Popular Wedding Superstitions

The wedding superstitions which we are all familiar with have descended to us over hundreds if not thousands of years. These traditions often became popular as ways of giving the couple both a blessing and tokens of good luck. In that sense, they are often superstitious in nature. As you approach your wedding, reflect upon these traditions simply as interesting amusements and in no way as a prediction of either bad or good luck.

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Many of us know of the rhyme, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." This popular tradition for what the bride is to wear comes to us from the Victorian era. "Something Old" would certainly represent the bond a bride has with the family she is leaving. "Something New" most probably is related to the new world she will be celebrating with her husband and his family. A bride has "Something Borrowed", is usually borrowed from a happily married woman, which will to bring success to her own new union. "Something Blue" likely is a symbol which represents the bride's desire for faithfulness and love within her new marriage.

Wedding Dresses for Brides

The first recorded instance of a white wedding dress was given in 1499, when Anne of Brittany wore white for her ceremony to Louis XII King of France. Until then, women simply wore their nicest dress.

This tradition also has roots coming from Bible times, because the "Church" encouraged to cloth itself in a white dress as a symbol of its purity as the "Bride of Christ." Christian women often believe that a bride must not wear a white dress if she is beginning a second union or if she is not a virgin. This is an curious belief because the "purity" of the church is actually supposed to come from Christ.

In China and Japan brides have traditionally worn white. From early Roman times, white symbolized a ceremony filled with merriment. Obviously, it is today a symbol of happy bliss and a new start from other cultures.

Wedding Veils for the Bride

The wedding veil wasn't originally white as is the custom for almost all of today's nuptials. In early Greece the color was yellow. In ancient Rome it was red. Much of the symbolism has been lost but wearing a veil is still quite popular. Originally, the veil was another symbol for a bride's modesty, and of course her virginity.

Many people believe today that according to history, it is bad luck for the bride to be seen by her husband to be before the ceremony. Remember that in history there were so many prearranged marriages, it was often likely that the man would not view his bride until the moment of ceremony. In several traditions, the veil hid the bride until the man lifted it to see what his new wife looked like.

In the United States, Nelly Curtis wore a veil at her union to Major Lawrence Lewis who was General George Washington's aid. The Major had earlier seen his bride standing behind a filmy curtain and after he commented how beautiful she was, she then decided to veil herself for their wedding.

Follow whatever traditions feel right to you, not because of any worry about causing good or bad luck. More importantly, create your own traditions, creating the meanings you want them to have, which you can then pass down to your children.

We see all of these traditions used by our couples when they come to Hawaii and use our Maui weddings services. It doesn't matter if the ceremonies are on the beach or performed in a chapel, the traditions seem to remain the same. I should tell you that for Hawaii weddings, you don't have to follow any traditions but your own.

Rev. John Souter is a licensed Hawaii minister who owns a Maui Weddings company. If you are looking for an Affordable Maui Wedding take a look at his website.