Traditions of
Wedding Accessories
Did you know that there are customs and traditions for all of your wedding accessories?
Here are a few wedding accessory customs that you may not have been aware of. JEWELRY Giving the bride a strand of pearls is a fairly recent wedding custom. In the past, pearls were avoided in weddings because they were thought to resemble tears. Victorian brides could only wear jewelry on their wedding day that was given to them by the groom. FAVORS In the past brides would decorate their wedding gowns with colored ribbons that were called favours. These ribbons signified the faithfulness of the wedding. This is where "tying the knot" came from. Today, some brides will tie ribbons onto their wedding bouquet. Some will even attach little charms with pictures of their loved ones onto the ribbons. GARTERS When garters were worn by women to hold up their stockings, part of the wedding celebration was the groom's friends attempting to snatch a garter from the bride. Some brides, who didn't like this practice, would throw their own garter. Now days, the garter is the traditional "something blue" worn by most brides and the modern wedding accessory custom is for the groom to throw the garter at the reception. The lucky person who catches it should prepare to be the next to marry. SHOES Shoes symbolize authority and possession. At one time, shoes were even exchanged to seal a bargain. In Greece, the groom gives the bride a new pair of shoes. There is also, an old superstition that evil spirits fear leather. This is where the wedding custom of tying old shoes to the back of the newlyweds' car came from. THE WEDDING VEIL It is believed that it is bad luck to try on a veil before a wedding or to let another woman try on your veil before your wedding. If the bride looks at herself in a mirror before the wedding, while she is wearing her veil, the marriage will be unhappy. Even on the wedding day, it is believed the veil should not be put on until just before walking down the aisle. In the past women would pass their wedding veils down from generation to generation. This is where the saying "something borrowed" came from. It was believed that the good fortune and fertility of the previous wearer would be passed on to the bride who wore the veil next.
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