Something old, something new...
Weddings are about the start of a new life together and many couples look for new ideas to make their day stand out from the crowd. In the middle of all that fashion and trends you cannot ignore centuries of tradition and symbolism, they are there in your dress, your flowers, your cake...
Here is the low-down on traditions behind many favourite UK wedding customs, you can, of course, interpret ideas from other world cultures and customs too!
Wedding dress
Brides have always worn a special dress, in previous years many wore their best dress with only the rich affording a new dress for their wedding but today it is the most important and enjoyable decision most brides make! Since Victorian times white has been the traditional colour as Queen Victoria wore a white dress. White represents purity.The bride's veil
In Roman times brides wore a veil to help disguise them and fool evil spirits and bridesmaids wore similar dresses to the bride to keep away those dastardly evil spirits! It may also be that in the days of arranged marriages the veil meant the groom could not see the bride until it was too late! Hmmm, not sure about that one.
Flowers
Flowers are rich with symbolism with each flowers having a meaning and even the different colours of roses symbolising different qualities. Some argue that a bride carries her bouquet as she does as a symbolic protecting of her chastity and the groom's corsage made with a flower from the bride's bouquet may stem from days when knights wore an item of his lady's colour on his armour. It's also been suggested that our pongy ancestors carried flowers to disguise the smell coming from brides in a time when people often had only 1 bath a year!Confetti
In previous centuries guests showered the bride and groom with rice, grains or flower petals and many environment-conscious 21st century guests are using these again instead of paper. Confetti comes from the Italian word for sweets, guests in Italy throw sweets instead.Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
This well-known wedding saying has many obvious interpretations with today's brides often hiding a blue ribbon in their garter or dress. Historically blue represented fidelity and brides of Bible times and countries wore a blue bow in their hair.Wedding rings
Another ancient wedding custom, the ring symbolises unbreakable and eternal love, worn on the 3rd finger of the left hand as it was thought a main vein ran from this finger to the heart.The ceremony
Traditionally the bride stands to the left of the groom during the ceremony - in the past this meant the groom or knight had his right hand free to draw his sword and fight off other men who wanted his bride.
Wedding cake
The tradition of wedding cakes traces back to the Romans though in those days they tended to be thrown at the couple rather than eaten! The last thing you'll want to do with your gorgeous cake is throw it but the tiered fruit cake dates from the Victorians who saved the top tier for the christening of the 1st child.Bridal favours
Traditionally the bride has given 5 sugared almonds to each guest to symbolise health, wealth, happiness, fertility and a long life together. These attributes come from an ancient Greek tale and today brides are imaginative in giving a range of treats from chocolates and lollipops to all kinds of creative ideas.Shoes
All you girlie shoe-lovers will be pleased to know shoes have a close association with weddings! The Tudors threw shoes at the couple as they departed and it was considered lucky if the shoe you threw hit their carriage. In the last 100 years guests tied old shoes to the back of the couple's car as they left - a slightly fading custom that Wills and Kate have perhaps revived?Honeymoon
The word itself stems from medieval times when often the bride was captured by the groom and they had to hide for a cycle of the moon whilst drinking mead or honey wine. More romantic than snatching a couple of days away maybe....Thank you to Scarborough wedding photographer Richard Wood Photography who own the copyright for the photos on this page.