Wedding Customs

"Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue
and a silver sixpence in your shoe."

There are all sorts of wedding superstitions and customs. In this old rhyme the bride is supposed to incorporate all these items into her wedding attire and wedding accessories. It is all quite symbolic.

Something old represents the closeness of the couple to family and friends – bringing them along into their new lives. Something new is the couple’s new unity and happy future. Something borrowed is representative of the bride’s ties to her family often represented by an heirloom that preserves continuity despite her new state. Something blue means a touch of royalty, since blue bloods are royals, and the bride and groom are the king and queen of the day!

A silver sixpence signifies future wishes for wealth for the couple.

Rings

The reason that the engagement ring and wedding ring are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand is because the ancient Egyptians thought that the "vein of love" ran from this finger directly to the heart. In many parts of Europe the rings are worn on the right hand’s ring finger. Greek Orthodox ceremonies exchange the rings three times during the ceremony and they end up on the right finger, however, most couples switch them to the left as soon as the wedding ceremony is done.

Dress Color

Most brides today marry in white wedding dresses which symbolize purity and virginity. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in white instead of silver, the traditional color of royal brides. This old English rhyme offered advice on dress color and let brides choose their own shade of dress:


Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Blue, your love will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Brown, you will live in town,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen, (except if you were Irish)
Married in Pink, your spirit will sink,
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.


Customs are modified for each generation, but a little bit always stays to enrich great wedding traditions of the world.