Eating the remains of our wedding cake last week I started to think about wedding days traditions and superstitions, and a lot of it comes down to luck.

One of the first things I got asked me was what are you having for your ‘Something Old, Something new, Something borrowed and Something Blue…(and a sixpence in your shoe)’ I wasn’t really sure where the rhyme had come from but just knew it was the done thing for the bride to have about her on the day. After a little googling I found that the poem is an Old English rhyme that was often recited during the Victorian era.

The bride should collect the five objects herself or from friends and family, often heirlooms or family treasures handed down through the generations. Something old represents continuity with the past; Something new offers optimism for the future; Something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity; and a sixpence in your shoe is a wish for good fortune and prosperity.

Some of the traditions origins of a white wedding are :
– The tradition of a white wedding is down to Queen Victoria’s choice to wear a white wedding dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, before this brides wore their best dress.
– The veil was required to be worn in many churches but even if not required by the bride’s religion, it coincided with societal emphasis on women being modest and well-behaved.
– The bride stands to the groom’s left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.
– Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
– We eat cake at weddings because in ancient Rome they would eat a type of cake during the ceremony that was passed around.
– Cutting the wedding cake is now part of the ritual celebrations at the reception. Couples make the first cut together to symbolise their shared future.

Image Via Buzzfeed.com

Love knowing some of these traditions and the symbolism they represent, now the whole day makes a lot more sense!

Lots of old traditions that are still around today are all about getting a little luck for the day. On the morning of our wedding my mum brought round a heather plant and said pop a little of this in your bouquet, ‘It’s lucky.’ And after the ceremony my friend brought be over a black cat and another gave me a horseshoe to carry. I loved these little keep sakes and lucky charms to treasure.

Here are a few more superstitions that often get muttered around wedding season:
– In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the “best day” to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.
– Saturday is the unluckiest wedding day, according to English folklore. Funny as it’s the most popular day of the week to marry!
– Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition.
– It’s supposed to be good luck for the bride to cry on her wedding day, because there will then be no tears to shed through married life.
– Finding a spider in your wedding dress is lucky according to English lore. Yikes!
– Bells are traditionally chimed at Irish weddings to keep evil spirits away and to ensure a harmonious family life.
– It is fortunate for a bride to meet a lamb, a dove, or a black cat on her way to church: but a pig or funeral are bad omens.

Are you a superstitious bride?

What are you having for your Old, New Borrowed and Blue?
(I am sure we can help with the borrowed part if you get a little stuck!)

The Little Lending Co. x