Wedding Traditions & Superstitions - An explanation for the 2026 & 2027 bride.
I won’t lie, this article started, in many ways, when I was planning my own wedding. Some things came up that I was a little turned off by. At the time, I didn’t do the research, but I have this time around, and it's been quite fascinating. In this article, I will detail some wedding traditions and superstitions, where they came from, and, most importantly, if I believe they should make an appearance on your wedding day! Let’s begin!
Common Traditions:
Tossing the Bouquet - it was originally showing up in wedding ceremonies in the 14th century, and the reason behind it holds today - whoever catches it is the next to get married! I love this tradition because of the significance it had, unbeknownst to me, in my future engagement. My husband had asked my father for his blessing at my little brother’s wedding. Of course, everyone but me found out pretty quickly, so the entire wedding party made sure I caught the bouquet and my boyfriend caught the garter so we would have to dance together. My dad told me all about it after we were engaged.
Throwing the Garter - showing up in the 5th century, this dying tradition was the male version of the bouquet toss - whoever catches it is the next to get married. However, it seems it was also a way to “confirm consumation” which is why it is most likely dying. No one needs to know that information.
Dollar Dance (or Money Dance) - this one started in the 19th century, and I won’t lie, I am putting it in here because I truly thought it was a bizarre tradition. Turns out it was started for friends and families to chip in on a poorer couple’s new life. Typically, they would have gotten married in secret, and in their new life together, their families helped them start out. Personally, I think this is sweet, but the Americanized version, where people wait in line to pay the bride a dollar to dance with her, is not very sweet at all.
Giving the Bride away - An ancient tradition that is still a staple in most weddings today. It is traditionally done by the bride’s father, but can also be any significant figure in her life. Unfortunately, it started as a symbol of women as property, and that her father was “giving her” to her husband. This is a nonexistent fact in the act of giving one’s daughter away in today’s world, and it is absolutely something women dream about on their wedding days. I know it was certainly mine.
Something Blue - starting during Queen Victoria’s era, the traditional, something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue was actually started as a way to repel evil! Believe it or not so was wearing a veil! Of course, now it is a fun, good luck ritual to put together with your loved ones.
Superstitions
The groom not seeing the bride before the wedding started centuries ago, when arranged marriages were more common. This tradition started as a way to keep the groom from refusing the marriage! This is also where veils came from as well. I love this tradition; however, in the world of photography, we have morphed it a bit into a private moment between future spouses. I think it’s beautiful that we have taken this tradition and made it into something special for the bride and groom.
Rain on your wedding day is good luck! This is a superstition that is thousands of years old and originates from Celtic handfasting traditions owing to the fact that wet knots are stronger. I still believe this; however, weddings have become so expensive that it can become a real fear for some brides, especially in Colorado, where outdoor views reign supreme. From the photographer’s perspective, rain means clouds, and clouds mean middle gray, making your photos come out phenomenally.
A Spider on your dress… is good luck. You read that right. Apparently, it dates back hundreds of years and in some cultures, it’s a sign of prosperity. Here’s the thing: I have no issues with spiders and never have, but I can tell you with confidence that if one is crawling on me, good luck on my wedding day or not, I’m killing it. There was a wedding I was a planners asssitant on last year that was outdoor. A spider so big it would have sent the entire tent running for the hills was walking up to a table during speeches. I smashed it with haste. Does that mean I have bad luck now?!
Dropping the wedding ring during the exchange of vows…this one is dark. Whoever drops the ring will be the first to die. Who made that one up?! They’re fired.
Carrying the bride over the threshold is an ancient Roman tradition meant to protect the bride from evil spirits lurking in the doorway. Already a sweet sentiment it ultimately symbolizes the grooms commitment to protecting his wife. Cute!
The items listed above that are bolded are the ones that I did on my wedding day. We had such a fun day, but I don’t subscribe much to superstitions so that helped.
Let me know if you have any from your family that are outside the norm!
Talk soon,
Kate
