The Wedding Day Traditions Finally Explained

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

There are lots of weird and wonderful wedding day traditions. Your wedding day might include a few superstitions without you even realising. We’ve got a few wedding traditions you may, or may not, have heard of explained below.

If you're busy planning a wedding, you've undoubtedly been looking for something blue, reminding your other half that you won't be able to see each other before the ceremony, and preparing your bouquet throw. Your spouse most likely proposed on one knee as well. But do you know where these wedding traditions originated and what they mean?

With this little guide, you'll have of a wealth of information when it comes to wedding traditions and beliefs, so you'll know which ones to drop and which to preserve.

8 Wedding day Traditions Explained

Veils

The reason behind brides wearing veils is two-fold. Traditionally, a bride wears a veil to protect her modesty and symbolise her virginity before her father gives her away. However, if you look even further back, it was worn to protect brides from evil spirits as it acts as a barrier and a disguise.

Trying trinkets to the back of the car

Originally, people used to tie shoes to the back of a wedding car, but nowadays, we’re more likely to use tin cans. The reason for this is that they symbolise good luck, and the noise is also meant to keep those pesky evil spirits away.

Confetti

Now we throw confetti or flower petals over the newly-weds, but traditionally, guests would have thrown rice over them as a blessing of their fertility and prosperity.

Rain

Rain on your wedding day is thought to be unlucky, not only for the soggy guests, but the rest of the marriage too. However, it is considered good luck for a bride to meet a spider, chimney sweep or black cat on her way to the wedding ceremony.

Getting Down on One Knee

The precise origin of this custom is uncertain, however there are several theories as to how it came about. Genuflection is the act of going down on one knee, and in the Middle Ages, males would bow down in front of the ladies they admired. Furthermore, kneeling in front of someone is a gesture of respect, allegiance, and obedience in religion.

In more modern times, it symbolises vulnerability and a profound emotional connection, indicating you are prepared to devote the rest of your life to providing your other half with what they need and desire. 

Seeing the bride

One of the most familiar superstitions is that it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding ceremony. This one isn’t such a romantic tradition – it originates from a time when arranged marriages were common and seeing each other was more likely to result in one or both parties doing a runner.

Carrying the bride over the threshold

Have you ever wondered why the groom carries his new bride over the threshold? Uniquely, in medieval Europe, it was believed that evil spirits might make their way into the house through the soles of the bride’s feet.

Couples Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

This custom stems back to the days of arranged weddings, when marriage was more of a commercial transaction than a romantic one. The pair were not permitted to see one other before the wedding for fear of doing a runner!

Something Old, Something New

Much of the bride’s outfit is based on superstitions, including a white dress to signify virginity and purity. Some think that a sugar cube in your glove will sweeten your union, and some remember the coins in shoes. However, almost every bride knows the traditional poem, ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’.

Wearing ‘something old’ represents the life that the bride is leaving behind, while the ‘something new’ represents her new life as a married woman. The ‘something borrowed’ should come from someone who has had a long and happy marriage. Furthermore, the blue is meant to symbolise purity, fidelity and love.

And finally, the last part of the poem is ‘and a silver sixpence in her shoe’. Traditionally, the bride’s father would slip a sixpence coin into her left shoe to bring luck and also wish the happy couple a prosperous life together. Today, you can buy special wedding sixpences to recreate this tradition.

If you would like to bring any special wedding traditions into your wedding day experience, we highly recommend our lovely celebrant Karina from Simply Ceremonies UK. She is well-experienced in hand-fasting ceremonies, as well as countless other customs and traditions that will give your wedding ceremony a uniquely personal feel.

Contact Karina today and start planning your special ceremony together.

Email: karina@celebrant-uk.co.uk

Tel: 07970 513715