Everyone has heard at least one tradition or superstition related to weddings. You know, all the old adages about rain or wearing a specific set of things in order to ensure a safe, happy wedding/marriage?
Well, imagine if you were completely removed from any kind of knowledge of wedding traditions and attended a wedding today. Why are people shoving cake at each other? Why are they taking private garments off of their mate and throwing them into a crowd of excitable men? It all seems pretty strange if you look at it that way. But some of the best memories are made of these customs, so we go with it.
In honor of the spookiest month of the year, we have compiled a list of our favorite superstitions and traditions for your entertainment and consideration:
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Here’s a quick rundown of what following this tradition can do for you:
We have known a few brides who don’t specifically love blue or vintage pieces and have just nixed the idea altogether. That’s okay. But there are a lot of people that take this tradition and make it special. The trend of wearing cobalt blue heels? We can totally get into that. Also wearing borrowed or heirloom jewelry can really give character to the overall look you are trying to achieve. Does your grandmother have a piece that you absolutely adore? Now is the time to borrow it. She can’t say no if it is your wedding, right? Many brides also have really impressive veil histories (worn for five generations, etc.) and pins from the Victorian era affixed to their bouquets. Seriously, this tradition will add some major character to your wedding.
Bonus: At the end of this rhyme there is also supposed to be “a sixpence in her shoe”. Sounds a bit uncomfortable, but that’s how the Elizabethans rolled. No wonder it got mostly phased out!
Jumping the Broom
This stems mostly from African-American slave culture, though it has been oft borrowed by many other religions and cultures, both then and now. It comes from a time when people wanted a way to get married if there weren’t any ready preachers around or if slaves had to marry in secret if their owners didn’t condone such unions. Though it originally came from a tradition in Africa, its true origin is lost to time. Now, it is used in weddings to honor those who came before us. It’s also a super sweet way to commemorate stepping from your past and into your future with your spouse.
Don’t Get Married on (Insert Day Here)
If you use Google, you can find pretty much any source dooming any given day of the week, including the day of your wedding. That’s okay. This is a superstition that you can completely ignore. Days are just time markers of our journey around the sun, after all. We may have lost count at some point. It is best to put the penny in your shoes and hope for rain, which brings us to our next point…
Rain on Your Wedding Day is Good Luck
In some cultures, rain on your wedding day symbolizes fertility and cleansing. To those in the western half of the country, rain would definitely be seen as a blessing at a wedding, considering all of the droughts and fires they have had. In the end, rain helps flowers grow, makes everything seem fresh, and is symbolic of a new start. Can we plan for rain, instead?
However, if you have an outdoor ceremony with no indoor contingency plan? Maybe it isn’t the greatest luck. But if you embrace the rain, it probably bodes well for the forecast of the next 50 years of wedded bliss ahead of you.
