Wedding Traditions For Brides

The wedding superstitions which we are all familiar with have descended to modern couples 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, think of these traditions simply as fun curiosities and in no way as an omen of either bad or good luck.

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Many of us know of the ditty, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." This popular saying for what the bride is to wear descends to us from the Victorian era. "Something Old" would probably represent the bond a bride has with the family she is leaving. "Something New" most likely is related to the new world she will be celebrating with her husband and his family. A bride wears "Something Borrowed", is usually borrowed from a successfully married woman, which will to offer success to her own new marriage. "Something Blue" likely is a token which represents the bride's desire for faithfulness and success inside her new marriage.

White Dresses for Brides

The first recorded instance of a white wedding dress has been left to us in 1499, when Anne of Brittany wore white for her ceremony to Louis XII of France. Up till that time, women would wear whatever was their best dress.

This tradition also has a history 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 hold that they should not wear a white dress if she is entering a second marriage or if she is not a virgin. This is an curious superstition because the "purity" of the church is actually supposed to come from Christ.

In the orient brides have traditionally worn white. From ancient Roman times, white symbolized a ceremony filled with happiness. Certainly, it is today a symbol of happy bliss and a new beginning from other cultures.

The Bride's Wedding Veil

The wedding veil wasn't originally white as is the modern tradition for most of today's nuptials. In ancient Greece the color was yellow. In ancient Rome the dress would often would be red. Much of the symbolism has been lost but wearing a veil remains quite popular. Originally, the veil was another symbol for a bride's modesty, and of course her virginity.

Some hold 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 arranged marriages, it was often likely that the man would not see his bride until the moment of ceremony. In several cultures, the veil hid the bride until the man lifted it to see what his new wife looked like for the first time.

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

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