Customs and Traditions ~ Weddingblums

MEANINGS BEHIND WEDDING TRADITIONS

Traditions are part of weddings and make important appearances in just about every ceremony, from throwing the bouquet to the bride’s white dress. But what do these ancient customs mean, and where did they originate? Below is a list of wedding traditions and their significance for your entertainment and, perhaps, use. After all, what bride doesn’t want to know the meaning behind her wedding month?

Two white doves: Releasing two white doves symbolizes the journey that husband and wife will make together and their promise to support and love each other for the rest of their lives.

Throwing rice: The guests throw rice at a wedding to represent their wishes for the couple’s good luck and prosperity.
This custom of throwing rice originally symbolized fertility. In some cultures, it was not rice which was thrown, but instead guests threw small cakes or pieces of a crumbled cake. Today some still throw rice, but because it is often fatal to birds and very easy to slip on, confetti or rose petals are thrown instead. Many now also blow bubbles at the newlywed couple.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue: There is an additional part to that saying which is, 'And a sixpence in her shoe'.

The 'something old' should be provided by someone who has been happily married for some time so that this luck will be transferred to the new couple. It also signifies the relationship between the bride and her family.
The ‘something new’ symbolizes hope for the future.
The ‘something borrowed’ should be something of value like jewelry to guarantee prosperity for the couple.
The ‘something blue’ is used because the color represents fidelity, purity, and love.
The ‘silver sixpence’ can be a silver coin that should be worn in the heel of the left shoe. This is also to ensure wealth and prosperity.

Throwing the bouquet/garter: It used to be that the bride would throw one of her shoes during this custom. This is part of a 14th-century French tradition that proclaimed good luck for anyone who got a piece of the bride’s wedding gown. Guests would therefore grab at the bride’s dress to rip off a piece. This led to the bride throwing other personal items in order to save her gown. The tradition today holds that whichever unmarried female guest who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry.

The similar ritual for the groom is to remove the garter worn by the bride and throw it back over his shoulder to the unmarried male guests. Whichever guest catches the garter will be the next to marry.

Wedding months: For centuries the month of June has been the most popular choice for weddings - but why? During the 1400 -1500s, May was the month in which the "annual bath" occurred. Since the population smelled fresh in June, it became a decidedly good time to hold a wedding or other special event. Additionally, the month of June is named after the goddess Juno, who was the Roman counterpart to Zeus’s wife Hera, the Greek goddess of the hearth and home and patron of wives. Ancient tradition brought about the belief that is was unlucky to marry in the month of May because in Roman times the Feast of the Dead and the Festival of the Goddess of Chastity both occurred in May.

The fortune of each month is summarized in the poem below:

"Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind and true;
When February birds do mate, you wed nor dread your fate;
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know;
Marry in April when you can, joy for Maiden and for Man;
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day;
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you will go;
Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bread;
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see;
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine;
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry;
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember;
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last".

It was also thought that those who married during lent would undergo misfortune- "Marry in Lent, live to repent" - because lent was a time for abstinence.

Beautiful bride on the stairs at Andrews House The bride’s wedding gown: This tradition began in the 16th century and is still a very popular custom. Wearing white is a symbol of the bride's purity and her worthiness of her groom. The fashion has been largely due to Queen Victoria, who rebelled against Royal brides wearing silver. Instead, the queen preferred the symbolism found in white attire. The brides of the time quickly imitated the queen, and the tradition continues to this day.

There is an old saying that "the bride wore a green gown". This means that the young woman was promiscuous before marriage and refers to an image of her rolling around in grassy fields with a man.

It is also believed to be bad luck for the bride to make her own wedding dress.

The bride’s veil: Traditionally brides have been thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits, an idea that serves as an origin for many wedding traditions and customs to battle such evil. The veil was worn to disguise the bride and fool the evil spirits. It was not until 1800 in Britain that the veil came to symbolize modesty and chastity, which it remains today.

The wedding cake: Cakes have played a part in weddings all through history. The Romans shared a plain cake of flour, salt and water during the wedding ceremony itself, as Native Americans still do today. The traditional fruit cake originated in Britain for wedding ceremonies, with the fruit and nuts being a symbol of fertility.

Cutting the wedding cake together represents the couple's unity, their shared future, and their life together as one.

In old England it was traditional to bake a ring into the wedding cake as a symbol of bliss and happiness. The guest whose piece of cake contained the ring would have a full year of uninterrupted happiness. Another custom was to throw a plate with a piece of wedding cake on it out of a window when the bride first returns home to her family after the wedding. If the plate broke she could look forward to a happy future in marriage, but if the plate remained intact, the outlook would be grim.

The spire of Saint Bride's Church in London, England is believed to have inspired the three tiered cake.

It is believed that an unmarried male guest who keeps a piece of wedding cake under his pillow as he sleeps will bring him better luck in finding a wife. An unmarried bridesmaid who does the same will dream of her future husband.

Miscellaneous facts: It is held that good luck will befall the bride if she takes a final look in the mirror right before leaving her home for the wedding. However, if she looks in a mirror once again before the ceremony, her luck will be tainted.

It is good luck to see a lamb, frog, spider, black cat, or rainbows on the way to the ceremony. It is bad luck to see an open grave, pig, or lizard on the way to the ceremony, or hear a crow after dawn on the morning of the wedding.

It is believed to be bad luck for the bride to wear her complete outfit before the wedding day. In addition, some brides leave a final stitch on the dress undone until the day of the wedding for good luck.

"To change the name and not the letter, is to expect the worst and not the better!" This means that it is thought to be unlucky to marry a man whose last name begins with the same first letter as your own.

It used to be thought that if a man encountered a blind person, a pregnant woman, or a monk while on his way to propose to his intended bride, then the marriage would be doomed if he continued along because these images were bad omens. Monks or nuns are thought to be omens of misfortune in marriage because of their association with poverty and chastity. However, if the young man saw a pigeon, wolf, or goat, he could expect extremely good fortune in the marriage.

The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed's vehicle dates back long ago when items that produced noise were tied to the back of the couple's carriage to scare away evil spirits.

Playing pranks on the newlywed couple was also a tradition which began to ward off evil spirits. Loyal friends would do this with the idea that the spirits would take pity on the couple for already being picked upon enough, and would then leave them alone.

The tradition of having members of the wedding party dress alike was started to confuse the spirits and detract them from the wedding.

Tradition says that the first member of the newlywed couple to purchase a new item following the wedding will be the dominant force in the relationship. Because of this, some superstitious brides will pre-arrange to buy a small item from one of the bridesmaids immediately following the ceremony.

To practice writing your new name prior to the wedding (and what bride doesn't do this?) is believed to tempt fate and thus will result in bad luck during the marriage.

Bad weather on the way to the wedding is believed to signify unhappiness in the marriage. Cloudy skies and wind en route will result in a stormy marriage. However, snow on the way to the ceremony is a sign of fertility and prosperity.