Why do brides wear a veil, and bridesmaids come from? From a tossed bouquet to a penny in a shoe, there are a lot of traditions that we include in our modern weddings that look very different from their antiquated origins. Many of these traditions began as far back as ancient Rome, and yet you’ll find that most of our modern traditions did not exist as we know them until as recently as the Victorian era. To get a small glimpse of how these traditions evolved from their origins into the practices we know today, keep reading.

The White Dress

When you think of weddings, chances are one of the first things that come to mind is a stunning white bridal gown. While the white dress has become the standard for modern day wedding attire, this was not always the case. In fact, up until the 1800s brides simply wore the best dress they owned or could borrow, regardless of the color. It wasn’t until Queen Victoria’s wedding to Prince Albert in 1840 when she wowed the masses with her intricately woven white lace gown that the color white became the ideal for bridal attire. A white dress has come to symbolize purity and chastity, but thanks to this tradition’s royal origins it can also symbolize wealth and prosperity. Interestingly, while a white dress may symbolize prosperity in western culture, the same symbology can be found in traditional red wedding dresses in some eastern cultures.

The Veil

Just like the white wedding dress, the veil has become a staple of wedding fashion. This bridal accessory dates back to Roman times when a bride would wear a saffron colored veil to ward off evil spirits. It returned to fashion in the 1800s thanks, again, to Queen Victoria. The veil is thought to symbolize purity, modesty, and humility. While it is used widely as simply an accessory to polish off the bridal look, the veil has more significant meaning to several cultures and religions, including Catholicism and Judaism.  

Something Old, Something New . . .

The old 19th century rhyme from Victorian England, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe,” is one that gets passed around at seemingly every wedding. But why are these five items so important to the wedding tradition? It’s all about good luck and good tidings. “Something old” is usually some sentimental heirloom item passed down from a parent or grandparent, and it represents staying true to who you were pre-marriage, as well remaining connected to your “old” family as you start to build your new one. “Something new” is all about excitement and well wishes for the new life ahead of you. This can be represented by anything bought new for the wedding, often a wedding dress or accessory, but it can also be represented by a gift from the groom or groom’s family as a way of welcoming the bride into their family. “Something borrowed” is represented by an item borrowed from another happily married woman, often a piece of jewelry. The idea behind this is that some of their good luck will transfer to you, adding happiness to your marriage. “Something blue” can be anything – a pair of shoes, a bracelet, embroidery. Blue represents love, fidelity, and purity, qualities which are crucial for a lasting marriage. “A sixpence in your shoe” is the often-forgotten last line to the rhyme, but it is equally as important. Traditionally, the father of the bride presents his daughter with a sixpence – or penny in modern times – as a symbol of prosperity, wishing the couple good fortune as they embark on their marriage together. 

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

While today’s bridesmaids and groomsmen are tasked with standing by the bride and groom to witness and celebrate their marriage, their duties weren’t always so simple. There are several possible origins to these important bridal party members, but all involve providing some form of service to the couple. Groomsmen origins range from the 10 male witnesses required by roman law for a marriage to be legal to the practice of employing a group of “groom’s knights” to steal the bride away, either willingly from a disapproving family or forcibly from an unrequited interest. The origins of bridesmaids are just as their title suggests; they were the attending maids of the bride. Other origin stories include both groups in a protective role, with the bridesmaids dressed identically to the bride to confuse malicious spirits and would-be abductors and the groomsmen standing by the groom to fend off thieves who would try to steal the wedding dowry. Thankfully, today we need no such preventative measures, so the roles of bridesmaid and groomsmen have been simplified to ones of love, support, and honor from the couple’s closest friends and family.

The Bridal Bouquet

Flowers have always been popular for their beauty, sweet scents, and ability to convey passionate feelings from one person to another. They are often used as decor and as gifts, but why are they used as a bridal accessory? The wedding bouquet as we know it in modern times, like many wedding traditions, was popularized by royal weddings during the Victorian era, but it existed in a different form long before that. In ancient Greece and Rome, flowers were used for their medicinal and spiritual value, carried by brides to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Centuries later in medieval times when disease and poor hygiene was rampant, the carrying of flowers served a more practical purpose – to mask foul odors. While we certainly can still appreciate the lovely aroma of a fresh bouquet, we no longer have to rely on it for perfuming purposes and can instead simply enjoy its beauty as an ages-old wedding accessory.