It seems a lot of our wedding traditions and customs stem from the attempt to eliminate any evil and bad luck that could arise within ones marriage. No one wants evil and misfortune to lurk into their marriage, so perhaps by following some of these traditions you can avoid these evil spirits. Dating back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, there are several unique wedding traditions and customs for brides and grooms to choose from; select the ones that make sense to you and abolish any that seem a bit far-fetched.
Ivy is the symbol for everlasting love. Ancient Greek brides used to carry ivy at their wedding to display their never-ending love for their soon-to-be husbands. Meanwhile, Ancient Roman brides used to carry bunches of herbs to the alter to symbolize fidelity and fertility. Plus, the herbs were believed to scare off evil spirits.
In the Victorian ages the bride would toss her bouquet to a friend as she left her wedding. This tradition soon became popularized as “the single women who would next get married” if she caught the bouquet. However, in the Victorian ages, the bride was simply sending her friend safety from evil spirits and to offer her luck. We have taken this historical tradition and altered the meaning to fit into our cultural norms. The Victorians were also the ones who popularized the rose. They were fascinated with the meanings of different flowers and recognized the wedding rose as representing true love. Both the Victorian traditions are still popular in our North American ceremonies today.
Traditionally, in Greek Orthodox weddings, the bride and groom wore crowns of orange blossoms. They believed that the blossoms symbolized virginity and purity since they were delicate, white, and fragile, plus they emitted a sweet, delicate scent. Bride’s dresses were even designed, with delicate embroidery to match the fragile crowns that were worn.
In Tudor England, brides carried marigolds that were dipped in rosewater. After the ceremony they would eat the flowers because they believed that they were aphrodisiacs (those scandalous Tudors!)
More recent traditions include Thailand, where the mothers of the bride and groom drape puang malai, flower garlands, around the shoulders of the bride and groom in order to bring them good fortune for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, to the west of Thailand, in India, the groom’s brother sprinkles flower petals over the couple to protect them from evil spirits at the end of the ceremony as they begin their lives together as husband and wife. Also in India, the bride and the groom both wear floral headpieces throughout the ceremony.
In the Middle East, Artemisia, a bitter herb, is included in the bride’s bouquet to ensure that the marriage is able to withstand bitterness as well as sweetness.
Moving into Europe, particularly in Sweden and Holland, grooms sew small pockets of pungent herbs, like garlic, chives, and rosemary into their clothes to bring their marriage good luck. While in Italy, the front grill of the getaway car is decorated with flowers, to pave the road to a happy marriage for the bride and groom after they leave the ceremony.
Interested in other traditions that are not necessarily florally related? Or do you simply want to find out the origins of some of our most popular wedding traditions? Well then, read onward!
The Ancient Egyptians began the practice of wearing wedding bands. They believed that wedding bands were a symbol of unending love, since the ring has no beginning or end. Giving a wedding band of gold represented absolute purity. However, this tradition has been altered somewhat today; we use different metals besides gold when giving a ring, or we skip the idea of a metal ring at all, with many couples getting tattooed wedding bands instead.
Meanwhile, in medieval England, the practice of wearing your wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand, originated. There was a belief that the veins in the left hand led directly to the heart, so by wearing the ring on this finger, the couple were joined at the heart; very romantic!
Selecting a white wedding dress is a more recent custom that has been established surrounding marriages. It was Queen Victoria (1840) who began the present day fashion of wearing this dress. Before this, brides would usually wear their best dress, regardless of the colour. It was also considered unlucky for the bride to make her own wedding dress and this is a superstition that has travelled throughout time. Brides can have someone else make the dress for them, but making it themselves is seen to bring bad luck upon their marriage.
Everyone has heard the saying:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a sixpence in your shoe.
The significance of this saying is that something old represents the life you had with friends and family before your marriage. The something new signifies the future life you will have with your partner. Something borrowed was usually something borrowed from a happy former bride to ensure the current bride’s happiness transported to the new bride (the something borrowed was returned after the wedding). Something blue symbolizes the bride’s purity and faithfulness (this comes from the Jewish tradition where the bride wears blue to represent fidelity). And the sixpence is to ensure wealth to the couple in their married life. Nowadays, most people put a penny in their shoe. This saying has come to be one of the most popular traditions surrounding weddings.
Back in the Middle Ages, it was tradition for people to bang pots, ring cowbells, and make a lot of noise after the ceremony to scare away evil spirits. However, now, it became tradition to tie cans to the bumper of the car to scare away these evil spirits. As well, people would bring bells, pots, pans and other things to bang and make a loud discordant noise at the wedding. This was said to drive away evil spirits who may be lingering around the bride and groom. Now we chime the church bells (wedding bells) to announce the marriage, and traditionally, scare away any evil spirits instead of engaging in make-shift drumming.
Bridal showers are another element of history that has become part of wedding tradition. The bride’s friends would gather together to help prepare the bride for her wedding. Often they would bring her a small gift. In the 1800’s, however, it was decided that the small gifts should be put in a parasol and opened over the bride’s head, literally, showering her with gifts. Thankfully, that element of the tradition has not survived evolution. Could you imagine the pain of having blenders and toaster ovens opened over your head? Ouch!
Stag and bachelor parties are another tradition that has travelled throughout time. These, usually, rowdy parties were the invention of Spartan Soldiers. The soldiers brought about the tradition of the groom feasting with his friends the night before his marriage, often celebrating his last night of freedom. In modern times, women have decided they also want their own night of fun; so many women now have a Stagette or Bachelorette party. Sometimes the bride and groom throw the party together and have a Stag and Doe, or Buck and Doe. And although the Spartan Soldiers did this the night before their wedding, most people nowadays, host these parties a week or two before their wedding date.
Another well-known tradition is that it is considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before their ceremony on their wedding day. In addition to the groom not being able to see the bride before the ceremony, the veil was implemented to protect the bride from being seen by evil spirits and jealous suitors. Both of these traditions have survived throughout history, although they are generally just part of tradition, few individuals believe in evil spirits and jealous suitors attacking the bride.
The bridal bouquet signified the bride’s feelings toward the marriage by the flower type she selected (for information on how to select flowers for your wedding see this previous blog). As previously discussed, it became traditional for the bride to toss the bouquet to the unmarried single girls at the wedding reception; whoever caught the bouquet would be the next to marry.
The honeymoon is another tradition that relates back from history. The honeymoon relates back to when the groom would kidnap the bride and keep her hidden away from her family. They would often drink honeyed mead while hiding for more than a month (one moon cycle) and this is how the word honeymoon originated.
In the past, sometimes a jealous suitor would try to take the bride away from the groom. The groom would hold the bride off to the side with his left hand, leaving his right hand free to grip his sword and fight. To this day, the bride still stands to the groom’s left during the wedding ceremony.
Although some of these traditions may seem a bit whacky to you, they all really emphasize the love and affection between two people who are getting married. As a result, consult your partner and see if there are any traditions you may want to include in your wedding to make your special day extra special.
