You've heard about those wedding superstitions and traditions. You'll probably abide by at least one of them for your own wedding. But where did they come from and why do we practice them?

Something old, something new. Where did that come from? There's even a poem that goes:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in your shoe

The rhyme originated in Victorian times, although some of customs referred are much older. The something old" represents the couple's friends who will hopefully remain close during the marriage. Traditionally this was an old garter which was given to the bride by a happily married woman in hopes that her happiness would be passed on to the new bride.

"Something new" symbolizes the newlyweds' happy and prosperous future. The "something borrowed" is often a valuable item of the family given to the bride. The bride must return the item to ensure good luck. The custom of the bride wearing "something blue" originated in ancient Israel where the bride wore a blue ribbon in her hair to represent fidelity. The placing of a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe was to ensure wealth in the couples married life. Today some brides substitute a penny in their shoe since there aren't too many silver sixpences floating around in the US.

Why are wedding dresses supposed to be white? Most brides today marry in white because it symbolizes maidenhood and purity. (Yeah, right!)

This tradition started by the nobility in sixteenth century Europe. The tradition was given a boost by Queen Victoria who chose to marry in white instead of silver, which was the traditional color of royal brides. Before the white dress brides wore their best dress. The color was a matter of preference. The following is a traditional rhyme offering advice on dress color:

Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Blue, your love will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Brown, you will live in town,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Pink, your spirit will sink,
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.

Advice on which month to marry in is given by the following rhyme:

Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind and true.
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden and for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Marry in May and you'll live to rue the day.

May is considered an unlucky month to marry for a number of reasons. In Pagan times the start of summer was when the festival of Beltane was celebrated with outdoor orgies. This was therefore thought to be an unsuitable time to start married life. In Roman times the Feast of the Dead and the festival of the goddess of chastity both occurred in May. The advice was taken more seriously in Victorian times than it is today. In most churches the end of April was a busy time for weddings as couples wanted to avoid being married in May. Queen Victoria is thought to have forbidden her children from marrying in May.

The wedding dress also has a few traditions. It is thought unlucky for the bride to make her own wedding dress. It is also unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before she arrives at the ceremony. The bride should not wear her entire outfit before the wedding day. Some brides leave a final stitch on the dress undone until it is time to leave for the ceremony when the outfit is completed.

Traditionally, brides have been thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits and many of the customs and traditions associated with weddings are to provide protection. The veil was originally worn by Roman brides since it was thought that it would disguise the bride and therefore outwit evil spirits.

The veil became popular in Britain in the eighteen hundreds. It is associated with modesty and chastity. In some Eastern ceremonies the bride is veiled and the groom is not allowed to see the bride's face until after the wedding ceremony. In some Jewish weddings there is a ritual where the groom ensures that the bride is his intended before placing the veil over her face. Bridesmaids were dressed in a similar way to the bride for the same reason as the origin of veil. The bridesmaids were thought to act as decoys to confuse evil spirits and thus protect the bride.

Don't forget these:

1. The bride stands on the groom's left - originally started so that the groom would have his right arm free to fight off challengers/other suitors.

2. The tiered cake tradition - originally started when they would stack pieces of bread like a pyramid for the reception.

Grooms were not allowed to see the bride before the wedding back during mail order bride days due to the groom (or bride)backing out of the deal. Hince the bad luck.

You shouldn´t get married at 12h noon, because that´s the time that the devil is on the loose. (Portuguese Tradition).

At the reception the bride must stand and dance in a trough(a clean one) and then lead a sister, primarily if it is an elder sister, into the trough. This is to pass the bride's good fortune on to the sister and in hopes that this would provide enough luck that the older sister would get married.

Change your name but not the letters Marry for worse not for better.

The most important thing to a wedding is unconditional LOVE....blessing from your loved ones and GOD at the center of your relationship...

this website is very interesting and helps me alot with my textiles coursework as i am going to be making a flower girls dress, yet you have no history on this so i can not complete it! i cannot find any hisatory of the flower girls dress so if you could do this i will be very helpful!!!

Where/when did the idea of using the gift bows from a wedding shower be used for the ceremony rehearsal?

dance with the bride for a dollar - starts with the oldest women in the brides family removing the birdes head piece and tying a blue ribbon in her hair - the grooms men carry trays of shots of whiskey, the bridesmaides, slices of the wedding cake - the maid of honor sits on a chair wearing an apron. The removal of the head piece symbolizes going from birde to wife - dance is done to urkranian or polish music - take a shot, drop some money in the apron, and give the bride a spin on the floor - slowly a circle forms around the bride - the last dance is with the bride and her father - the circle tightens and the groom must rescue her - pick her up - and carry her out of the building - to start their new life - the cash of course is to help the couple start their home

Where did the traditon of the (American) Wedding shower come from? The traditions of the Indonsian islands and Australia have no such "pre-marriage" gathering.

im having difficult time in finding a color for m reception

Is there a tradition that says you have to remove the sixpence at the reception in order for the "good luck" to come true?

Where does the tradition of the bride and groom feeding each other cake come from? I always thought it was odd and unless there is a good tradition behind it, I'd rather not do it!

i think this tradition of the poem is perfect

The tradition of feeding each other wedding cake is supposed to symbolize the first meal that the bride and groom share together.

what is the best color motif for my wedding... i need help.

I know all of the traditins are changing so what is the new way to have to wedding march? Does anyone do that anymore? Please help a confused bride!

I got married this past August and I walked in on my father's arm. We came in to the traditional wedding march. If that isnèt your cup of tea, my sister in-law who also got married this past summer walked in to instrumental music. My sister is planning her 2006 wedding and is looking into hiring a harpist. Hope this helps any of you future brides. Good luck and congratulations!

I have three friends that are getting married. Two of the weddings I will be in.One I'm the maid of honor, and the other I am a brides maid. What is a good party to give for these wonderful brides to be.

I have no idea of what type of ceremony to have nor of any of the traditions except for what you see on t.v. which is all the same thing. I want something different please help me!!!!!!

there is a poem for young couples that i have been trying to find where you give them a loaf of bread and some canned goods and candles and recite a long list of what you want for them every item has a meaning can you help

Is it bad luck to let my friends child wear my tiara for her first communion? I wore it in my Catholic wedding six months ago and she just adores it and wants to be special on her special day

Many people have failed to read the info on this site, I see! Coincidence or not, it sure is susicious that I've seen many marriages fail when simple yet queer traditions like this are not upheld!

I am getting married Friday, May 13,2005!!! I never knew it was a bad month, I'm ready to seriously postpone it.

This is a great idea in which I will be using at my ceremony. Instead of lighting the traditional Unity Candles, I am using sand. You take one medium sized vase with both of the brides and grooms first initial engraved on it. Then two smaller vases, one with the brides first initial, and the other with the grooms first initial. The grooms vase has black sand, the the brides' has white. The grooms mother first pours some of the black sand in the bottom of the bigger vase, then the mother of the bride pours the same amount(approx) on top of the black sand. (This happens prior to the bride down the aisle. Then when the vows are read etc, the bride and groom pour each of the sand at the same time,

Okay... I've seen the poem before with the colors of wedding gowns. It was bad enough reading it the first time. Reading the one about the months is even worse. It reads similar to "Step on the cracks and break your mother's back". Chelsey, don't postpone your wedding because of a stupid archaic poem of unknown origin. I'm getting married on May 15th, 2005 and my fiancé and I aren't going to change that date. It's already our anniversary anyway and we've been perfectly happy so far. Take that superstition! Ha!

Besides that, if you read all the voodoo superstitions out there about weddings, you'll drive yourself nuts. Don't you think planning a wedding is stressful enough as it is without trying to work out what people were afraid of during a time when it was traditional to steal your brides from a neighboring village and have the best man fight off possible family members who might try to steal the bride back? Some of these "traditions" are based on superstitions so old, they were probably still trying to figure out if they really believed if the world was round. I mean, seriously folks....

Just make sure you REALLY love the one you plan on marrying and that your intended truly loves you in return. Make sure that this is something that you both truly want to do, not what is simply expected. As long as you're marrying each other for love and know in your heart that you'd happily spend the rest of your life with this person and can't imagine yourself without them, then it's the right thing to do - no matter what color you wear, what day it is, or if you have one foot in a bucket of porridge while singing the national anthem (it's probably a tradition somewhere).

Good Luck to everyone here - but most of all - be true to yourself and true to your heart. Then everything will be fine.

Don't worry about Friday May 13th. My parents met on Friday the 13th which also happened to be my father's birthday. They have now been married for 35 years and I have never seen a happier couple. My family considers 13 a lucky number and I was thrilled when my fiance proposed to me on February 13. We are currently planning a May wedding. I'm a Christian and I'm certainly not going to change my wedding date because of Greek and Roman festivals to Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.

The truth is, if the relationship is strong and the marriage is right, then no superstition is going to help or hurt things. Good luck all!

My husband and I were married in May 1968--- and are still happy 37 years later.

First, my mom and dad got married in May 1969 and are still happily married. The couple makes the marriage, the traditions make the ceremony fun! I can't worry about days or months or anything. My fiance is in Iraq and whenever he gets his leave in the spring of 2006, we're throwing the wedding. I'll just be happy with seeing him and saying I DO! Yay!

I got married on Friday, May 13. It was beautiful!

Just a question: Does anyone know what the flower girl and ring bearer symbolize in a wedding? A friend of mine and I were having a discussion on the various wedding traditions that America has, and we couldn't agree on what this one means. He says that when a wedding has a flower girl and ring bearer it means that the fertility of the bride and groom has been ... uhhh ... confirmed. Anyone have any idea?

got to give a gift to a cuzz i met twis don't know and of my real father that has not raised me so i am lost . i ahve native background but i grew up in newfoundland needs something romantic , thoughtfull but too out of this word.eanyone need help badly

got to give a gift to a cuzz! i met twis don't know? and of my real father that has not raised me, so i am lost . i am of native background but i grew up in Newfoundland needs something romantic , thoughtfull but from me . something i can bring but nothing comes to mind anyone got any ideas?

need help badly

I am getting married in Aug (early aug) and I picked light colors is that okay for an August wedding.

I am getting married in a couple of months. I am 18 and my fiancee is 21. We have been together for 4 years. No one is happy about our engagement. They say we are too young. But if someone is 30 and knows someone for a few months and marries them it is ok. We have been together 4 years!!!!Whats the big deal???We both have great jobs and we just recently bought a home. I am christian and i belive that marriage is a good thing. I feel that is the next step in my life and i should take it. No one could make me happier than my fiancee does so whats the problem with us getting married????

why do we place cake toppers as in a bride and groom on top of the weding cake.? when did this start?

What are the best colors for an August wedding.. i want to have a fairytale themed wedding!

to the woman with the fiance in Iraq, these are just funny quirks woman like to read. you dont have to take them seriously i mean, have you crossed a black cat or walked under a ladder? No different. and to amanda, i hope your wedding with your 21 year old fiance goes wonderful, people are probably upset with it because supposedly you change a lot between your teens and your twenties (kinda like it would be upsetting if a 7 year old dated a 10 year old and married at 11 and 14, big difference at that age.) If you two are in love heck, they will be proven wrong in the next few years! Sides, you sound like you are matured enough to know what you want. :-)

my husband and I just got married in September of 2005. The first time for both of us-he was 54, I was 51. We had our wedding in a park, and I used the colores, sll shades of pink to light wine, all greens, all purples, and white. I wore a 3 piece dove colored vintage lace suit, that hung down to the ground, a pearl veil, and white and silver shoes. What ever you see for your wedding go for it.

im getting married in aug of next year we have been together for 5 years and i have to be the luckest women in the world

I feel ya Roselynd!! Forget all that tradition...concentrate on the real reason your getting married..."LOVE"!

I am getting married in Aug of this year and I am having trouble picking colors. Any sugestions. Also I would like to have a wishing well theme and can not find invitations. Can anyone help?

I am getting married in July. I have picked out a reception site and all. We are having a large wedding, about 600 folks. (And, because I'm sure someone is thinking this, we don't own a house yet. In the part of the country I live in, a townhouse costs about $650,000 - forget a house - and we're going to wait until we've been married for one year to commit to type of mortgage payment). I am trying to find a unique guest book. Does anyone know where I can find one? I am also trying to find inexpensive wedding favors. Any ideas?

Do you think italian they have they own wedding shower? when you say europen they have wedding shower can you tell me what country ???

This is to Joy,, Have you ever been to michaels crafts store? You might be able to find items there for your wedding. Thats where I got alot of my stuff

I'm having an outdoor wedding in August of this year. I want to be tradidtional and unique at the same time any ideas?

I'm having an outdoor wedding in August of this year. I want to be traditional and unique at the same time any ideas?

I got married in a court house Sept 2005 and me and my husband want to redo our wedding in Sept 2007 so that our families can share our memories and give us their blessings and everything. But right now I am in a crisis because my bio father has never played apart in my life but my mom remarried 3 or 4 years ago. Any suggestions on who I should have give me away? My thoughts are one of my two brothers, or let father and step father walk half-way down the aisle? Does anyone see my confusion.

Does anyone know the "History of the Wedding Rose"

i am not married

I once heard of a "wedding vase" where husband and wife used it to swap love notes... anybody know what I'm talking about?

August of 07 wedding... my colors are hot pink and orange- i cannot decide what flowers will flow with those colors tthe greatest, any suggestions??