Wedding Traditions - Wedding CustomsCurtesy of Nikki Dettmar
Something Old - Signifies a sense of continuity, tradition and represents the link to the bride's old life and her family. Nikki: the 1897 sixpence
Something New -
Signifies the couple's new beginning, new life together as well as their hope for the future. Nikki: the wedding dress
Something Borrowed -
Borrow something from a happily married friend or family. To wish you that your married life will mirror the happiness in her marriage, Brides can borrow Jewelry or a handkerchief from a family member or close friend. Nikki:
the sixpence from Nikki's aunt
Something Blue -
Blue represents fidelity, love, and purity. Nikki: the toss garter with a blue ribbon & the blue embroidery on the handkerchief
And a Lucky Sixpence in her shoe- Signifies wealth both financial wealth and a wealth of happiness and joy.
This is an ancient custom to appease Diana, goddess of chastity and unmarried maidens, so that the bride could lose her virginity and bear children.
A lucky sixpence in your shoe encures a life of fortune. The sixpence first became known as a lucky coin then introduced by king Edward VI of England in 1551 and later became part of bridal wedding traditions in the Victorian era.
Nikki: "*ahem* Nikki had a plethora of coins in her shoes, an 1897 sixpence with Queen Victoria, a 1963 sixpence with Queen Elizabeth given to her by Craig & a borrowed sixpence from her Aunt Susie (she had it in her shoe on her wedding day and every couple who has borrowed it for their wedding has remained happily married).
Something Old, Something New
Something Special Just For You
The Bridesmaids Ribbon Pull - A wedding event called a "ribbon pull" is traditional to Victorian weddings. A sterling silver charm is purchased for each of the bridesmaids and engraved with a wish for the future such as; next to marry, lucky in life, hope, adventure etc... Each charm is tied to a ribbon or a silver necklace chain. The baker places the charms between layers of the wedding cake as it is being assembled. Before the bride and groom share the first slice of cake, the bridesmaids gather so that each can pull one ribbon, claiming a "ribbon pull" that holds the promise of her future. Today, many couples offer the Ribbon pull at the rehearsal dinner so the bridesmaids may wear the charms at the wedding.
Why Is There a Sprig of Live Ivy in the Bouquet for the Ceremony?- Ivy symbolizes eternal fidelity & wedded bliss. A popular Victorian tradition was for a bride to plant the ivy in her bouquet after the wedding and watch it grow through the years, passing down sprigs from the same plant for her daughters & granddaughters to use in their weddings.
Why a Bridal Handkerchief? - Early farmers thought a bride’s wedding tears were lucky and brought them rain for their crops. Later on in history, a crying bride meant that she would never shed another tear about her marriage.
Nikki: Nikki's bridal handkerchief originally belonged to her Grandma Dot.
What Is That Weird Pouch Hanging Off The Garter? - Another lesser-known Victorian wedding tradition involved small bags with a bit of bread and cloth and wood and coin to protect against shortages of food, clothing, shelter and money, with a lump of sugar to bring sweetness all the married life. Nikki has a corner of the infamous multipurpose buttbow from her dress fastened to her garter with a beautiful cameo found in a mixture of jewelry from her mother's side of the family. The coin is a rare $2 1/2 gold coin from her Grandma Dot; the lump of sugar is a Valentine's candy heart with '2000 Hugs' stamped on it.
Why a wedding ring? - We hear of wedding ring as early as the Bible. When Abraham sent his servant to bring a wife for his son Issac, the servant gave her a gold ring and bracelets as he asked her to accompany him and marry Issac.
By its round shape, the wedding ring symbolizes the circle of life and its wholeness and since it has neither beginning nor end, undying, unending love. The metal symbolizes the permanence of marriage while gold with it's lasting qualities stands for beauty and purity. In Jewish tradition, the ring must be plain and belong to the groom.
What is the white aisle runner for? -
The white aisle runner, signifies purity and a pathway into happiness. sprinkled with rose petals the bride's path lead her to a sweet and happy future.
Why is the ceremony sealed with a kiss? -
the kiss symbolizes two souls mingling into one. This announces that the bride and groom are united.
The bridal Bouquet -
Wedding bouquets were originally made of such strong herbs as thyme and garlic, which were meant to frighten away evil spirits.
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