The past is a strange nation where things are done differently. And probably no better example of this can be found than in old wedding traditions. They’re either strange, entrenched in illogical etiquette, or, in some circumstances, outright hazardous. Sure, a Regency or Tudor-style wedding is lovely, but wait till you learn what ladies of that era had to do…
19 Old Wedding Customs That No Bride Today Would Ever Do
1. Making An Announcement In The Newspaper
“One may as well be single if the wedding is not to be printed,” Jane Austen reportedly said in a letter to her niece. That is, place a notice in the newspaper and make sure everyone in the community knows you’re getting married. This has certainly changed a lot since Jane’s time, albeit many people now make a statement on social media instead.
1. Making An Announcement In The Newspaper
2. Hide In A Veil
It was completely conceivable for a man to sign up for marriage without even seeing his desired wife back in the day. That’s where the veil comes in: it hides the woman’s face so the man can’t see her, protecting against a scenario in which he decides he doesn’t like her looks and backs out at the last minute. Fortunately, that’s one less thing to be concerned about these days.
2. Hide In A Veil
3. Inserting A Lucky Coin Into Your Shoes
Brides used to put a silver sixpence in their shoe, generally presented to them by their father, to bring them good luck on their wedding day. Blisters are another option. The original finish to the rhyme “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” was “and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
3. Inserting A Lucky Coin Into Your Shoes
4. Avoiding Your Furry Friend
This is not for dog lovers. It was considered bad luck in Ireland for a dog to lick either the bride or groom — or both — prior to the wedding. However, many people nowadays consider their pets to be family members and would find that idea absurd. You can even include the man’s best buddy at your wedding nowadays!
4. Avoiding Your Furry Friend
5. Carrying The Bride Over The Threshold
As a result, this custom has a sad history. The home’s threshold was once thought to be a dangerous location where evil spirits may attach themselves to you and bring you bad luck for the rest of your life. A groom would take his wife into their new home to avoid a marriage being ruined from the start by those bothersome demons. This ritual is still practiced today, but most people are unaware of its origins.
5. Carrying The Bride Over The Threshold
6. Never Get Married On A Saturday
Isn’t Saturday an excellent day for a wedding? Because it is the weekend, many individuals will not be working. A bride from yesteryear, on the other hand, would have been frightened at the entire concept, because marrying on a Saturday was considered extremely unlucky. An old rhyme indicated that the greatest day to be married was actually Wednesday.
6. Never Get Married On A Saturday
7. Watching Out For Nuns And Monks
If a bride crosses the path of a monk or nun on her wedding day, she will be cursed with a barren womb, according to old folklore. Why? Apparently, because those who devote their lives to God are not allowed to have children, the bride who sees such a person on her wedding day will not be able to either. Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? So invite as many nuns and monks as you like to your wedding.
7. Watching Out For Nuns And Monks
8. Sawing A Log In Half
Here’s a lovely traditional German tradition. The practice of having the bride and groom saw logs together at the wedding to symbolize that they are now a team is known as Baumstamm sägen. You can still do this in some areas if you wish, but to be honest, most people don’t want sawdust on their wedding gowns.
8. Sawing A Log In Half
9. Not Getting Married To Someone From A Different Social Class
It’s an old story: a rich girl falls in love with a poor boy or vice versa, but social class divides them. That is exactly how it was in prior centuries. Others in your community would most certainly shun you if you married someone, not of your “rank.”
9. Not Getting Married To Someone From A Different Social Class
10. Shunning Green Dresses
Ireland has some amazing strange wedding traditions, one of which involves the color most commonly associated with the country: green. Not only could the bride not wear green because an old rhyme said it would make her “ashamed to be seen,” but guests couldn’t too because it might enrage the fairies.
10. Shunning Green Dresses
11. Remaining Quiet If You’re A Woman
Yes, this was a wedding rule in the good old days. Only men were permitted to make toasts, therefore the groom, the father of the bride, and the best man may all speak, but not the newlywed. Needless to say, not many people are still following this one.
11. Remaining Quiet If You’re A Woman
12. Having To Wed In The Morning
Regency-era marriages were, however, somewhat drab affairs. You simply showed up in the church with a few guests, read some prayers, and that was about it. Oh, but you also had to accomplish all of this in the morning. Weddings were only permitted between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
12. Having To Wed In The Morning
13. Having Rice Thrown At You
Tossing rice over the bride and groom was a time-honored practice for a long time. But not any longer! A few decades ago, a story spread that eating leftover rice killed birds, and while this was not true, it was enough to put an end to the practice. To be fair, most venues don’t want people throwing rice in the first place because it takes forever to clean up.
13. Having Rice Thrown At You
14. Making Your Bridesmaids Wear White
This practice has its roots in, you guessed it, a dread of bad spirits. They might try to kidnap the bride on her wedding day, thus the bridesmaids’ task is to “confuse” them by wearing the same color as the bride. That sounds far riskier than simply planning a bachelorette party.
14. Making Your Bridesmaids Wear White
15. Picking A Best Man For His Sword-Fighting Skills
Nowadays, the best man is merely a friend of the groom. Heck, there’s even the finest woman on occasion! However, in the distant past, the best man also served as a security guard. The best warrior with the biggest sword was picked to protect the bride and groom from kidnappers and robbers.
15. Picking A Best Man For His Sword Fighting Skills
16. Never Dropping The Ring
Everyone had to be extra careful not to drop the ring during an Irish wedding ceremony since if they did, the ritual would have to start all over again. Ignoring this guideline signified bad luck, thus the bride and groom would have been wise not to choose clumsy or frightened attendants.
16. Never Dropping The Ring
17. Not Marrying In May
Superstitious brides, of which there were plenty, would not have weddings in May. “Marry in May, rue the day,” as the ancient adage went, and no one wanted to ignore such a warning. Because the month was named after Juno, the goddess of marriage, marrying in June was thought nicer.
17. Not Marrying In May
18. No Knives As Presents
Except for the cake-cutting knife, it goes without saying that no knives should be used during the wedding, but this restriction truly refers to wedding gifts. Getting a knife as a wedding gift was once thought to be a sign that your partnership would soon be severed. So, if you get a set of kitchen knives, you must give the giver a penny to make it appear as if you bought them instead.
18. No Knives As Presents
19. Choosing Only Fragrant Flowers
Too many strongly perfumed flowers can be overpowering… yet that’s what the medieval woman had to carry on her wedding day. Because no one had access to baths or bothered to bathe, the flowers hid, well, the odor. The flowers were also considered to fend off evil spirits as an added bonus, but the odor was probably the main concern.
19. Choosing Only Fragrant Flowers