Wedding Customs

The Wedding Dress

The most well-known superstitions about wedding dresses are that they should not be seen by the groom until the bride appears in church and that it's bad luck for a bride to make her own dress.

The Veil

Like a surprising number of wedding traditions, the veil may also have its origins in Ancient Rome and, like the custom of dressing bride and bridesmaids alike, it was intended to protect the bride against evil spirits by concealing her identity until she was safely wed.

The First Purchase

Tradition has it that whichever one of the newlyweds makes the first purchase will rule in the relationship. This is why brides often give a coin to the chief bridesmaid who would sell her a pin in exchange

The Confetti

Confetti, which is the Italian word for 'sweets' has its origins in Italy where sweets were thrown over the newlyweds as the left the church. The throwing of sweets was intended to bestow fertility on the couple as was the rice used by many poorer villages. Other substitutes include raisins, flower petals and nuts. Our modern urban society has gradually replaced these with paper confetti.

Bridesmaids

Although bridesmaids today are dressed more simply than the bride (whose day is it, anyway?) originally the maids and the bride were dressed identically in order to confuse evil spirits.

The Honeymoon

The honeymoon is believed to have its origins in the period of time a couple would hide from the bride's parents before marrying, i.e. one month. During this time they would drink Mead, or honey-wine. Yes, we think its sounds implausible, too.


Something old, Something new,
Something borrowed, Something blue

This most famous of all wedding rhymes is thought to originate from Victorian England

The bride should carry one of each on her person during her wedding to ensure future happiness and prosperity.

Something Old was traditionally a piece of clothing or a garter given to the bride by a happily married woman, who would transfer her happiness in marriage through the symbol of the old item.

Something New could be anything of the bride's choosing and is meant to symbolise the new and hopefully prosperous future of the young couple.

Something Borrowed was usually a family heirloom or a prized possession of a close female friend. If the bride fails to return the item, bad luck will follow.

Something Blue can be any piece of clothing, often a garter or undergarment. Blue is often believed to symbolise faithfulness and loyalty.

The Wedding Cake

The Wedding Cake was originally a Roman fertility symbol which, rather than being eaten was broken over the bride's head.

The cake idea developed over the centuries into several cakes sat on top of one another. When the tower of cakes was sufficiently high to present a challenge the he bride and groom would stand on opposite sides of the cake and attempt to kiss while trying not to cause the tower to fall. Good fortune could be expected if the kiss was successful.

This tradition is carried over to today's wedding cake which often sees the cakes in tiers with the kissing couple on top.

Carrying the bride
over the threshold

The tradition of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold of their new marital home may have its origins in the time when grooms would steal their brides away. Carrying the bride into the home symbolises this medieval 'kidnapping' when they enter for the first time.

Another explanation is that if the bride were to enter the home with her left foot first, she would be visited by bad fortune. In order to avoid any disaster being caused by his brides inability to walk properly, the groom simply lifts her into the room.