Wedding Superstitions
Getting married is both one of the most wonderful and one of the most stressful times of your life. From the moment you say 'yes' life becomes a whirlwind of planning – in fact, planning IS your life! Let's see....
Your evenings and weekends, formally filled with Netflix and Chill, are now devoted to:
poring over wedding magazines and websites
touring bridal exhibitions and potential venues
printing save-the-dates, invites, and chasing RSVPs
choosing a theme (really?)
finding 'THE' dress
choosing bridesmaids and their dresses
approving (and/or amending) hubby-to-be's choice of groomsmen
meeting with cake makers, florists, celebrants, and dressmakers
organising caterers and entertainment
wrangling the guest list and the dreaded seating plan
writing vows...
and that's nothing compared to making sure you've included every last one of the current wedding day trends: the lolly buffet, photo booth, cute little signs, the most in-vogue favours and so on. Exhausted yet?
Surely it hasn't always been this way? Of course not! Over the last couple of hundred years marketing campaigns have undoubtedly realised the commercial value of an emotional sell, and there are few sells more emotional than a wedding! After all, doesn't every bride want the perfect day? New 'traditions' are constantly created as brides feel obliged to compete with celebrity ceremonies, and old traditions vie with superstitions to keep every anxious bride second-guessing her choices! Let's take a look at some of these traditions and superstitions...
Don’t buy your wedding ring on a Friday! Friday the 13th is a notoriously unlucky day, and superstitious brides (and grooms!) hoping for the perfect marriage are not taking any chances. Buying your wedding rings on a Friday (even if not the 13th) could tie a little bit of bad luck into your knot, whereas Monday is good for wealth, Tuesday for health and Wednesday for happiness.
Don’t borrow jewellery from anyone in an unhappy marriage!
With the tradition of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” it can be tempting to satisfy the “borrowed” part with a piece of jewellery, particularly if that piece holds a special sentimental value for you or a family member. But before you dash over to Great-Aunt Aggie’s to borrow that perfect little brooch, pause a moment and reflect. Did Great-Aunt Aggie have a wonderful marriage? I sure hope she did, but if you happen to borrow from someone in an unhappy marriage you could also be borrowing their bad luck. Instead, find someone with the kind of happy marriage you envy and borrow something of theirs!
Pearls are for tears!
But don’t worry, the good or bad for this one depends on you! If you are a happy and positive bride pearls are for tears of joy, and the pearls you wear on your wedding day will take the place of any real tears of sorrow you might otherwise shed during your marriage.
Something Blue...
In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness. (Let's not talk about Lady Diana's engagement ring...)
Don’t try on your full wedding outfit before the big day!
This is a tricky one because we ALL want to see how perfectly everything goes together; dress, shoes, jewellery etc. … we can’t wait! Unfortunately, according to superstition, it’s tempting fate to wear your full bridal attire before your wedding day – after all, you are only supposed to wear it once! To get around this you could leave a single stitch open on your wedding dress (effectively making it ‘incomplete’) which can be sewn up again on the day, or leave off one stocking. Don’t drop the rings! Dropping the ring during the wedding ceremony is considered extremely bad luck, so take a deep breath to calm those jittery nerves, get that ring on your finger and hold on tight!!
Don’t take these superstitions too seriously!
If Friday is the only day you can make it to the jewellers, or your best man is a bag of nerves and the ring rolls under the altar, don’t fear that your marriage is doomed. All superstitions can be dismissed with a smile and a positive thought, and if you’re marrying your Mr or Mrs Right then there’s nothing that can go wrong. Good luck!
Next week: "Birthstones for the Days of the Week" Did you know you have an extra birthstone for which day of the week you were born? Our next article will tell you all about them!
