Wedding superstitions

A wedding is a celebratory ceremony where two people are brought together in matrimony. Wedding traditions and customs differ across cultures, countries, religions, and societies in terms of how a marriage is celebrated, but are strongly symbolic, and often have roots in superstitions for what makes a lucky or unlucky marriage. Superstition is often linked to practices involving luck, fate or prophecy, and while many weddings are now more focused on celebratory traditions, many are still practiced, and numerous well-known wedding traditions have roots in superstitions from previous ages. A common example of a superstition involves no one seeing the bride in her wedding dress until the ceremony.
By country/religion.
European wedding superstitions.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
“Something old, something new” refers to the traditional rhyme originating in Victorian-era England stating that, for good luck and a happy marriage, a bride must have on her wedding day: "Something old, something new / Something borrowed, something blue / And a sixpence in her shoe."'Something old' symbolises the bride-to-be's past, her family and her values, and could be a piece of jewelry or a similar token. A bride's 'something new' might be a gift from the groom or her family, and represents a new chapter in the brides life full of good fortune and happiness. 'Something borrowed' might be a bridal accessory lent by a friend or family member who themselves is happily married, to ensure the bride's marriage is just as happy as theirs. 'Something blue' represents purity, faithfulness and modesty, projecting these values into the future marriage, and could come in the form of a blue ribbon or brooch. Lastly, a sixpence in the bride's shoe – or even sewn into her dress – promises lasting wealth for the couple.
Seeing the bride before the wedding.
A very common wedding superstition to this day is that the groom mustn't see the bride before the wedding. This emerged from a time when arranged marriages were commonplace, and was practiced to ensure the groom would go through with the marriage regardless of the bride-to-be's identity or appearance. Although arranged marriages are no longer as common, most brides still prefer to keep their bridal-look a secret from the groom until the ceremony.
Good luck.
According to English folklore:
According to issue 1101 of the London Journal from 1905, wreathes, although lucky (see Italy), are "unbecoming", so should be substituted for orange blossom because, due to their association with the Crusader's returning from the Holy Land, bring good luck and prosperity.
France.
Catching the bouquet or garter.
The well-known superstition that they who catches the bouquet or garter thrown by the bride will be the next to marry is still a common ritual at weddings. The superstition dictates that the unmarried woman who catches the bouquet will be the next to get married. The garter toss is said to have originated in France, but has roots in medieval superstitions.
This originated in medieval Europe, based on the superstition that it was good luck to get a piece of the bride's wedding dress. Guests would thus gather after the ceremony and try to rip parts of the dress, sometimes seeing it torn apart. The tossing of the bouquet originated to distract the guests while the bride and groom made their getaway to their marriage chamber, upon which the groom would throw the bride's garter into the crowd of guests outside.
Ireland.
It is also a proven fact that for the happiest marriage to transcend time, the bride must allow the groom to see and pick the bride's wedding dress.
Italy.
Many wedding superstitions still engaged in today have origins in ancient Rome. For example:
Some superstitions, on the other hand, hold much less relevance in contemporary wedding customs. For example, ancient Romans studied pig intestines to predict the luckiest time to marry. However, below are examples of superstitions that originated in ancient Rome, but transcended the ancient era and continued as wedding superstitions in medieval Europe and the 18th and 19th centuries.
Carrying the bride over the threshold.
This tradition originates from an ancient Roman superstition upheld in medieval Europe warning that evil spirits might curse a bride through the soles of her feet, so the groom must carry her to and through the doors of their new home to protect her, and their marriage, from misfortune.
Bridesmaids.
Bridesmaids are commonplace in many weddings across the world, but while they are included as friends and family members for support, they were once there for superstitious reasons that date back to ancient Rome: Bridesmaids – wearing dresses and veils – were used as a line of defense to trick evil spirits and envious suitors as to protect the bride.
The wedding veil.
The wedding veil is a staple item in most western wedding bridal wear, and is based on the superstition that a bride's face should be covered before she reaches the altar, in order to protect her and her future marriage from evil spirits. This superstition originated in ancient Greece and Rome, and the veil was often flame-coloured for extra protection.