5 Wedding Traditions Explained

You probably never wondered why you wear your wedding ring on your left hand, or why it’s  “Old, new, borrowed, blue” and not red. We made our research and some of the curiosities we found will undoubtedly make you open your eyes wide!

 

• Throwing rice

Despite the increasingly more common substitution with harmless confetti, there are still some occasions in which we throw rice at the newly wedded couple. But what’s the meaning behind it? Back to the origins of this tradition, getting married necessarily coincided with the aim of growing a family. Rice symbolises fertility and prosperity, apparently a good reason to hit the couple with pointy grains!

 

• “Old, new, borrowed, blue”

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a sixpence in her shoe.

This is surely not the first time you come across this ancestral rhyme. It tells about those indispensable gifts the bride is supposed to receive the day before the wedding. But why old? And most of all… why blue if it doesn’t match with the wedding colour scheme??

Right, the answer is: tradition. So, unless you can do without superstition, you should easily be able to hide this props (under your skirt, for example) while still including them in your perfect day.

Something old symbolises your past life, coming to an end on that very day. Something new, on the contrary, stands for the beginning of your new path, hand in hand with your partner. Something borrowed is said to bring happiness and good fortune to the new couple, especially if the object is loaned by another married couple witnessing a blessed love story. Something blue represents the three essential qualities for a successful wedding: love, fidelity and purity. Moreover – and this will probably make you jump on the chair – the colour blue is thought to be a powerful talisman against evil forces. You better consider including that little blue detail!

Did you know that Hoesh International can print your name in blue ink on a personalised bridal dress cover bag? This would be the perfect, discrete blue touch to your day, without majorly affecting your colour scheme!

 

• The wedding ring

Back in the Ancient times, the vena amoris was believed to be the vein running from the fourth finger on the left hand directly to the heart. Nonetheless, this blood flux symbolised the link and union between the two lovers. The meaning behind the ring, therefore stands for commitment and eternal bond. However, this tradition is not shared all over the globe. Over the centuries, it has been recorded that wedding bands have been worn on every finger, both left and right hand, for no particular reasons. Fancy starting a new trend?

 

• The bouquet toss

The bouquet toss has old roots in the English tradition. It was believed that the bride was a bundle of fortune on her special day. For that reason, a touch or a section of her dress would bring luck to the guests. In order to avoid any overwhelming savagery against the bride, the touch and tear has been replaced with the bouquet toss. The act of throwing flowers is undoubtedly a more gentle gesture, aimed to devolve that bit of extra luck. But be careful on whether to do the bouquet toss or not. Evaluate your decision on the amount of single people present at the ceremony, since you may want to avoid directing all the attention on those only two unmarried friends.

 

• The first dance

The first dance tradition started probably as the least romantic ritual within the ones on this list. It used to be the moment in which the groom would show off his new wife to friends and family members, by dancing around her. Later on, the dance would coincide with the bride being sold by the father to the husband. Yes, apologies if from now on the sweetness of this moment will shift on the dark side. Anyways, we have evolved and the meaning behind the first dance with us. Focus on the tenderness that now connects the new couple in that opening swing, and enjoy your guests eyes of admiration!