Happy Wednesday!! The week is halfway over which means it's almost time to start planning your weekend! Will you be attending a wedding this weekend or know someone who is tying the knot? If so, they may be incorporating some of these popular wedding traditions. Keep reading to get the full scoop on what they are and where they originated; some may be quite surprising!
1) The Wedding Cake
Have you ever attended a wedding (or maybe it was your own) and wondered why the bride and groom smash the first piece of cake they cut together into each others faces? It certainly is a tradition I remember wondering about as a young girl because it seemed silly that the bride would want her beautiful makeup messed up with sticky cake. Come to find out, wedding cakes dates way, WAY back before the 18th century and were a symbol of good luck, wealth, and a prosperous marriage. Tradition years ago used to consist of the groom eating the fist bite of not cake, but bread, and then crumbling the rest over the brides head as a sign of good fortune in their marriage. Guests would then go pick up the pieces around the bride and take them home to have a little good luck themselves. Thankfully, that tradition was modernized over the years and we can enjoy eating a slice of our own cake...not off the floor!
2) Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
This tradition is my favorite and can be super sentimental for the bride choosing to incorporate it in her wedding day attire. The saying originally comes from an Old English rhyme, "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe". Although not many brides are known today for keeping a coin in their wedding shoe, most stick by the traditional rhyme and its meaning. Something old is meant to represent the bride's life before married. Typically this is something coming from family and symbolizes the continuous love between the bride and her family. Something new traditionally symbolizes the new life and family the bride is about to start with her fiance. Sometimes "something new" can come from the little gift you and your husband-to-be exchange before you exchange vows. Even though similar, something borrowed was traditionally supposed to come from someone who was already happily married. The borrowed item then would pass good fortune from the already married couple to the newly weds. Lastly, something blue symbolized the commitment, faithfulness, and loyalty the new couple were vowing to each other by getting married. It used to be common for both the bride and groom to wear something blue under their wedding attire to express those three things. Nowadays, it's common for the bridge to embroider something blue into her wedding dress or even wear blue shoes.
3) Guest Favors
It's very common today to go to a wedding a find a small gift for you to take home as a "thank-you" for attending a friend or family member's wedding. In fact, these favors have become a staple for most weddings because you can show off your creativity through them. Before there was Pinterest, however, it used to be common for wedding favors to consist of anything from simple candies to scarves, gloves, or even jewelry at high-society weddings.
4) "It's Not Good Luck to See Your Bride the Day Before Your Wedding"
Although not all couples stick by this tradition anymore, it used to be common that the bride and groom weren't allowed to see each other the day before they married. This tradition originated from arranged marriages actually. It was said that if the bride and groom were allowed to see each other the day before they married, there was a chance they would call off the wedding. How romantic! Thankfully today, most brides and grooms know who they're marrying before they walk down the altar!
5) The Rings
This last tradition is the most common symbol of a new engagement or marriage today and can be quite luxurious. However, in some cultures engagement rings used to be made of glass! This tradition used to symbolize ownership that the groom had over the bride and it it was common for grooms not to have a ring given to them. Thankfully, that tradition passed and now it's common for couples to exchange rings while saying their vows to each other. Another fun fact about engagement / wedding rings: it used to be thought that the fourth finger on the left hand contained a vein that led straight to the heart, which is why these rings are placed on that specific finger. Now that's romantic!