by CD Gozzi

Created on: October 01, 2009

Weddings are steeped in tradition and superstition Many of these traditions have links to Victorian, Roman and Anglo origins. Considering the couple is making a lifetime commitment, they don't want to start off on the wrong path! Even the least superstitious people will likely follow many of these time honored traditions.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe.

'Something old' suggests that the couple's friends will stay with them through life. A common item given to the bride by another woman is her garter. This is later tossed to the single men in the reception and the lucky recipient is said to marry next.

'Something new' promotes the future for health, happiness and accomplishment. Often this is represented by the bridal gown. 'Something borrowed' is the chance for the bride's family to give her a symbol of their love but she must return the item to guarantee good luck.

'Something Blue' is considered to be lucky as blue symbolizes faithfulness and devotion. A sixpence in the bride's shoe was thought to bring the couple wealth in their wedded union. Today, brides still put pennies in their shoes.

The Wedding Dress

Folklore suggests it is unlucky for the bride to wear her entire wedding ensemble before the wedding day and even more so if she gazes upon herself in the mirror. To prevent this bad luck, the bride is to wait until the last minute before dressing and peering into the looking glass.

The color of the gown also had special significance. Women used to just wear their best dress to get married but in the early 1900's a special gown was selected.

Green was completely unthinkable as it implied the woman had loose morals since her dress would be grass-stained from a romp in the fields! It was Queen Victoria who broke the royal tradition of wearing silver by having a white gown. From this point forward, white gowns represented the bride's purity and wealth since they would only be worn once. White also has the added benefit of warding off evil spirits.

The Veil

Two schools of thought surround the custom of covering the bride's face. Primarily it was done to ward off evil spirits destined to spoil the day. However, in Roman times where marriages were arranged, the bride's face would remain covered until the vows were spoken and the marriage complete. This would prevent the groom from avoiding the arrangement if he found his bride to be unpleasing to the eye!

In addition,

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