.
The origin of the tradition is largely unknown. It is thought to have begun with Italian and Roman Catholic weddings during the height of the steel-mill industry. Presently, the tradition sees no religious or cultural boundaries and hardly a wedding takes place in western Pennsylvania without cookies.
{image}I love these cookies and milk featured on The Bride's Cafe. These shot glasses of milk topped with a cookie would be adorable snacks at the end of the reception. Mr. Pineapple also likes this idea and I think it would be a great twist on the Pittsburgher tradition. We have not yet decided if we are going to partake in the tradition, but I have a feeling that once it is mentioned, our western PA relations will say something along the lines of, "What?! You can't have a wedding without cookies!!"
Mrs. Gardenia also had a cookie buffet at her wedding in lieu of the popular candy buffet.
How are you incorporating quirky regional traditions into your wedding?
Mrs. Gardenia also had a cookie buffet at her wedding in lieu of the popular candy buffet.
How are you incorporating quirky regional traditions into your wedding?
1 comment:
We are doing the cookie table - it's a must in my family, I don't remember ever attending a family wedding without a huge cookie table. But I know it's not as common in other areas. In NE Ohio, however, it's a given. We are also doing the money dance, in the style of my family tradition - polka! Again, it's done at every family wedding. And although it looks silly to a lot of people, when it's tradition, it somehow just makes sense to do it. It's fun too! Back in the day, I swore I would never do the polka version of the money dance...I wanted the money dance with the slow song, where both bride and groom slow dance with the guests. But as my wedding became a reality, I decided that it wouldn't be a family wedding without the polka. It should be interesting, and provide some long lasting memories, for sure!
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