Wedding Traditions

The white wedding gown

The colour symbolizes purity and celebration.

The veil

Early veils were made of heavy cloth so that the bride could not be easily seen. The theory was that other suitors would not come to steal her away if they did not see how beautiful she was. Traditionally, the veil covers the bride’s face before the ceremony and is thrown back after the marriage vows.

Old, new, borrowed, blue

On their wedding day, brides, in a tradition that dates back to Victorian times, wear

Something old

Something new

Something borrowed

Something blue

The old and borrowed items look back to the past and honour the people who supplied them. The new item is intended to bring luck in the future. The blue piece symbolizes fidelity and modesty.

Showering with luck

Rice represents fertility and/or a full pantry. Tossing confetti or rose petals came to symbolize showering the bridal couple with good things through their lives together. Salt was often used to seal wedding contracts in ancient times. The bride and groom would each carry a container of salt and pour the contents into a larger receptacle to symbolize the intertwining of their lives.

Engagement rings

Engagement rings, worn after the dowry was paid, originally symbolized that the woman belonged to the groom. By the 16th century in France and other parts of Europe, engagement rings symbolized romance through the wearing of intertwined rings. (Gimmal rings — called joint rings in England — were two or three hoops that were intertwined when worn together.) During the engagement, the couple each wore one of the rings. At the wedding ceremony, the groom would place his ring on his bride’s finger. The two rings, now intertwined, were her wedding band.

Wedding rings

Wedding rings are the universal symbol of love that knows no end. They were traditionally placed on the third finger of the left hand because one vein in that finger is believed to run straight to the heart.

Protecting the bride and groom

The bridesmaids and groomsmen in wedding parties are intended to protect the bride and groom. They dress in a similar way to confuse any evil spirits once believed to be out to stop the bridal couple from marrying.

Crossing the threshold

Ancient Romans carried their brides over the threshold to stop those evil spirits from tripping her.

Honeymoon

The honeymoon began when the bride and groom hid for 30 days after the wedding — one lunar month — drinking mead (made from honey) as they learned to know each other.

Garter/bouquet tossing

In medieval times, wedding guests would rush into the bridal chamber and steal the bride’s stockings. They would fling them at the groom. The first guest to hit the groom on the nose would be the next to marry. A slightly more civilized version of this custom is the bride tossing her bouquet over her shoulder towards a cluster of singles. The first person to catch it is, supposedly, the next to wed.

Bride’s tears

The bride who cries tears of happiness on her wedding day is said never to have reason to cry during her marriage. So she should carry a handkerchief, in case she is moved to tears. Also, at one time, many farmers said that the bride’s tears on her wedding day were lucky and would signify more rain for their crops.

Walking up the aisle

Traditionally, the bride’s father walks her up the aisle to meet the groom and best man and ‘gives her away’ to her husband to- be. In some countries (Poland, for example), the bride and the groom walk up the aisle together, preceded by their groomsmen and bridesmaids.

By Iris Winston