Something Old – Wedding Traditions and Why We Have Them
Wedding traditions and their meanings
Many wedding traditions have been around for centuries — we all know typical wedding traditions such as having something old, new, borrowed and blue but many of us don’t actually know where they came from. So we’re taking a closer look at a few key wedding traditions.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Something old is representative of the bride’s past. By having something old with her on her wedding day, she is acknowledging her past life and bringing a piece of that into her future. Something old is often some kind of keepsake, such as a treasured piece of jewellery.
Something new represents the new life the bride is about to begin and is a little token to acknowledge the hope and happiness she is about to explore in her new married life. The bride’s wedding dress is often her ‘something new’.
Something borrowed is traditionally meant to come from a married woman — who is ‘lending’ the new bride a bit of her marital happiness, The borrowed item is often a piece of jewellery or even a tiara that can be worn on the big day.
Something blue is to represent fidelity and loyalty that is being brought into the marriage. The ‘something blue’ is often something fun like a garter or even blue nail varnish.
Tying the Knot
The phrase tying the knot goes back to Roman times when the bride would wear a girdle tied into knots which the groom would then untie on the wedding night.
Giving Away the Bride
Giving away the bride goes back to the roots of the bride being her father’s property and he would pass her onto her new husband. However, in modern times, being walked down the aisle represents the bride moving on from being with her family to starting a new life with her new husband.
Wedding Bells
The sound of wedding bells is traditionally meant to scare away the evil spirits. After the bride and groom have said ‘I do’, the church bells will ring, warding off any evil spirits and preparing the couple for a happy life together
Throwing Confetti
The throwing of confetti is a tradition that comes from Pagan times where the happy couple would be showered in rice to wish them a fruitful life together. Many venues now have strict rules on confetti and biodegradable versions are often now used.
