Wedding Traditions and Customs

By Lynn Pirozzoli, VP of Hunt Country Celebrations and CEO and Owner of the Black Horse Inn. Acknowledgements to Linda Vaughan Special Affairs LLC, an event planning company. www.special-weddings.com.


Do you ever wonder why a particular wedding custom is practiced? Many couples incorporate customs into their weddings but often do not know the origins of these traditions. Here are some common, and not so well known, customs and traditions:

Wedding Gown Color: The original wedding gown was red. In Chinese culture, red symbolizes luck for the couple. Pakistani brides often wear red on the third day of the wedding celebration, when the marriage rites and ceremony are performed. In Biblical times and during the Middle Ages, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns because it was the traditional color of purity.  Today the color is represented in the practice of “something blue” for the bride on her wedding day. In ancient Greece and later during the Victorian era, white was worn to represent purity and innocence.

Wedding Veil: Originally, Roman brides wore veils. Traditionally, brides were thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits, and it was believed that veils disguised brides and protected them from evil spirits.  In early European times, marriages were arranged and brides were bargained. Once the transaction and ceremony were completed, the marriage was irreversible. Often, the bride’s father would veil her until after the ceremony so that the groom would not see her, just in case he was not pleased with the arrangement.

Bridesmaids, Best Man and Groomsmen: It was once thought that both the bride and groom were vulnerable to forces of evil; therefore, the best man’s duty was to protect the groom on his way to the church. Groomsmen and bridesmaids were dressed in attire similar to the bride and groom in order to confuse the evil spirits until after the ceremony took place.

Wedding Flowers: Traditionally, the bridal bouquet had different flowers, each with special significance (i.e. roses for love, lilies for virtue).  In ancient marriages, the brides carried herbs beneath their veils to symbolize fidelity. Greek brides carried ivy as a symbol of never-ending love. Orange blossoms, the world-renowned wedding flower, were chosen by the Spaniards to represent happiness and fulfillment, because the orange tree flowers and bears fruit at the same time. During earlier times of “primitive marriage,” when the fear of demons was common, brides carried stinking garlands of herbs and spices for the purpose of frightening off evil spirits.

Jumping the Broom: This is an African American tradition that began during slavery when couples were not allowed to marry. The couple would hold hands and jump together over a decorated broom.  If they could jump and land together, it signified their marriage would last. Today, many African American couples still jump the broom after they are pronounced husband and wife and before the recessional.

Ring Finger/Wedding Ring: Egyptians believed the Vein Amoris or “Vein of Love” ran from the heart to the third finger of the left hand. The diamond was a popular gem for the wedding rings of the ancient Greeks because they believed that the stones were teardrops of the Gods and reflected the flames of love.