wedding myths

Preparations for the day This saying dates back to Victorian time and the full version is 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe:  Something Old: Represents the link with the bride's family and the past. A common solution many brides choose is to wear a piece of family jewelry or their mother's or grandmother's wedding dress. Something New: Represents good fortune and success in the bride's new life. The wedding dress is often chosen as the new item. Something Borrowed: To remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed. The borrowed object might be something such as a lace handkerchief or an item of jewelry. Something Blue: Symbolizes faithfulness and loyalty and dates back to biblical times when blue represented purity. Frequently the bride's garter is the blue item. A Silver Sixpence in her Shoe is to wish the bride wealth, both financial and happiness. Before the wedding Sign your married name before the wedding: It is considered bad luck for the bride to sign her married name before the wedding as it tempts fate. The bride shouldn't make her own dress: For every stitch of the wedding dress the bride sews herself she'll shed one tear during her marriage. The Wedding Dress Married in White           You have chosen right. Married in Blue                 You lover is true. Married in Pink           Your fortunes will sink.  Married in Green      You will not long be seen.  Married in Red       You'll wish you we're dead. Married in Yellow        Ashamed of the fellow.   Married in Brown        You'll live out of town. Married in Grey                You'll live far away.      Married in Black     You'll wish you were back. The Wedding Day Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday's the best of all. Thursday brings crosses, And Friday losses, But Saturday - no luck at all. On the way to the church: It is fortunate for a bride to meet a lamb, a dove, a spider, or a black cat on her way to church: but a pig or funerals are bad omens, and country brides fear the crowing of a cock after dawn of the wedding day. It is also fortunate that if on the journey to the church the bride sees a policeman, clergyman, doctor or a blind man. The groom should give a coin to the first person he sees on his journey to the church for good luck. Wearing pearls: To some, pearls represent future tears and are a bad sign. However, to others, the wearing of pearls takes the place of the bride's real tears, thus she'll have a happy, tear-free wedded life. Dropping the wedding ring: This is a contradictory wedding myth. The positive myth is that dropping the wedding ring during the ceremony shakes out the evil spirits. The negative aspect is that whoever drops the ring is said to be the first to die. Time of day to get married: The couple should exchange vows as the clock's minute hand is "ascending towards heaven" (i.e. upwards). Seeing the bride: It is good luck for the groom not to see the dress before the wedding day. It will bring more luck if he does not glance at the dress as the bride walks down the aisle. The Ceremony Wedding Veil: The wedding veil hides the bride's beauty and wards off evil spirits. Another explanation is that during the times of arranged marriages the bride's face would be covered until the groom had committed to the marriage. Where to stand: The bride stands on the left of the groom during the marriage ceremony to allow his sword arm to be free ready to fight off other men who may want her as their bride. Immediate celebrations Confetti: Confetti has replaced rice or grains in modern times; the rice was thrown at the bride and groom to encourage fertility. Wedding bouquet: The throwing of the wedding bouquet was introduced from America and it is said that whoever catches the bouquet will be next to be married. The Guests Wedding gifts: Wedding gifts are bought by the guests have replaced the custom of bringing fruits that used to encourage fertility. Favors: The tradition of giving guests something to remember the day by in the form of favors has been around for hundreds of years. Today, the tradition has evolved to giving each guest five sugar coated almonds to symbolize health, wealth, fertility, happiness and long-life. After the wedding Dominating influence: If a bride wishes to be the dominating influence in her married life, she must be the first to buy something after the marriage. The best way to ensure this is to buy a pin from the chief bridesmaid when changing into her travelling costume. (Sorry grooms we don't think a round of drinks counts!) Removing the pins: A bride should throw away every pin when removing her dress and veil, or she will be unlucky. After the ceremony The threshold: Carrying the bride over the threshold protects her from any evil spirits that may be lurking in the new home.