What comes to mind when you hear the word "wedding"? Is it the white dress? The first dance? The flowers? Couples face plenty of decisions when planning a wedding, but they also remain bound by tradition. Where did these rituals come from -- and what do they mean?

Let's start with the basics: wedding rings. You're probably picturing Kim Kardashian's 15-carat rock or Elizabeth Taylor's $3.7 million diamond. The engagement ring, however, is a relatively recent phenomenon. As diamond prices were falling in the 1940s, De Beers jewelers launched the "Diamonds Are Forever" campaign and managed to convince young couples that the precious gem was synonymous with love and eternity.

Today, about 75% of American brides wear diamond engagement rings, which cost an average of $4,000. You've probably heard the old saying that an engagement ring should cost three months' of the groom's salary. Gentlemen, you can thank De Beers for that.

While the diamond is relatively new, the simple wedding band has deep and universal roots. It dates back to ancient Egypt, where pharaohs exchanged rings with their brides as a symbol of eternity. The center of the ring represented a portal to their new, unexplored life as a couple. The Egyptians believed in the "vena amoris" -- the "vein of love" -- which ran from the second finger on the left hand directly to the heart.

The rise of Christianity had significance for wedding bands, too. As it spread across the world, rings started to feature images of Jesus or a holy cross, symbolizing a blessed marriage. Wedding bands represented not only piety but also socioeconomic status; they often served as a marital dowry in ancient Rome and Greece. Today, most regard the wedding band as a simple symbol of devotion -- though it has, in large part, been overshadowed by the flashier engagement ring.

Now for the most important part of any wedding: the dress. For some women across America, the hunt for the perfect wedding dress starts well before the engagement. It starts well before the groom even enters the picture. By the time a woman gets engaged, she's probably spent years watching "Say Yes to the Dress" and curating her perfect Pinterest mood board.

Love of the wedding gown seems pretty universal, but the dresses themselves vary quite considerably across the globe. In the Western world, white gowns are most common, symbolizing purity and virginity. But the wedding dress as we know it wasn't always the norm. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that middle-class brides were able to afford a gown to wear once and never again. In prior eras, that luxury was reserved only for the very rich, as was the color white (considering the difficulty of cleaning and maintaining a white gown). Intricate white lace wedding dresses were the ultimate status symbol for only the most elite.

In the Eastern world, red wedding dresses are the norm. The color symbolizes good luck and celebration. Red dresses are traditional in countries such as China, Pakistan, India and Vietnam.

The bride's grand entrance -- and the debut of her special gown -- stems from another wedding tradition: the separation of the bride and the groom before the wedding ceremony. Her dramatic appearance in the doorway, her graceful walk down the aisle, her dramatic unveiling at the altar -- it all feels so romantic, doesn't it? Well, not so fast. The origins of this tradition are not as charming as one might hope.

Marriage used to be more of a financial engagement than a celebration of love (in some cases, it still is). Marriages were arranged by the parents of the betrothed, who often sought social and economic advantages through the union of their children. In those days, it was common for the bride and groom to not see each other at all until the wedding day. The bride's father, in the hopes of marrying his daughter off to a rich husband, often wanted to avoid the risk of the groom changing his mind after seeing his new bride (hence the veil, too).

Though the days of arranged marriages are largely behind us, at least in the United States, the tradition lives on. It has evolved into more of a superstition, a belief that it's somehow bad luck for the bride and the groom to see each other before the ceremony. Plus, this tradition allows the bride to debut her dress in a grand, dramatic entrance.

While words like "tradition" and "custom" may seem outdated in 2021, it's clear that Americans still value the social, cultural and religious implications of a wedding ceremony (if you don't believe me, take a look at the data: The U.S. wedding industry hit about $72 billion in revenue in 2016, according to IBISWorld). Though dress styles may evolve and cakes may be swapped out for gluten-free alternatives, the American wedding will always be tied to a rich history.