Wedding Traditions

Wedding Lore and Traditions

by Elizabeth Olson

"Something borrowed" usually comes from a happily married woman and is thought to lend some of her good fortune and joy to the new bride.

Have you ever wondered why the bride stands to the left of the groom, or why the wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand? The origins and meaning behind some of our most cherished wedding traditions may surprise you. There are, of course, multiple explanations for each piece of wedding lore, and few can be definitively traced back to their roots. Below are some of the more common and popular stories behind these traditions.

Tossing the Bouquet

Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry.

Giving Away the Bride

The tradition of the father giving away his daughter has its roots in the days of arranged marriages. Daughters in those times were considered their father's property. It was the father's right to give his child to the groom, usually for a price. Today a father giving away his daughter is a symbol of his blessing of the marriage.

The Wedding Ring

The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolizes everlasting love.

The Best Man

In ancient times, men sometimes captured women to make them their brides. A man would take along his strongest and most trusted friend to help him fight resistance from the woman's family. This friend, therefore, was considered the best man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon England, the best man accompanied the groom up the aisle to help defend the bride.

Bride on Groom's Left

Because grooms in Anglo-Saxon England often had to defend their brides, the bride would stand to the left of her groom so that his sword arm was free.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in Your Shoe

"Something old" represents the bride's link to her family and the past. The bride may choose to wear a piece of family jewelry or her mother or grandmother's wedding gown. "Something new" represents hope for good fortune and success in the future. The bride often chooses the wedding gown to represent the new item. "Something borrowed" usually comes from a happily married woman and is thought to lend some of her good fortune and joy to the new bride. "Something blue" is a symbol of love, fidelity, and purity of the bride. A sixpence in her shoe is to wish the bride wealth in her future life.

The Tiered Wedding Cake

The origin of the tiered wedding cake also lies in Anglo-Saxon times. Guests would bring small cakes to the wedding and stack them on top of each other. Later, a clever French baker created a cake in the shape of the small cakes and covered it in frosting. It is now known as the tiered cake.

Wedding Bouquet

Flowers are incorporated into the wedding ceremony as a symbol of fertility. The first bouquets consisted of herbs and, later, orange blossoms.

The Bridal Veil

The bridal veil has long been a symbol of youth, modesty, and virginity and was used to ward off evil.

Bridesmaids

The bridal party is a tradition that has been established for many centuries. For a long time the purpose of the bridal party was to fool evil spirits. The bride's friends dressed similarly to her in order to confuse any virulent presences that might be lurking about. Today bridesmaids are there to support the bride in the stressful times during the wedding.

Wedding Traditions

English customs

A wedding carriage in Bristol,England

The Western custom of a bride wearing a white wedding dress came to symbolize purity, not virginity, in the Victorian era. Within the "white wedding" tradition, a white dress and veil is not considered appropriate in the second or subsequent wedding of a widow or divorcee. The specific conventions of Western weddings, largely from a Protestant and Catholic viewpoint, are discussed at "white wedding".

A wedding is often followed or accompanied by a wedding reception, which in some areas may be known as the 'Wedding Breakfast', at which an elaborate wedding cake is served. Western traditions include toasting the couple, the newlyweds having the first dance, and cutting the cake. A bride may throw her bouquet to the assembled group of all unmarried women in attendance, with folklore suggesting the person who catches it will be the next to wed. A fairly recent equivalent has the groom throwing the bride's garter to the assembled unmarried men; the man who catches it is supposedly the next to wed.

The Wedding Breakfast is one occasion where every member of the family who has had at least some role in the wedding is present. It is also important as the first time the newly married bride and groom share their first meal together as a lawfully wedded couple. The word Breakfast comes from a more ancient tradition of fasting before the wedding ceremony, the Wedding Breakfast is therefore 'breaking that fast'. The modern Wedding Breakfast includes the service of food to guests that can range from traditional roasts, buffets, or regional treats such as in the case of a London Wedding^[1] in the 'East End'.

Another Victorian tradition is for brides to wear or carry "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" during the service. It is considered good luck to do so. Often the bride attempts to have one item that meets all of these qualifications, such as a borrowed blue handkerchief which is "new to her" but loaned by her grandmother (thus making it old). Another addition to this custom is to wear a coin in one's shoe to bring prosperity.

The full text of the verse is:

Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something blue,

And silver sixpence in your shoe.^[2]

THE LONDON BRIDAL SHOW: A BRILLIANT EVENT

This year’s London Bridal Show at Olympia saw a big turnout of retailers from across the UK as well as those who travelled from far further afield; it was an event that signposts optimism within the industry

When it comes to indicating the health and well being of a marketplace, attendance at major trade events says a lot and visitor numbers at this year’s London Bridal Show at Olympia suggest that the bridal industry is in great shape right now. The event registered a 10% increase in visitors year on year, with international buyers accounting for 25% of the total, the increase coming most notably from France and Southern Ireland. Retailers were in shopping mode and keen to see the newest collections from some of the big names in the business, while spending time looking at what new and upcoming design houses had to offer.

Said Mark Lesley, showing his eponymous labels as well as his designer bridal collection and occasionwear label Candy Quinn: “It was brilliant. Mark Lesley did wonderfully in terms of increased sales and new customers but Donna Salado was simply outstanding.”

Vikki McCarthy-Wright of Mooshki fame, used this exhibition to launch the stunning new Grace Philips collection agreed. “I cannot believe the reception this new collection has had. It was awesome.”

Europe’s first buying event of the season gave out a clear signal that glamour dressing leads the way, with daringly low backs, mermaid dresses with swishy tails, body-hugging silhouettes, and lace motifs on nude tulle creating a tattoo effect on the skin. Brides who always harboured that dream of being a fairy tale princess on their big day, will almost certainly fall in love with the astonishing array of ballgowns that the key designers are showing for the 2016/2017 season – sumptuous dresses with whittled-down waists and voluminous skirts, some made of layer upon layer of tulle, organza, chiffon and lace, others in simple, elegant fabrics such as Mikado, skilfully sculpted to form the desired fullness.

Alongside the perennial laces there were jewelled and embroidered appliqués introducing a different surface texture, and wonderful jacquards with their own glorious patterning that needed little more than a bead-worked belt to make the right impressions. Long or short – and there were plenty of knee-length and tea-length 50s-style dresses to be seen – it made little difference as long as that message of design confidence and quality make was present and very apparent.

In occasionwear, buyers were wooed and wowed with an amazing rainbow of colours and beautiful fabrics chosen for their drape-appeal, with a fair amount of sparkle to add to the red-carpet experience. Celeb dressing remains key in this sector of the market, where stand out is essential.

One feature of the show was the Monday seminars, run by experts for experts. Retailers attending got to hear first hand about every area of the business and how they could improve their own operation by taking note of what others were doing. Everything from entering awards, to dealing with difficult customers, to closing sales successfully, to working with suppliers was covered and the buyers lapped up the information handed to them.

And of course, a key attraction at The London Bridal Show, as it is at Harrogate in September, is the programme of catwalk performances which saw some breathtakingly fresh collections stepping out and signalling the newest silhouettes for the season ahead. Always playing to a full house, it is this carefully-edited collection of collections that helps retailers pick up on trends early and see first-hand how expert styling introduces the perfect accessories for each look.

Children's Fashion

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Anglo Couture

Vicky Anglo was born and raised in Athens, Greece surrounded by innovation and artistry. Her Father is a sculpture and provided the artistic environment that so naturally led her to follow in his creative footsteps. At the age of 13, Vicky attended a Bridal Fashion Show that sparked her desire to be part of the fashion industry. With a passion for design, a love for the glamour and elegance of weddings, Vicky attended Newbury College in Boston, MA and majored in Fashion Design. After graduation, Vicky gained hands on experience working as a designer for a bridal accessory company and enjoyed every moment. She fell even further in love with both fashion and design and the wedding industry, and decided to follow her dreams to start her own couture line of wedding gowns. For Vicky, the best part of her job is personally working with each bride to create unique, one of a kind wedding gowns with style, personality, and vision. Everyone is different, we all want our personality to shine-especially on our wedding day- so through innovative design and personal collaboration, Vicky works with our brides to ensure they look as great as they feel on their special day. This is her inspiration ans how Anglo Couture was born!