wedding traditions & symbols

There is an ancient saying we are sure you have all heard which dates back to the Victorian era and goes as follows; ‘something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’. ‘And a silver sixpence for her shoe’ is an ending to this saying that is not commonly known. There are reasons behind each item in the saying which we have explained below:

Something Old:
This is a way of showing the link between the bride and her family. The bride will commonly choose an old family heirloom such as a piece of her grandmother’s jewelry to wear on her wedding day.

Something New:
The new item of the bride’s is often her dress and it represents the start of a new chapter of her life.

Something Borrowed:
This item acts as a way of reminding the bride that although she is moving on in her life, she will always have her friends and family’s love and support. This item is usually given by a happily married friend or relative.

Something Blue:
The colour blue is said to be a symbol of purity. A grater is the item most commonly used as the bride’s something blue.

African Colours:
Traditionally, vibrant African patterns and colours such as red, black and green are often incorporated into the wedding attire.

The Veil:
The wedding veil symbolizes modesty and privacy and is often said to warn off evil spirits. Another purpose for wearing the veil was that for arranged marriages, the bride’s face should remain covered until the groom had absolutely committed to the marriage.

Where to stand:
The bride is supposed to stand to the left of the groom. This is to allow the groom to draw his sword to protect his bride from an attacker.

The Unity Candle:
This originates from the tradition of the parents of the wedding couple carrying embers from their own hearth to light the hearth of the couple. In more modern times however, two candles either side of a large candle known as the Unity Candle are lit by each set of parents at the wedding ceremony. After the vows have been said, the couple would each take a candle, and light the Unity Candle themselves. This symbolizes the couple each taking the light of their single lives, and combining it to start a new, brighter flame as a married couple.

Confetti:
Rice was originally thrown at the couple after they were married to help encourage fertility. Nowadays however, rice has been replaced with tiny pieces of paper in wedding themed shapes known as confetti.

Wedding bouquet:
This is an old tradition that has been carried down through history. First introduced in America, the bride would throw her bouquet over her shoulder into a crowd of waiting guests. The person to catch it would be next one to marry.

Wedding gifts:
Guests would originally bring fruit to a wedding to also encourage fertility. This has now been replaced by gifts.

Favours:
Guests are given favours at the reception of a wedding as a way of taking something away to remind them of the wedding day.

The threshold:
This custom was originally a way of protecting the bride from any evil spirits that may be hiding in the couples’ new home.