There are several wedding traditions at British and UK Weddings that we just follow and take for granted but have you ever wondered what they mean and why we follow them.
Here is our indispensable guide to 16 of them....
Guide To 16 Wedding Traditions
The Hungry Plaice • April 10, 2022
16 Wedding Traditions We All Know And Love
1. Bride Carrying Bouquet Of Flowers
Historical reasons for this one include when people did not bathe in the olden days the bouquet of flowers would make hide the smell of body odour coming from the bride
Another idea is that it is supposed to ward off evil spirits in a church, Bridal Bouquets in the past were made from herbs, garlic and grains and these ingredients were to ward off these evil spirits.
Also the bride was seen as good luck and Wedding Guests would pull her dress to take scraps away for good luck so the bouquet would be tossed instead.
Bridal Bouquets are made up of different types of flowers which have different meanings in cultures across the world.
2. The Couple Not Seeing Each Other The Night Before The Wedding
In the old days arranged marriages were commonplace and the couple were kept away from each other until the time of the wedding in case either of them decided not to go ahead with it if they did not like their other half.
Nowadays it is thought to be unlucky to see your partner on the morning of the wedding and most people choose to be apart the night before too, it also helps to build on the momentum and anticipation of the Wedding Day by keeping apart from each other and ends in the surprise of the moment when they finally meet at the altar.
3. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
This old traditional rhyme dates back to the Victorian times.
Something Old is a representation of a link to the bride’s family and history.
Something New is about the future and the bride’s new life and represents good fortune and success
Something Borrowed is a reminder to the bride that friends and family are there to help
Something Blue is symbolic of loyalty and faithfulness and blue represents purity in the Bible.
4. Silver Sixpence In Your Shoe
A Silver Sixpence would come from the Bride’s Father and represents wealth and happiness for the future couple.
5. Tin Cans Tied To The Car Bumper At The End Of The Night
This is an adaptation of the French Custom called a “Charivari” in which a celebration takes place the night before the Wedding and neighbours would walk down the street banging on pots and pans to make as much noise as possible to ward off evil spirits.
6. Giving The Bride Away
In the old days the bride would have been the property of her father and so the father would then give her away to the groom and sell her.
These days giving the bride away is seen as a very special moment normally shared between a parent and child as the last moment before they get married.
7. Wearing Wedding Rings
Wedding Rings have been in use for some time to signify marriage, unity and being circular they are a sign of eternity.
Rings are worn on the left finger of the left hand where it is believed the vein of love the “vena Amoris” begins and leads to the heart.
8. Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids were in Roman Times there to protect the Bride when all the bridesmaids would wear the same colour as the bride in order to confuse and ward off evil spirits.
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9. Groomsmen
Another historical tradition in which a bride would be kidnapped and before a couple got married a man had to employ friends or warriors to fight off other warriors and prevent the bride from finding the bride, the Best Man was the lead warrior in this case.
10. White Wedding Dress
White means purity and most brides would wear white on their wedding day in olden days to signify their virginity, white can also be seen as wealth in the older days only rich people could afford to wear white clothes.
11. Wedding Veil
The Tradition of a Wedding Veil goes back to the days of the arranged marriages when the Groom was not allowed to see the bride until the wedding and his bride would have her face covered until the last moment to stop him pulling out from the wedding if he didn’t like his bride.
12. Wedding Cake
The Wedding Cake is a representation of fertility, in ancient times Romans would bake cakes and break these over the bride’s head, these cakes would be stacked on top of each other and the couple were encouraged to kiss over these over the top of these without knocking them over and if they could manage that they would have good fortune in life, in time this tradition changed into having a Tiered Wedding Cake as we do today.
13. Throwing Confetti
In some cultures rice or grains shower the couple in good fortune, these days Wedding Guests use confetti instead.
14. The First Dance Of The Bride & Groom
This is the first dance that starts the music and disco these days, in the old days at royal balls the first dance would be the moment where the male guest of honour would ask the lady of the house to dance.
15. Tossing The Bouquet
In the old days the Wedding Guests would try and rip bits from the bride’s dress or flowers for good luck and so this led to the Bouquet being thrown instead.
Nowadays the single women at a wedding traditionally line up and the one who catches the bouquet is supposed to be the next one to marry.
16. Carrying over the Threshold
Another tradition where the bride is protected from evil spirits who may be found in the new home and her feet are deemed to be greatest risk from this so she is carried by her groom.
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