| Wedding Superstitions There are many beliefs and superstitions pertaining to weddings and marraige itself. |
| What to Wear: "Something old something new, something barrowed something Blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe!" A Victorian tradition, the something old signifies that the couple's friends will stay with them, something new is to look to the future for happinees, health, and success, something barrowed is an opportunity fo the bride's family to give her something as a token of their love (which should be returned), and something blue is for the fidelity. Finally, the sixpence was for wealth during married life. Also, a bride should never make her own gown nor should the final stitch be completed before she leaves for the chruch. A barrowed wedding dress is good luck for the barrower, but bad luck for the lender. Wearing earrings when you are married ensures happiness. Veil: Finding a tear in the wedding veil is considered an omen of good luck. Wedding Gown Colours: White is a symbol of purity and virginity. However, until the nineteen hundreds brides rarely bought a special dress for their wedding, they simply wore their best outfit. It was rarely white, the tradition with white began with the simple, white dress queen Victoria wore to her wedding. However, it is tradition for green to be avoided as it was considered unlucky. Despite that Queen Victoria marrying in white, it was tradition for the royal family of England to marry in silver. "Married in White, you have chosen right Married in Grey, you will go far away, Married in Black, you will wish yourself back, Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead, Married in Green, ashamed to be seen, Married in Blue, you will always be true, Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl, Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow, Married in Brown, you will live in the town, Married in Pink, your spirit will sink." Mirrors: Having visible mirrors in the area of the ceremony is considered bad luck. Also, it's said a bride should not see herself fully dressed in the mirror before the wedding, it's bad luck. While looking in the mirror, it's advisable to leave off one itme of clothing (like a shoe for example). Bride and Groom: I'm sure everyone knows that it's bad luck for the Bride and Groom to see each other before the wedding ceremony. For the Bride: For overcoming bad omens, the bride should carry salt in her pocket. For the Groom: To overcome bad omens, the groom should carry a miniature horseshoe in your pocket. It's luckier for the groom to arrive at the chruch before his bride. Front Door: The bride must exit with her right food first across the threshold in order to insure good luck. Bride's Car: It is bad luck for the bride's care not to start the first time or if she has car trouble on the way to the ceremony Wedding Ring: Are symbols of unity. Spiders: If one finds a spider on the wedding dress it is considered good luck. Cats: If the bride or groom sees a cat on the way to the wedding this is a good omen. Funerals: If the bride or groom passes a funeral while going to the wedding, it is a bad omen. Blue: As a symbol of faithfulness and spirituality it's said the bride should wear or carry something blue for good luck in her marriage. Weather: Snowfall is an omen for a successful marriage. Rain is an omen of a stormy marriage. A sunny day is an omen for a very happy marriage. Sun with showers is an omen of good luck. Flowers: It is tradition for the groom to wear a flower that appears in the bridal bouquet in his button-hole. This goes back to a medieval tradtion of a knight wear his lady's colours to delcare his love. Orange blossoms, often used in bridal bouquets and decorations, signifies purity, loveliness, and purity. Red chrysanthemum means "I love you." Time and Place: "Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all." Due to this rhyme in the early twentith century, the most popular time for weddings was Wednesday night at six. "Marry in the month of May, and you'll live to rue the day" orignating in Pagan times because the summer festival Beltane (involving public outdoor orgies) was during the month of May. "Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind, and true, When February birds do mate, you we nor dread your fate. If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know. Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden and for Man. Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day. Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go. Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bread. Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine. If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry. If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember. When December snow falls fast, marry and true love will last." It's a Scottish tradition for the bride to "walk with the sun" proceeding from east to west on the south side of the church and then circling the chruch three times "sunwise" for good luck. If two days before the wedding it is a full moon, your married life will be filled with luck. Other Things: It's considred unlucky for a bride to practice signing her new name until it is legally hers. It is thought unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as hers: "To change the name and not the letter is to change for the worst not the better." If the bride rips her wedding dress on the day, it means the marriage will end in death. Some bad omens to see on the wedding day are lizards, open graves, pigs, or hearing a cockerel crow. If the candles lit on the wedding day sputter out, it means an evil spirit is near. It is bad luck to say your wedding vows at the bottom of the hour. If a bride cries on her wedding day, she will never cry again during the marriage. It's a Chinese superstition that carrying an open red umbrella over the bride will protect her from evil spirits. Red and white flowers should be avoided, as they stand for blood and bandages. |