There are a handful of traditions, superstitions and customs that go with weddings. You probably know a lot of them, but do you know how they started? A lot of these traditions have been passed down through the ages and have survived because they promise fortune and future happiness.

Where weddings are concerned there are many associated customs and traditions. Some traditional rituals are more practical than others, but most can be at least symbolically incorporated into a modern ceremony, should you wish. The following list looks at some of the well known and not so well known traditions associated with weddings, with a brief explanation of the meaning behind them.

1. Something old, something new

The well-known phrase “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” originated in Victorian times that is still recognised by many brides today. The tradition of wearing something old represents the bride’s family ties and her life before marriage, while something new represents the couple’s bright and happy future together. Something borrowed symbolises the importance of family and friends, while something blue is a symbol for fidelity. Brides often choose jewellery to symbolise the "something old".

2. Over the threshold

As it is bad luck for the bride to trip or fall on her first entrance to the married household, the groom would traditionally carry her across the threshold. Some Roman brides would let themselves be dragged into the new home to show their reluctance to leave their family home.

As with all popular customs, there lies a sinister aspect to its history. In marriages by capture, the bride was often literally dragged kicking and screaming across the threshold by her abductor. In earlier times people believed that the demons of the bride’s family would enter the new home with her unless she was carried in.

3. Seeing the bride

The tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the ceremony lest bad fortune befall them both has a rather unfortunate history.

In times and cultures where arranged marriages between couples from different tribes or towns was the done thing, many such couplings were made ‘sight unseen’. The deal would be brokered by community elders and the first time either party saw each other was on the day of the wedding. This occasionally resulted in the groom changing his mind and abandoning his prospective wife. Thus it became bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding ceremony.

Today however, this tradition remains popular due to the need for both parties to have a welcome break from each other after the trials of the wedding planning process are completed.

4. The bridal bouquet toss

Some early Roman brides carried bunches of herbs, usually rosemary, to ward off evil spirits and invoke fidelity and fertility. Greek brides believed that carrying ivy symbolised eternal love.

Throughout history, plants and blooms have been ascribed different emotions and meanings, and these have invariably found their way into the wedding ceremony.

It is said that the bouquet was substituted for the garter as a preventative measure to stop the bride being mauled in the fight to possess a shred of her ‘lucky’ wedding attire. An alternative version also suggests that the bouquet itself represents luck, and the single woman who catches the bouquet is believed to be the next to marry.

5. Wedding toast

Wedding toasts were originally a French custom. Bread was placed in a wine glass and passed around to the guests. The first person to reach the bread was expected to enjoy good luck. Toasts are traditionally given by the father of the bride, the groom and the best man. The order of these toasts varies culturally, and today can be chosen by the bride and groom themselves, or together with their families. The groom and the father of the bride usually give very thoughtful and emotional speeches, while the best man often chooses to be rather comical, and perhaps not always tasteful. Humour, in good taste, can make a speech!

6. The wedding veil

The origins of the wedding veil are complex, and it has at various times served both symbolic and practical purposes. The veil remains a common sight at formal church weddings, but less so at civil ceremonies.

It first appeared more than four thousand years ago in Eastern culture, when they were worn by unmarried women as a sign of modesty. In the Old Testament, Jacob is tricked by a veil into accidentally marrying Leah, the sister of his intended. In the past evil spirits were thought to prey on brides, and as such wearing a veil was thought to disguise the bride from evil spirits. During the 1800s in Britain however, the veil came to symbolise modesty and chastity.

Source: Wedding Magazine