Proposals
Chivalrous gentlemen sent a pair of gloves to their true loves. If the woman wore the gloves to church on Sunday, it signaled her acceptance of proposal.

The term "spooning" was coined by lovesick men of Wales. A suitor carved a spoon of wood and presented it to his beloved. If she wore it around her neck on a ribbon, she returned his love and they were engaged.

The right of every women to propose on 29th February each leap year, goes back many hundreds of years to when the leap year day had no recognition in English law (the day was 'lept over' and ignored, hence the term 'leap year'). It was considered, therefore, that as the day had no legal status, it was reasonable to assume that traditions also had no status. Consequently, women who were concerned about being 'left on the shelf' took advantage of this anomaly and proposed to the man they wished to marry.

It was also thought that since the leap year day corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the time taken for the Earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to correct a tradition that was one-sided and unjust.

The Engagement Ring
The engagement ring symbolizes the promise of a future together, sealed with the giving and accepting of a ring. 

The diamond engagement ring as we know it has been around since the 1400s and was first found in Medieval Italy. 

Rings featuring gem stones were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Often, the first letter of the stones within the setting spelled out the name of the giver or a word. 

Another ring known as the Gimmal Ring, was a three part ring which had two clasped hands on it.  During the engagement, one part was worn by the bride, one by the groom, and the third by a witness.  It was reunited as the brides wedding ring, on the day of their marriage

In earlier times, the engagement, or betrothal ring, was a partial payment for the bride and was a pledge of the groom's intentions.

Over time, the diamond emerged as the symbol of betrothal because its clarity and brilliance reflected innocence and purity, while it's strength signaled the hope of an enduring love. All wedding and engagement rings are worn on the third finger of the left hand. The vein in this finger was once believed to go directly to the heart which is closely associated with love.

Until the 15th century, only kings wore diamonds, as a symbol of strength, courage, and invincibility. In India, where it was first discovered, the diamond was valued more for its magic than its beauty and was believed to protect the wearer from fire, snakes, illnesses, thieves, and great evil. 

Ancient Greeks believing the fire of a diamond reflected the flame of love, actually thought them to be teardrops from the gods. Ancient Romans also endowed them with romantic powers, believing diamonds to be splinters from falling stars that tipped the arrows of Eros, the god of love. In the Middle Ages diamonds were credited with the power to reunite estranged marriage partners.
 

The Engagement Party
A special party was held to establish a formal contract before family and friends of the intended marriage, known as flouncing.  If either changed his mind about the marriage, the other could lay claim to half of his, or her, property.  Following a flouncing, the couple could no longer have contact with other suitors. 

In China, the betrothal was looked upon as a family obligation.  If an engaged man died before the wedding, his intended bride was treated as his widow.

In Finland, the future bride went door-to-door to receive her gifts in a pillowcase.  She was accompanied by an elderly married man, carrying an umbrella (for shelter), and was given a drink at each door.  This is why today, an umbrella is used as a decoration to symbolize protection. 
 

The Dowry
Back when marriages were arranged, the bride was expected to have a dowry. The dowry was money, goods, or estate that she brought to her husband, which was provided by the bride's family. In return, the groom paid a "price" for the bride and promised to provide for and support  her.
 

Bridal Showers
This event has its roots in Holland. When a bride's father did not approve of the husband-to-be, he would not provide her with the necessary dowry. The brides friends would therefore "shower" her with gifts so she would have her dowry and thus marry the man of her choice. While dowries are long gone today, the practice of giving gifts to the bride-to-be remains.

Bridal showers were also meant to strengthen the friendships between the bride and her friends, give her moral support, and help her prepare for her marriage.

The idea to give gifts is fairly new, dating from the 1890's. At one shower, the bride's friend placed small gifts inside a Japanese parasol, and then opened it over the bride's head so all of the presents would "shower" over her. When word of this hit the fashion pages, people were so charmed, they decided to do the same at their showers.
 

Bachelor Party
This was the last chance before his new wife took over the finances for the groom to gather money by gambling for his own future use. Ancient Spartan soldiers were the first to hold stag parties. The groom would feast with his male friends on the night before the wedding. There he would say good-bye to the carefree days of bachelorhood and swear continued allegiance to his comrades.
 

Love Tokens
Love tokens have been given to one another since early times. Today, it could be a poem or song written for the other, are some craft that you loving made for the other. The Pennsylvania Dutch had a charming custom. Couples gave one another hand crafted gifts, useful for their future home.  Such things as cake molds, butter prints, carved spoon which were covered with symbols and announcements of their love for one another.