A wedding ceremony today is as important as it was hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. The fact that many people feel weddings are over-commercialised and cost too much money doesn’t stop most couples trying to plan the perfect day. There are so many things to think about during the planning period, that it can seem like an endless to-do list. The stories, traditions and expectations tied up with a wedding can make things even harder.
Wedding etiquette
Books on wedding etiquette sell like hot-cakes. Brides, in particular, want to make sure that they get everything right, and that little details like how the wedding rings are carried, or what the flower girls wear, is absolutely right. Here are some of the things that are expected to be taken in to consideration:- Something old, something new… – this is a tradition that’s believed to date from Victorian times. Each element represents something to the bride, and some brides today follow it religiously, whereas others can take it or leave it. One of the items commonly left off the list of old, new, borrowed and blue is a silver sixpence, which was traditionally placed in the bride’s shoe to bring a wealth of personal and financial security.
- Seeing the dress before the day – this is a common tradition, where seeing the bride’s dress before the day, or seeing the bride on the wedding day, before the ceremony, are both considered to be bad luck. Many brides and grooms go out of their way to avoid this bad luck, although with many couples living together before marriage, it’s becoming harder to achieve.
- Wedding rings – it is now customary for both the bride and groom to wear wedding rings. During the time when many men were involved in manual labour, it was seen as unwise for them to wear a ring because it could easily get lost during the working day. Today, wedding rings remain a symbol of togetherness and much effort is expended on choosing the right rings and making sure they are delivered properly on the day.