Wedding Day Advice | Wedding Planning

Most weddings are steeped in tradition with rituals so ingrained into our culture that sometimes they are not given much thought and are just accepted as part of the wedding experience. Have a look at our top 9 list of popular wedding traditions and the significance behind them.

Throwing the Garter and bridal bouquet

Traditionally, it was considered good luck if a wedding guest managed to acquire a piece of the brides outfit. Unfortunately the acquisition of this talisman was done with little consideration and the results of which would leave the bride with a tattered rag that was once her best dress. So to appease the crowd and the bride, tossing of the garter and the flower bouquet was introduced.

 Mehndi (henna) Ceremony

A henna artist applies intricate Mehndi designs to the bride’s hands and feet. The reason for this ancient Indian pre-wedding ritual is to ward off evil spirits, the complex designs is said to confuse the spirits and to prevent them from entering the bride.

The Bridal Veil

Ancient Origins suggests that the veil was worn to protect the bride from evil, as spirits were able to enter the bride through her eyes and if her eyes were shrouded then the protection was complete.

The veil’s popularity in history continued due to another popular custom, arranged marriage. If the bride was less than desirable, the veil was used to hide her face from the groom until the wedding rituals were complete, making it impossible for the groom to back out of the arrangement.

Today the veil is used by some as a symbol of humility and respect to the church and associated religion.

The hand embroidered Handkerchief

This is an ancient Celtic tradition, where the bride carries with her a hand embroidered handkerchief which is said to bring fertility and happiness to the marriage – it is normally incorporated into the wedding dress or bridal bouquet. Traditionally on the arrival of the couple’s first child, the handkerchief is then converted into a christening bonnet.

The Honeymoon

It is believed that when a man wanted to take a woman as his bride, that’s exactly what he did, he abducted her. Thankfully these practices were stopped and as time passed, the story of the abductions became ritualized re-enactments which eventually evolved into a tradition where the bride and groom went into hiding after their wedding for one lunar cycle and a close family member would supply the couple with as much honeyed mead as they needed during this time, hence the name Honeymoon

The Breaking of the Glass

Breaking of the glass is a time-honored Jewish tradition, where the groom breaks a glass during the wedding ceremony, crushing it with his right foot and the guests then congratulate the couple by shouting “Mazel tov”.

This custom has many associated interpretations, the most significant being the mourning of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the act is a reminder of this important event in history.

Other popular interpretations include- the glass symbolizing the fragility of a relationship and the need preserve it and finally that joy must always be moderated in case it gets out of hand, breaking of the glass insures that there will be no further destruction during the festivities.

Placing the wedding ring on the ‘Ring’ finger

Before the advancements in medicine and human anatomy, it was believed that a vein ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. Because of this connection, the descriptive name ‘vein of love’ was used and it was only fitting that the wedding ring be placed there to represent eternal love between the married couple.

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

“Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” is a popular Victorian rhyme that is used today by many brides. The tradition states that the bride carries on her person, carefully selected items that fulfill all the requirements of the rhyme.

“Something old” could be antique jewellery that has been passed down the family, this item is suppose to represent the bride’s bond to her family and respect to her ancestry.

“Something new” could be the wedding dress which will represent the couple’s new and happy life together as husband and wife.

“Something borrowed” is an item borrowed from a happily married woman, in the hopes that her happiness will be shared by the bride in her new life as well.

“Something Blue” could be a blue wedding garter, worn by the bride is said to represent purity and fidelity.

The White Wedding Dress

White fabric was considered the most expensive of all the fabrics due to the cost involved in the bleaching process and most brides did not have access to such luxuries, they simple wore their best available dress at the time.

It was Queen Victoria who wore a white wedding dress for the first time – as opposed to silver normally worn by royalty- setting the trend that is still practiced by brides today. Thankfully white fabric is much easier to come by nowadays.