| There are many Wedding Traditions & Superstitions - Here are just a few of them & their origins
Just remember - The bride, when she leaves home for the last time as a single girl, should step out of the house with her right foot for luck - Do that & the rest should be plain sailing !! |
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For the bride a universal custom is the 'Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue' - of course the 'something new' can be the bride's dress !
The 'something new' at the wedding can become the 'something old' or 'something borrowed' at the next generation's weddings
The bride sometimes wears a blue garter (symbolizing love) which plays a part later at the wedding reception. It was also traditional in some areas for the bride to put a small silver coin in her shoe to bring her good luck
'Something Old'
A gift from mother to daughter to start her off for married life, and symbolising the passing on a bit of mother's wisdom
'Something New'
A gift symbolising the new start married life represents
'Something Borrowed'
The idea here is that something is borrowed from a happily married couple in the hope that a little of their wedded bliss will rub off on the newlyweds
'Something Blue'
There are two likely sources for this - Roman women used to border their robes with blue as a sign of modesty, love and fidelity
Also blue is the colour normally associated with Mary the mother of Jesus who is often used to symbolise steadfast love, purity and sincerity
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And a Silver Sixpence for her shoe
A silver sixpence in the bride's shoe is to ensure wealth in the couple's life.
It symbolizes the promise of a lifetime of joy, a lifetime of good health, happiness, wealth, fortune, and wedded bliss for the newlywed couple
The sixpence first became known as a lucky coin when introduced by king Edward VI of England in 1551. It later became part of Bridal Wedding traditions in the Victorian era.
In 17th century England, the sixpence was part of the bride's dowry gift to the groom. A sixpence is a symbol of good luck. The sixpence coin is no longer being minted nor in circulation - the last sixpence was minted under Queen Elizabeth in 1967 |
Silver Sixpence in a
Cinderella Glass slipper |
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The taking of each others right hand
The open right hand is a symbol of strength, resource and purpose. The coming together of both right hands is a symbol that both the bride and the groom can depend on each other and the resources that each brings to the marriage
The reason for wearing the rings on the third finger is down to the Romans again - They believed that the vein on this finger ran directly to the heart, and so a symbol of your wedding pledge was thought to be bound to love and life itself |
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It also represents the merger of their lives together into one
Exchange rings with Celtic knotwork designs instead of plain gold wedding bands
Men wearing wedding rings is more common today than in the past |
Tie the knot
This wonderful expression originated from Roman times when the bride wore a girdle that was tied in knots which the groom had the fun of untying
This phrase can also refer to the tying of the knot in handfasting ceremonies, which were often performed without the benefit of a clergy |
Tying the Knot |
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Veil
Originated with arranged marriages - In these, the groom's family informed him that he was to marry, but they very rarely let him see the bride
After all, if the groom didn't like the bride's looks, he might not agree to the marriage - With this in mind, the father of the bride gave the bride away to the groom who then lifted the veil to see his wife for the first time |
Wedding Veil
- Blanche - |
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Throwing Confetti
Throwing confetti over newly weds originated from the ancient pagan rite of showering the happy couple with grain to wish upon them a 'fruitful' union - Pagans believed that the fertility of the seeds would be transferred to the couple on whom they fell
The throwing of rice has the same symbolic meaning
The word confetti has the same root as the word confectionery in Italian and was used to describe 'sweetmeats' - i.e - grain and nuts coated in sugar that were thrown over newly weds for the same pagan reason
In recent years, small pieces of colored paper have replaced sweetmeats, grain and nuts as an inexpensive substitute - but the use of the word confetti has remained |
Wedding Confetti
Heart Shape
Wedding Rice
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The Guestbook
In ancient times, the guest book was a necessity and everyone who attended a wedding was considered a witness
They were required to sign the marriage document. Today for the wedding couple, the guest book is a wonderful remembrance of those who attended their wedding |
Wedding Guest Book |
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Wedding cake
Like most rituals handed down through the ages, a wedding wouldn't be complete without fertility symbols, like the wedding cake
Ancient Romans would bake a cake made of wheat or barley and break it over the bride's head as a symbol of her fertility
Over time, it became traditional to stack several cakes on top of one another - The bride and groom would then be charged to kiss over this tower without knocking it over
If they were successful, a lifetime of good fortune was certain for the new couple
During the reign of King Charles II of England, it became customary for such a cake to be iced with sugar |
Wedding Cake |
The 3-tiered cake is believed to have been inspired by the spire of Saint Bride's Church in London, Sleeping with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow is said to make a single woman dream of her future husband
According to one long-forgotten tradition, the bottom layer of a wedding cake represents the couple as a family, and the top layer represents them as a couple - Each layer in between represents a child you hope to have. Cutting the wedding cake together symbolizes the couple's unity, a shared future, and their life together as one
The groom traditionally places his hand over the bride's hand as a symbol of his desire to take care of her...plus, it is good luck if the bride's hand is the first to cut the cake. It is believed that a cake that lasts a year is the guarantee of a long marriage |
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Tying shoes to the bumper of the car
Represents the symbolism and power of shoes in ancient times
Egyptians would exchange sandals when they exchanged goods, so when the father of the bride gave his daughter to the groom, he would also give the brides sandals to show that she now belonged to the groom
In Anglo-Saxon times, the groom would tap the heel of the bride's shoe to show his authority over her -
In later times, people would throw shoes at the couple -
Now members of the wedding party just tie shoes & tin cans to the couple's car, the noise of the tin cans 'scares off' evil spirits
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Shoes bring Good Luck
Tin Cans ward off Evil |
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Carrying the bride over the threshold
This was done to protect the bride from any evil spirits which may be hiding beneath the threshold
The groom would carry his beautiful bride to safety and happiness so they could start their new lives together
The Romans believed that it was unlucky if the bride tripped on entering the house for the first time -
So they arranged for several members of the bridal party to carry her over the threshold |
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Grey Horses
All the best Bridal Carriages used to be pulled by grey horses and it is still considered good luck to see a grey horse on the way to the church
Lucky Horse Shoes
Horseshoes have always been considered lucky
The story goes - the devil asking a blacksmith to shoe his single hoof
When the blacksmith recognised his customer he carried out the job as painfully as possible until the devil roared for mercy & he was released on condition that he would never enter a place where a horseshoe was displayed
A horse shoe carried by the bride is considered a symbol of fertility |
Grey Horse
Horse Shoe
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Wedding Bells
A peal of bells as the bridal couple leave the church is one of the oldest traditions
Before the days of widespread literacy and newspapers this was how the local people knew a wedding had taken place
The sound of bells was also said to drive out evil spirits |
Wedding Bells |
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Lucky Chimney Sweep
Brides still consider it lucky if they pass a chimney-sweep on the way to the wedding as the old fashioned soot-covered sweep had magical associations with the family and hearth - the heart of the home
Other good luck omens when seen on the way to the ceremony include lambs, toads, spiders, black cats and rainbows |
Chimney Sweep |
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Bad luck omen
It is bad luck for the bride to look in the mirror wearing her complete outfit before her wedding day - old beliefs say that part of yourself goes into the reflection and therefore, the bride would not be giving all of herself to her new husband |
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If you see this in a mirror - Im sure its just Bad Luck for the Groom |
Seeing an open grave, a pig, a lizard, or hearing a cockerel crow after dawn are all thought to be omens of bad luck. Monks and nuns are also a bad omen
This may be because the are associated with poverty and chastity
They are also though to signal a dependence on charity by the newlyweds
Bad weather on the way to the wedding is thought to be an omen of an unhappy marriage, although in some cultures rain is considered a good omen
Cloudy skies and wind are believed to cause stormy marriages
Snow on the other hand is associated with fertility and wealth |
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Leap year proposals
The right of every women to propose on 29th February each leap year, goes back many hundreds of years to when the leap year day had no recognition in English law (the day was 'leapt over' and ignored, hence the term 'leap year'). It was considered, therefore, that as the day had no legal status, it was reasonable to assume that traditions also had no status
Consequently, women who were concerned about being 'left on the shelf' took advantage of this anomaly and proposed to the man they wished to marry
It was also thought that since the leap year day corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the time taken for the Earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to correct a tradition that was one-sided and unjust
For those wishing to take advantage of this ancient tradition, you will have to wait until February 29th 2012 |
Single Red Rose
Wedding Rings
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The Honeymoon
In ancient times, the Teutonic people (German order of knights) began the practice of the honeymoon
Teutonic weddings were only held under the full moon. After the wedding, the couple would drink honey wine for thirty days (while the moon went through all its phases) - Therefore, the period immediately following the wedding became known as the honeymoon
While the name has survived, the purpose of the honeymoon changed (now we throw in a romantic get-a-way)
During the Renaissance, the newlywed couple were supposed to drink Honeymead (wine mixed with honey, cardamom, and cloves) each night for the period of 'one moon' |
Bournemouth Pier
Bournemouth Pier
at Sunset
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Surnames
It was thought unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers The sentiment was summarised in the following rhyme:
To change the name and not the letter
Is to change for the worst and not the better
The bride should not practice writing her new name before the wedding -
This is thought to bring bad luck by tempting fate |
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Lucky Horse Shoes |
Personalised Blue Wedding Garter
- With Lucky Horseshoe |
Lucky Horse Shoe |
4 Leaf Clover |
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Contact Information
- Roses and Garters Wedding Centre
- 881 Christchurch rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH7 6AU
- Telephone: 01202 424477 Mark (Manager) 07711 208586
- E-mail: mark@rosesandgarters.co.uk
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- Prettymades Bridal
- 34 East Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1DU
- Telephone: 01202 849990 Sam (Manager) 07967 452558
- E-mail: sam@rosesandgarters.co.uk
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| (Formally Known as Minster Bridal House) … Please note we are not associated with the former business and we have taken over the vacant premises only |
