Wedding Trends
4 Popular Wedding Superstitions for Modern Brides
Aug
When it comes to tradition-filled occasions such as weddings, there are several wedding superstitions which are followed by brides and grooms to bring their union good luck. Get to know the four most popular wedding superstitions and the reason behind each one of them. Find out how modern brides and grooms are still keeping the tradition alive but in a creative way that is fitting today’s modern time.
It does not matter if we are currently living in the New Age with extremely fast internet connection and ultra-intelligent smartphones, superstitions can still stand the test of time. Just like family heirlooms, wedding superstitions are passed down from one generation to another.
Popular wedding superstitions for the bride can be traced back to this famous traditional rhyme:
“Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
And a sixpence in her shoe.”
Tracing back from 1898, the rhyme has made its way from the UK to the US and even to the Australian weddings of today. It is believed that the bride should follow all the said superstitions to have good luck for her wedding day and for the marriage she is about to enter into. Each line represents a description of an item of clothing or object that the bride should have during her wedding day.
The first line of something old is seen to provide a kind of protection to the coming baby of the newlyweds. Something Borrowed, especially from another happy bride, is meant to bring good fortune while the blue item is a symbol of fidelity and loyalty. The last line bearing a sixpence in the bride’s shoe was believed to bring prosperity and to ward off any evil thoughts or ill wishes done by any frustrated suitors towards the bride.
Popular Wedding Traditions for Modern Brides
Today, these wedding superstitions still hold their popularity among the younger brides and newlyweds. Even in movies and TV series, brides usually have to accomplish completing all four items before the wedding day itself. The sixpence in the shoe part might not have made the cut but the four somethings of the bride are taken as time-honoured traditions in between generations of brides and mothers-of-the-bride.
Modern interpretations of the traditional English rhyme are more about the bride’s own creative personality rather than having good luck or prosperity. It has become part of the exciting ritual in each bride’s wedding day, as family and friends are simply excited to find out what were the imaginative items used. Also, brides love to feature significant items which have a deeper meaning and hold a personal connection on her most special day. Similar to the wedding decorations, wedding stationery, and the other elements of the day, these little details create personal touches which make the wedding day even more memorable.
For example, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton might have had a traditional wedding but her Something Old was not any ordinary brooch or handkerchief. Her wedding gown’s traditional Carrickmacross lace was her something old and it is a worthy ode to the colourful heritage of the past indeed.
Brides of today can take their mother’s wedding dress and have it revamped to fit a more contemporary style without losing the dress’ original soul – which makes for a perfect something old for the wedding day.
The tricky part is always with the something blue, but modern brides are getting more and more courageous with bold blue streaks in their hair or simply donning electric blue sneakers for a comfy bridal march and first dance. For a more subtle approach, the bridal bouquet may be tied with blue ribbons or wrapped with beads, or simple small blue flowers may be incorporated into the bunch. But when all else fails, embroidering a hint of blue at the lining of the wedding dress still works wonders for brides who would wish to be in all white.
How about you? What are you planning for your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?
