Wedding Traditions For You
The wedding superstitions which we are all familiar with have been left to us over hundreds if not thousands of years. These superstitions often became popular as ways of giving the couple both a blessing and tokens of good fortune. In that sense, they are often superstitious in nature. As you consider your wedding, reflect upon these traditions simply as fun curiosities and in no way as a prediction of either bad or good luck.
Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue
Most of us have heard of the ditty, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." This popular saying 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 wears "Something Borrowed", is usually taken from a successfully married woman, which is likely to offer success to her own new marriage. "Something Blue" likely is a token which represents her longing for stability and love within her new union.
A White Wedding Dress
The first known instance of a white wedding dress has been left to us in 1499, when Anne of Brittany wore white for her union to Louis XII King of France. Until then, women would wear whatever was their best dress.
This tradition also has a history coming from early Christian times, because the "Church" was described as wearing in a white dress as a symbol of its purity as the "Bride of Christ." Christian women often believe that a bride should not wear white if she is entering a second marriage or if she is not pure. This is an curious superstition because the "purity" of the church is actually supposed to come from Christ.
In far east brides have traditionally worn white. From early Roman times, white symbolized a celebration filled with happiness. Certainly, it is today a symbol of happy bliss and a new start from other cultures.
The Meaning of the Veil
The wedding veil wasn't originally white as is the custom for almost all of today's wedding. In early Greece the color was yellow. In Roman times it was red. Much of the symbolism has been lost but wearing a veil is still quite popular. Apparently, the veil was another symbol for a bride's purity, and of course her virginity.
Some believe today that according to tradition, 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 see his bride until the moment of ceremony. In some cultures, the veil hid the woman until the man lifted it to see what his new wife looked like.
U.S. history tells us that Nelly Curtis wore a veil at her ceremony to Major Lawrence Lewis who was General George Washington's aid. The Major 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.
Choose whatever traditions sound right to you, not because of any worry about causing bad luck. More importantly, establish your own traditions, creating the meanings you want them to achieve, 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.