Wedding Traditions and Superstitions

A Silver Sixpence in her Shoe
is to wish the bride wealth. Some brides still place a penny in their shoe during the marriage ceremony.

If the bride helps to make her own wedding dress, lore states that this will bring her bad luck. Worse, if she rips her wedding dress on the day, it is believed to mean that the marriage will end in death.

Don’t worry ladies of Australia with our national abundance of 8 legged friends; it is considered good luck if the bride finds a spider in her wedding gown!

Wearing a pearl on the wedding day is said to bring bad luck and tears throughout the marriage

Dolling up the bridesmaids
is to fool the evil spirits, so they will not know which of the party the bride is.

The Garter
In rouggh 14th century society, is was customary for the bride to toss her garter to the men,  but sometimes they got a little too tipsy, and would become impatient and try to take the garter off her early. Today the groom traditionally removes the garter from the bride and throws it to the unmarried men. The man who catches it is thought to be the next to marry. At some weddings the man who catches the garter will place it on the leg of the lady who caught the bouquet or they may start the next dance. The garter is placed on the brides right leg, just above the knee.

Pieces of the bridal attire were considered lucky. In order to obtain this fortune, spectators would try to tear away pieces of the bride's clothing and flowers. In an attempt to get away, the bride would toss her bouquet into the crowd.

The Bouquet
The bride would throw the bouquet to the guests at the wedding and the single woman who catches the bouquet is believed to be the next to marry.

Carrying a horseshoe or a bouquet in the shape of one is considered lucky for the bride, but only if the horseshoe is carried with the open end up so the luck does not ‘tip out’.