Wedding Superstitions
By Elizabeth Watts
Are you superstitious? Even if you are not yourself, you will probably be able to sympathize with the wedding day anxieties brides have suffered through the ages. With all the anticipation involved in marriage and the significance placed on creating the perfect wedding, it is no wonder superstitions developed around the big event. Take a glance at what other brides have believed would bring good fortune to their wedded bliss. And you can watch out for these bad luck omens at your own wedding!
DRESS DON’TS:
To put on full bridal array prior to the wedding was considered unlucky. While this seems difficult to avoid in the fitting process, brides would put their dress on in sections, never all at once. Some would even leave part of the hem unsown so the dress could be finished on the wedding day.
Furthermore, the bride would not look at herself fully dressed in the wedding gown in a mirror. Even on the wedding day it was considered wise to leave off one part of the bridal attire, such as a glove, when the bride checked her appearance in the mirror. This way the bride never saw herself completely attired before the wedding.
Why not? Anticipation of this sort may cause something to happen that will prevent the marriage!
WEDDING DAY ARRANGEMENTS:
The bride and groom also traditionally avoid seeing each other on the morning of the wedding day. Perhaps this superstition derived from the period of arranged marriages. The father of the bride may have feared the groom would flee if his fiancé was not to his liking. So they postponed the "unveiling" until the actual ceremony.
On the way to the wedding, some sights or events were considered lucky for the bride and groom. Others were thought to be disastrous to their happiness. The bride was expected to exit her house out the front door and step out right foot first. If the sun shone on her or she saw a rainbow, good luck would ensue. Meeting a black cat, a chimney sweep, or an elephant (however unlikely) were also fortuitous.
Unlucky sights included observing a pig running across the road. The worst of all omens was to meet or even see a funeral procession. Death was also foretold if the horse (or the more contemporary car) refused to start.
THE RINGS
Once the ring was put on, extremely bad luck would follow if it was removed. If the ring accidentally came off, the husband must replace it on the wife’s finger. After the birth of the first child, some considered it safe to take off the ring, but never before then. Premature removal was seen to foreshadow the destruction of the marriage, death of the husband or loss of his affection.
Dropping the ring during the ceremony was also an evil omen. Whoever dropped the ring, it signaled he or she would be the first to die. If the ring rolled away from altar steps, this was a very bad sign, particularly if it rested on a gravestone in the floor of the chapel. The bride would die early if a person buried underneath the floor was a woman, the groom if it was a man buried below.
CUTTING THE CAKE
Do This: Bride cuts first piece.
Or Else: Childless marriage.
Do This: Every guest eats at least a little of the cake.
Or Else: Bad luck both for couple and the person who refused their cake.
Do This: Bride keeps a piece of the cake.
Or Else: Husband will be unfaithful.
OTHER SUPERSTITIOUS TRADITIONS
In Scotland the bride would “walk with the sun” to prevent infertility. She walked from east to west on the south side of the church, then circled the church three times “sunwise” for good luck.
The tradition of tying old shoes to the back of the just-married couple's car, stems from Tudor times. Guests would throw shoes at the bride and groom, and they would get great luck if they or their carriage were hit! Also in Anglo-Saxon times the bride was symbolically struck with a shoe by her groom to establish his authority. Brides would then throw shoes at their bridesmaids to see who would marry next. Nowadays the bride throws her bouquet, which is probably a lot less painful.
Carrying the bride over the threshold to her new home apparently was initiated in ancient Rome. A Roman bride was lifted into the house to prevent her from tripping over the threshold, which was considered a bad omen if done on one's wedding day. Also, she might forget to enter with her right foot and bring bad luck to both of them.
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