Where Our Wedding Traditions Began

A lot of our wedding traditions are based on international customs that have made their way into our culture and our modern ceremonies. In an attempt to bring luck to the new couple and to ward off evil or bad luck, a number of traditions have developed.

The custom of releasing white doves is based on an Armenian tradition where two white doves were set free, one to symbolize love and the other happiness. The "money dance" where guests pay to dance with the bride or groom, is based on a Polish tradition, ensuring that the new couple has money to fund their honeymoon. And, in Spain, wedding guests performed a special dance at the reception before presenting their gifts to the bride.

Symbols of love, happiness, good luck, prosperity and fertility are prevalent in weddings. The wedding cake started as an ancient Romans tradition and is a fertility symbol. Traditionally it was made of wheat or barley and broken over the bride's head as a symbol of her fertility. Several small cakes were piled up, one on top of the other, as high as possible. the newlyweds would kiss over the towering cakes trying not to knock it all down, their prosperity resting on the outcome. Eventually the cake became the tiered cakes of today, symbolizing the the joining of the bride and groom’s body.

The all important ring represents the promise of eternal love by joining the bride and groom together. It was believed that the fourth finger on the right hand has a direct connection to the heart, thus the wedding band is placed on that finger, confirming the commitment.

The tossing of the garter belt by the bride to the single men and bridal bouquet to the single women, is meant to pass along the good fortune in finding love the bride and groom have experienced, to the lucky ones who catch them, in their circle of friends. Traditionally, if the bride took too long to toss the garter belt, and the wedding guests were particularly rowdy, she ran the risk of them attempting to take the garter off for her. The bouquet was a mixture of flowers and herbs, including dill, which was believed to increase lust. After the ceremony, the dill was to be eaten. The bride also ran the risk of having pieces of her clothing and bouquet torn off her by guests trying to obtain the luck of the bouquet.

The throwing of rose petals before the advancement of the bride down the aisle was meant to ward of evil spirits and the throwing of confetti or rice is a wish for prosperity and a "fruitful" union.

The decorating of the wedding car with the trailing cans developed from the symbolism and importance of shoes in Egyptian times. Sandals were exchanged as a part of normal trade deals, and when a father gave his daughter to the groom. Anglo Saxon grooms would tap the heels of the brides shoes to show authority over her and this developed into shoes being tossed at the couple after the exchanging of vows. This developed into typing shoes to the bumper of the wedding car...which eventually turned into cans instead of shoes.

And finally, the groom carrying the bride over the threshold was to keep her from walking into evil spirits.

Some other traditional and interesting beliefs are:

In England, it is good luck for a bride on her way to the church, to be kissed by a chimney sweep. However, it is bad luck for any one to use the brides married name before the actual marriage.

An early American tradition had the bride pinning a small pouch containing bread, cloth, wood and a dollar bill to her wedding petticoat. This symbolized luck in food, clothing, shelter and money for the couple.

Some South Africans symbolized the prosperous beginning of the new couples home with the parents of both the bride and groom carrying a fire from their homes, to the new couples home, to start a new fire in the new household. 

Because ducks and geese mate for life, they were used in Japanese processionals as a symbol of fidelity.