Wedding Traditions by Jimmuk

 

As with all wedding traditions which have been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth or custom there are many local and national variations.

Horseshoes

The association of the horseshoe with the wedding ceremony is not too clear, there are ancient pre-Christian supernatural powers attributed to the horseshoe, for the Greeks it symbolised the crescent moon which was regarded as a symbol of fertility. The modern association is more likely to be linked to the legend associated with the 10th century St. Dunstan who trapped the Devil and as a result extracted a promise never to enter the house of a Christian, which he would recognise by a horseshoe hung above the door.

Hence the symbolism of the "Lucky Horseshoe"; the Bride carries today is lost in the mists of time but is still a potent reminder of our culture and historic roots. Because the horseshoe is " U " shaped, to retain the good luck forever it is essential that the horseshoe is hung by the ribbons which are attached to the shoulders. The horseshoe should not be turned upside down or else all the good luck of the marriage may fall out.

A related tradition says that it is very good luck to see a Grey horse en route to the Church, even more good luck if the Bride traveled in a carriage drawn by a grey horse, whilst the luckiest horseshoes came from the hind feet of a Grey Mare.

A Lucky Sweep

There are many myths and traditions associated with chimney sweeps many of reasons for which are lost in the mists of time. One reason from folklore is that when on one occasion King George II's carriage horses bolted the only person to attempt to stop them was a small sooty figure of a man, a chimney sweep. It is considered extremely good luck, if on the journey to the Church you see a chimney sweep and even greater good luck if you saw the sweeps brush emerging out of the top of the chimney. So to this day to see a chimney sweep and receive the Kiss of Luck after the wedding ceremony is supposed to bring good fortune to the newly married couple.

Some Bride's and Groom's to ensure their good fortune will employ a real live sweep to be present on their Wedding Day as did Stephen Hendry The World Champion Snooker Player when he married. The film Mary Poppins had a sweep (Dick van Dyke) in as a good luck character.

Chim chim erny chim chim cheeri
A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be
Good luck will rub off if I shake hands with you.

Have your own lucky sweep attend your wedding with one of our charming keepsake characters.

Ring Cushions

Wedding rings, continuous with no beginning and no end, symbolised eternal love to the Romans and Egyptians who used precious stones as well as silver and gold and were carried on a cushion. Hence the ring cushion (ring bearer pillow) we have made which carries the precious rings at the ceremony. The Page boy or Chief Bridesmaid would carry the cushion up the aisle to the Best Man who will place the rings on the cushion ready for the minister to bless. Buying the engagement ring and the wedding rings at the same time is thought to bring bad luck and wearing the wedding ring before the ceremony can bring equally dire consequences.

The diamond engagement ring is a medieval Italian tradition, based on their belief that the diamond was created from the flames of love.

Shoes

Shoes were once considered to be symbols of authority and possession. The Brides Father would hand over one of the Bride's shoes to the groom effecting the transfer of his authority to her husband. He then tapped her on the head to show his new role as her master. It is obvious why this doesn't continue, but it helps to explain why we tie shoes to the back of the get-away car. Why we also tie tin cans on is, we hope, not a reflection on the future diet of the Bride and Groom.

Silver Sixpence

The sixpence, an English coin first minted in the reign of Edward VI (1551), has been associated with weddings since the reign of Elizabeth I. in those times the Lord of the Manor where the bride lived would often present a sixpence as a wedding gift.

As time passed the tradition changed and it became the custom for the bride's parent to give the coin as a dowry gift. It was not however until Victorian times that the present day custom evolved to that of giving a silver sixpence as a lucky charm to bring wealth and happiness to the married couple.

The custom says that to ensure the couples wealth and happiness the bride should put the coin in her left shoe. In some areas the custom is for the father of the bride to put the sixpence in the shoe, this is probably an amalgamation of the older dowry tradition and the more modern interpretation.

The sixpence coin we use in our wedding favor is from either the reign of George V1 or Elizabeth 11 and as such only has a nominal amount of silver content, but never the less retains the symbolism and continues the age old tradition.

Superstitions

It is considered good luck for the fully attired Bride to glance in her mirror just once before leaving for her wedding, but it is bad luck to look in the mirror after she has left the bedroom to commence her journey to the ceremony.

It is bad luck for the Groom to see the bride in her wedding gown before they are married.

It is traditional and thought of as good luck for the bride to throw her wedding bouquet backwards over her shoulder towards the guests when she leaves for the honeymoon. The one who catches it is supposed to be the next one married.

The first of the couple to make a purchase after the marriage is said to be the domineering partner.

Thistle

The Thistle is the national flower of Scotland. Ancient legend takes us back to the days of the Picts, in the reign of Malcolm I, when a horde of Danes attempted to invade Scotland. Noiselessly, under cover of darkness, they approached the slumbering camp, when suddenly one of the soldiers trod with his naked foot upon a thistle. as did many of their number . Their anguished cries roused the slumbering warriors who rallied to arms and drove away the foe.
Since that day the guardian Thistle was chosen as the national flower and is regarded as a symbol of independence and of retaliation.

Wedding Anniversaries

The selecting of one's partner for life and confirming that decision in the marriage ceremony makes marriage one of the most important event of life. It is appropriate that the wedding day is remembered and celebrated on the anniversary of the date.
Over the years it has become traditional to give a gift on the wedding anniversary based on a theme.
We have listed below the traditional symbolic themes :-

1st. Year ....... Paper
13th. Year ....... Lace
2nd. Year ....... Cotton 14th. Year ....... Ivory
3rd. Year ....... Leather 15th. Year ....... Crystal

4th. Year ....... Books 20th. Year ....... China
5th. Year ....... Wood

25th. Year ....... Silver
6th. Year ....... Iron
30th. Year ....... Pearl

7th. Year ....... Copper 35th. Year ....... Coral
8th. Year ....... Electrical
40th. Year ....... Ruby
9th. Year ....... Pottery 45th. Year ....... Sapphire
10th. Year ....... Tin 50th. Year ....... Gold
11th. Year ....... Steel

55th. Year ....... Emerald

12th. Year ....... Silk 60th. Year ....... Diamond

Wedding Bells

It is traditional to have the church bells rung as the bride and groom emerge from the church after the ceremony. The sound of the bells is supposed to drive away evil spirits and thereby ensuring the couples good fortune.

Wedding Bouquet

In the 14th century, is was customary for the bride to toss her garter to the male guest, but frequently the men got too drunk, and would become impatient and try to remove the garter ahead of time. In the interests of decorum the custom changed to tossing the bridal bouquet.

Lately there has been a revival of the garter toss, particularly in North America.

To select the flowers for your bouquet see our page on the traditional symbolism of flowers

The Wedding Cake

The Wedding Cake is a very ancient tradition which today forms a focal point at the reception. It is a custom steeped in history and occurs in many cultures in one form or another. The Romans had a cake made out of flour, salt and water which was eaten whilst the ceremony was in progress.

Tiered and iced confection was introduced to Britain from France after the Restoration in 1660. The shape of the modern three tiered cake is associated with the spire of St. Bride's Church in the City of London.

In bygone times it was the custom, probably as a relic of former fertility rites, to throw many small cakes over the bride, this later evolved to crumbling cake over the bride's head.

Cutting the cake is now part of the ritual celebrations at the reception. It is traditional for the Bride and the Groom to make the first cut in the cake together, symbolising their shared future.

The Groom places his right hand over the right hand of his bride, her left hand is then placed on top and she places the knife point at the centre of the bottom tier of the cake and slowly cuts the cake, helped by the groom. Tradition dictates that the couple should then cut a slice and share it between them.

The Bridesmaids keep their slices and place them under their pillows that night in the belief that they will dream of their own future husbands.

Another tradition that has evolved is that of preserving the top tier to celebrate the christening of their first child.