Wedding Superstitions

Wedding superstitions are prevalent. Even if you don’t believe in all the other types of superstitions, it is a safe bet that no bride-to-be will be without something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, when the big day arrives. In keeping with another of the wedding superstitions, the bride will also avoid seeing their fiancé on the morning of the wedding; but where do these old wedding superstitions come from? Well, some can be traced back to Roman & Anglo Saxon times, some to Victorian rhymes and others to folklore that has been passed down through countless generations. All of them however, are wedding superstitions that are to do with bestowing good luck and fertility on the happy couple!

The tradition of tying old shoes to the back of the couple's car, for example, is a wedding superstition which stems from Tudor times when guests would throw shoes at the Bride & Groom, with great luck being bestowed on them if they or their carriage were hit! In Anglo Saxon times the Bride was symbolically struck with a shoe by her Groom to establish his authority. Brides would then throw shoes at their bridesmaids, as another of the wedding superstitions, to see who would marry next. These wedding superstitions originated in a rhyme from Victorian times - 'Something Old' signifies that the couple's friends will stay with them. In one version of the tradition the 'Something Old' was an old garter which was given to the bride by a happily married woman so that the new bride would also enjoy a happy marriage. 'Something New' looks to the future for health, happiness and success. 'Something Borrowed' is an opportunity for the Bride's family to give her something as a token of their love (it must be returned to ensure Good Luck), and 'Something Blue' is thought lucky because Blue represents fidelity and constancy. These wedding superstitions began in ancient Israel where brides wore a blue ribbon in their hair to symbolise their fidelity.

There are so many wedding superstitions and traditions associated with weddings that its impossible to follow them all. Many wedding superstitions have changed over time, while others, thankfully, are very watered-down versions of old customs. The month of the year even has its very own poem which has stood the test of time: Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true. When February birds do mate, You wed 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 & 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 bred. 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 snows fall fast, marry and true love will last. Similarly; the colour of the wedding dress has much the same regarding wedding superstitions: 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, you spirit will sink. Until the Nineteen Hundreds Brides hardly ever bought a special Wedding Dress, opting for their best outfit instead; but wedding superstitions dictated that Green was always avoided, as it was though to be unlucky. To say a girl 'had a green gown' also implied that she was of loose morals, because her dress would be grass-stained due to rolling around in the fields! Hence 'Marry in Green, ashamed to be seen'. White Dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria, who broke the tradition of royals marrying in Silver. Symbolising purity and virginity, white was also thought to ward off evil spirits. Other wedding superstitions are that the Bride should never make her own dress, that the final stitch should not be completed until she is departing for the Church and that she should never try on the entire outfit before the day. This was because as another wedding superstitions, it was felt dangerous for the Bride to count her chickens. For the same reason, a Bride should never practise signing her new name until it is legally hers, and wedding linen was marked with the Brides maiden rather than married initials. The tradition of Bridesmaids is evolved from the custom of surrounding the Bride with other richly dressed women, in order to confuse evil spirits.

Coming home from Church can be equally hazardous. As one of the more general wedding superstitions, tradition dictates that the new wife must enter her home by the main door and, to avoid bad luck, must never trip or fall - hence the custom that a bride should be carried over the threshold. And in a final look at wedding superstitions, there is one for all those newly weds who state that they didn’t get a wink of sleep on their wedding night. It may not be quite so exciting as they would have you think, because another of the popular wedding superstitions is that the spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die!