Wedding Traditions and Superstitions

Stag Parties
Stag parties were first held by ancient soldiers, who kissed their bachelor days goodbye with a raucous party before they wed.

Some interesting trivia - the word “bride” is an old English word meaning “cook.” Take that as you will!

Wedding Superstitions
Travelling to the church on the wedding day can be hazardous! The bride should be on the lookout for lucky omens. If she spots a rainbow or is bathed in a ray of sunshine she is in luck. Meeting a black cat or a chimney sweep are equally good news to her. If she stumbles upon a pig, hare or lizard running across the road she’s thought to be receiving the evil eye. Luckily, bar a few farmhouse weddings that’s not something we usually have to worry about! Stay away from cemeteries on your route to the church if possible as seeing an open grave is also a bad omen. Make sure you don't run into any Monks or Nuns either, because they are supposed to foretell a life of barrenness and dependence on charity.

It is thought unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as hers. “To change the name and not the letter, Is to change for the worst and not the better”.

Nervous butterfingers on the wedding day are an absolute no! If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is thought doomed.

Certain days are better than others for a wedding. It’s believed lucky to marry on a day during the week that the groom was born. The luckiest day to marry is on the groom’s actual birthday.

The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall, as it is seen as a bad omen if the bride should stumble. Hence the custom of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold.