Ever wonder where the saying, “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” came from? Been curious about what types of wedding customs someone from a different culture has on their wedding day? Well, then this post is for you! We’ve chosen to highlight a few different countries and some of their wedding customs in case you want to incorporate some from your heritage into your special day!
English Customs
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” This saying comes from an old Victorian poem. It was said that it would be good luck for the bride to have an item that represented all of these things on her wedding day during the ceremony. Traditionally, the bride would have one item to represent it all (such as a borrowed blue handkerchief from her Grandmother that would be “new to her,” yet still old). Now, many brides have one item for each category on their wedding day to keep the tradition going!
Finnish Customs
One of the traditions that I found the most unique about this culture has to do with a china plate and a dance for the bride and groom. The bride’s mother-in-law will sometimes place a china plate on the bride’s head. At this point, the bride and groom perform a waltz. When the plate falls, the guests collect the pieces and count them. The number of broken pieces is supposed to represent the number of children the couple will have!
Polish Customs
When the newlywed couple arrives to the reception site, the parents of both bride and groom greet them with a loaf of bread and salt. The bread symbolizes prosperity while the salt symbolizes the hardships in life. The parents then wish that the couple will never go hungry and will learn to deal with life’s hardships together, forever and always.
Indian Customs
Oftentimes, the bride will wear a traditional red sari on her wedding day. She will also have her hands and feet adorned with henna (as pictured below)!
Filipino Customs
There are a couple of bad luck superstitions that surround their wedding day. The first is that it is considered bad luck if two siblings, usually sisters, are married within the same year. The second is that it is bad luck if the rings are dropped on the ground. This is usually told to a child ring bearer to ensure that they do not drop the rings while walking down the aisle!
Brazilian Customs
At the end of the reception, oftentimes the bride and groom will give their guests a sweet called “bem casado” (well married). This is similar to the favor tradition in the U.S. Also, Brazilian women will sometimes write their names on the inside of the bride’s dress to offer the couple good fortune. It also is supposed to help the bride’s unmarried friends to find husbands!
These are just a few of many traditions that occur in a couple cultures around the world. What’s your favorite wedding culture? Share with us something special that you and your loved one are doing for your wedding day! We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
