Wedding Traditions- Where They Come From

wedding traditionsWhen planning a wedding, you can choose elements from both the traditional and the modern. Many choose to incorporate certain rituals into the big day because of family, culture or faith influences. However, most people in contemporary times don’t realize that many of our common wedding traditions began long ago – and are still going strong. On the other hand, many superstitions that were once widely accepted are no longer of concern to modern day couples.

wedding traditions

Flowers have long been an important part of ceremonies and special occasions of all kinds. In the past, floral arrangements were chosen to represent a specific emotion, or to guarantee the couple the best of luck. For example, orange blossoms have a rich symbolism representing purity and chastity; and orchids beauty and refinement. On the other hand, for much of history red and white flowers would never be paired together; the hues evoked images of blood and violence, and were considered very bad luck.

wedding traditions

Did you know? Another way to guarantee good luck on your wedding day is for the groom to pin a flower from his bride’s bouquet to his lapel.

There are many superstitions that have pervaded wedding planning for centuries, and the bride’s attire carries a lot of it. It was once commonly believed a bride should never wear her completed dress before the wedding; therefore any fitting prior to the ceremony would require that the seamstress leave stitches undone. Too this day, many couples still acknowledge the custom of the groom not seeing the dress until he sees his bride walking down the aisle. Once upon a time, the bride to be was often so afraid of exposing the marriage to bad luck that a “stand-in bride” would walk down the aisle during rehearsals. The wedding veil itself was another attempt to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, as it was thought to protect the bride from anything that would attack her.

wedding traditions

Tradition permeates wedding planning, and whether you adhere to old traditions or opt for something more modern, Billy Heroman’s is here to help you create the perfect floral arrangements and bouquets to tell your story.