The institute of marriage is old. We mean really old. The best available evidence suggests that marriages began some 4350 years ago in Mesopotamia. Throughout the centuries, as humanity didn’t quite have a good grasp on the intricacies of sciences, superstitions were everywhere. Wedding superstitions have always been popular and some even offer a pretty interesting back story. While, some practises seem down-right whacky, some are sweet.
Here are 9 of our favourite wedding superstitions/traditions that are common today
1. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence for your shoe
You’ve definitely heard this one before, but we can almost bet that you didn’t know the part of the sixpence. Something “old” represents the bride’s past while something “new” the couples happy future. Couples should seek their something “borrowed” from a happily married couple for their big day. Something “blue” to represent faithfulness and loyalty. Finally, the coin for good luck!
MOH tip: Find a sixpence coin for your bride to complete the rhyme on her wedding day
2. Rain on your Big Day
Representing only wonderful things like cleansing, rejuvenation, prosperity and even fertility, the rain shouldn’t be bringing you down! As photographers a rainy day/cloudy day is actually great for pictures. We always end up having a great deal of fun with our couples and their guests.
3. Carrying Your Bride Over the Threshold
This one comes from the medieval “fact” that brides were the most vulnerable to evil spirits via the soles of their feet. The idea was that in order to keep their new house free of any evil, the bride was carried in. We can appreciate this one as it makes us laugh a little bit and so it made the list!
4. Breaking Some Sort of Glass
We absolutely love this one! Sometimes things break on wedding days, so it’s great to know that it can actually be good luck! Various cultures will have the bride and groom smash glass, the thousands of shattered pieces representing many years of happiness.
5. June and Juno
Ever heard of the the Roman goddess Juno? She rules over marriage and childbirth and was wife to Jupiter. June actual derives from her name “Juno” and so many people think that June is the luckiest month to get married in. While we don’t think any month is better than the other, it’s sweet lore for our June couples.
6. A pinch of luck
Literally, pinch the bride for a bit of extra luck. Coming from an Egyptian tradition the origins and the reasons behind the pinching are not quite clear. So, we like to think of it quite literally, “adding a pinch of luck”.
7. Garter Toss
Did you know that people used to wait around for proof that the marriage had been consummated? We can’t imagine it, but the groom would toss something out to the crowd and often times it was the garter. Nowadays, the garter toss indicates who the next lucky groom will be.
8. Ring the wedding bells
In many of these traditions, consistently we learn that people were obsessed with evil spirits and warding them off. We guess it makes total sense when everything from diseases, laziness and illness was blamed on them. Cue the wedding bells to scare off anything negative on the big day. And of course, the ringing of the bells was also a great way to let everyone know that a most joyous occasion had occurred.
9. Know Your Knives
Who would have thought that gifting a couple with knives could be back luck? Wedding superstitions of various cultures have this as no-no. Want to put a beautiful set of knives on your registry? Well, simply gift your gifter with a penny, because then technically you purchased them! It’s a sneaky way around the superstition, but hey, it counts.
As you begin planning your wedding you’re going to be hearing about many of these. Wedding superstitions go hand-in-hand with planning. Whether you include or recognize any of these is completely up to you! If you’re beginning to plan your wedding, we invite you to take a look at our portfolio and feel free to reach out today!
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