Wearing a veil, tossing the bouquet and cutting the wedding cake are some of the better-known wedding superstitions but there are far more wedding myths and legends out there! Here’s a little look at 10 more wedding superstitions you never knew.
1. Firstly, don’t panic if there’s rain on your wedding day because this is supposed to be super lucky! Symbolising fertility and cleansing, a good downpour on your wedding day should be something to welcome, not worry about. And don’t fret, we’ll have plenty of umbrellas to hand if you want to get outside and dance in the rain!
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2. Some people love them and others aren’t so keen but wedding garters are still very popular with brides. This is a wedding tradition that dates back centuries when men would present the woman they loved with a garter and, if she accepted, she was promising her faithfulness for their time together.
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3. If you’re putting your wedding gift list together, you might want to think twice about including those fantastic kitchen knives you’ve been lusting after for years. Knives are considered to bring bad luck to the couple they’re gifted to and they’re said to symbolise broken relationships.
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4. The first time you arrive home after your wedding, your groom should definitely carry you into your house. Not only is this more than a little bit romantic, but carrying the bride ‘over the threshold’ apparently stops you bringing any evil spirits into the house. This wedding tradition started way back in Medieval times and is still popular today!
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5. Frankly, we like any excuse for a kiss at a wedding but you’ve got the Romans to thank for the tradition of the bride and groom kissing at the end of their ceremony. The kiss was seen as the moment that the wedding contract was sealed (hence the phrase ‘sealed with a loving kiss’) and it also signifies a new life status too.
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6. OK, so this wedding superstition might not be great for you if you’re scared of spiders but, if you find one of our eight-legged friends on your wedding dress, you’re in luck! Old English folklore suggests this brings good fortune and happiness to your marriage.
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7. Now we know that it’s hard to resist practicing your ‘married’ signature before the wedding but actually using your married name anywhere before the big day is said to be bad luck. Legend says that using your new name is tempting fate and that your wedding won’t take place if you do. A little harsh perhaps but maybe keep those doodles private just in case!
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8. Why do church weddings always end with the ringing of the bells? Well, peals of happy bells are supposed to ward off those pesky evil spirits and make sure that you have a harmonious life together. In Ireland, some brides still carry tiny bells in their bouquets for extra good luck.
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9. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘no ugly crying’ but there are so many reasons why you should just ignore this on your wedding day! It’s said that a few tears from the bride on her wedding day will stop her shedding any more during her marriage and we’re all for that so feel free to have a good cry!
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10. If you’re planning a traditional exit from your ceremony, the bride will walk on the groom’s left. Why? Well, in Anglo-Saxon times, grooms would quite often have to fight to defend their bride during the wedding ceremony and if the bride stood on his left, he was free to wield his sword with his right hand and hold his bride with his left. Now that’s multi-tasking!
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Of course, there are many more wedding traditions than these. We’ve rounded up another 10 wedding traditions and superstitions here for you.
