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Even though you are a modern bride much of your wedding day will include old traditions and superstitions. You may not know why you do certain things but it seems the right thing to do now as it has done for hundreds if not thousands of years.
We have done much research into the common wedding day traditions and superstitions. Some of them are interpreted differently depending on where we looked but we think these are as close to the truth as possible.
If you know differently please feel free to contact us with your thoughts. |
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The history behind having bridesmaids goes back to Roman law which stated there must be 10 witnesses dressed the same as the bride so evil spirits which were believed to bring bad luck wouldn't know who was getting married. |
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When a wife was considered a possession, a wedding ring was a sign that the woman had been purchased by the groom. |
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Tossing the bouquet is an adaptation of when the newly married bride would throw her left shoe over her shoulder to indicate her new life had begun and the one who caught the shoe would marry next. |
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Wedding cakes have evolved from the Roman custom of breaking a loaf over the bride's head to symbolise fertility. The guests would then eat the crumbs for good luck. |
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Tying shoes to the back of the wedding car goes back to a time when the father of the groom would give his daughter's shoes to her husband to show everyone that she was now his property. |
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Most people wear the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand. Both the ancient Romans and Egyptians believed that a vein called the 'vena amoris' in Latin ran directly from that finger to the heart. |
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Carrying flowers by the bride has its roots in ancient times. Strong smelling herbs and spices were thought to drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health.
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The groom is supposed to wear a flower that appears in the bouquet in his buttonhole. This stems from the medieval tradition of a Knight wearing his lady's colours as a declaration of his love. |
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The modern veil is related to the days when the groom would throw a blanket over the head of the woman of choice when he 'captured' her. |
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During Roman times it was believed that if the bride stumbled when entering their home for the first time it would bring bad luck to their marriage. Carrying the bride across the threshold was thought to prevent this from happening. |
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After the successful 'capture' of the bride came the 'the hiding', or as we know it today the honeymoon, so by the time the bride's family found them the bride would already be pregnant. |
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Wearing 'something old' expresses a desire to retain your connections with your family after you enter into your marriage.
Wearing 'someting new' conveys the message that you and your husband are creating a new union that will endure forever.
Wearing 'something borrowed' is used to symbolise your love and admiration for the person from whom you borrowed the item.
Wearing 'something blue' on your wedding day is a symbol of the couple’s fidelity to each other. |
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