13 / May / 2021

Wedding Traditions

Celebrating a wedding is a tradition itself, but every wedding has unique traditions depending on the couple's cultural and religious background and family. Some of them we carry without knowing their origins or the meaning behind them. Here are some wedding traditions and why they are still present in modern celebrations.

Wedding Traditions

White dress

Walking down the aisle in the magnificent white wedding dress was not a tradition until 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. Before that day, brides would wear their best clothing regardless of the color or fabric. Back in the 1700s, white was not the color of choice for brides because it was related to mourning. When a bride from aristocracy was getting married, jewel colors were the most popular. They would display their wealth with jewels and extreme decorations covering almost the entire dress.

When Queen Victoria's wedding day arrived, bridal fashion changed forever. She wanted to portrait a caring image, and she decided to do it by wearing a white wedding gown. As she stepped out of her carriage, the world admired her simple silk wedding gown, along with a wreath of myrtle and orange blossoms topping her head. She paid tribute to the English lace industry, and she reflected her innocence and purity with her choice of color.

Since then, white wedding dresses became the most popular, to the point where we could not ever imagine a bride wearing another color. And while we can see brides wearing unconventional colors or styles, the traditional bride wears a white dress.

Bridal veil

A tradition originated in ancient Rome; the bride would wear a veil to cover her face and protect herself from evil spirits. In more recent times, veils would be a symbol of modesty. And you can now find them in many styles and lengths. You can also find veils in single-tier, two-tier, and even cape styles. Veils are the perfect accessory for your bridal look.

A short veil that covers up to the bustline. It is easy to wear, and you can pull it back once the ceremony is over.
A circular veil of tulle and lace, instead of covering the face it frames it romantically.
As its name suggests, this veil has a length that reaches the bride's fingertip, being a versatile and easy-to-wear veil. It is one of the most popular styles because it suits many wedding dresses.
This veil usually reaches the floor and a bit more, giving you a short trail.
The longest of the veils, a dramatic and statement piece that will make your bridal style step up to royal.

Bridal bouquet

The tradition started more as a superstition than a beautiful accessory. Brides in ancient Rome and Greece would hold aromatic bouquets and included herbs that symbolized the bride's fertility and celebrated the new stage of couple life. By middle age, the bouquet turned into a way to scare evil spirits away, including garlic and dill mostly. The Victorian era arrived with a whole new and romantic meaning. Blooms took symbolism and meaning, and each flower would represent a message. Queen Victoria had myrtle and orange blossoms which royals have used ever since to paid tribute to their heritage.

Bridesmaid's dresses

Bridesmaids were also a way of scaring evil spirits away and avoiding a curse to fall upon the bride. Other women would wear similar attire to confuse the evil spirits and surround the bride when walking down the aisle. Since the spirits could not tell who the bride was, they would leave her alone.

Nowadays, bridesmaids are more than a good luck token. They are the bride's closest friends, and they represent a support system for the bride to be during the planning process. And they no longer dress exactly as the bride, but they still match the overall style of the wedding. A modern approach to bridesmaid dresses lets them choose what flatters each while staying within the same color palette. For more traditional brides, all the bridesmaids wear the same style.

Ring finger

Wearing a ring on the fourth finger of the left hand is a tradition that originated from the belief of a connection between that finger and a vein that runs directly into the heart. But traditions change depending on the location. For example, central and northern European countries wear the ring on the fourth finger of the right hand. In some countries, the engagement ring is worn on the left hand, and when marriage is completed, they translate it along with the wedding band to the right hand.

Something old, something new, something blue, something borrowed.

The four good luck objects every bride must have. Each holds a symbolism and can be incorporated in many creative ways.

It represents where the couple comes from, their heritage, and history. It can be represented by wearing a family jewel or bridal piece.
A symbol of the happy future that waits for the couple. Usually, the wedding dress can be something new.
A color representing love and fidelity, commonly a bride wears an accessory on her hair, a jewelry piece, or detail within her shoes.
This item is borrowed from a happily married couple to pass along their good fortune.

An Argentina tradition.

As we have seen so far, wedding traditions depend on your heritage and culture, and you decide which to incorporate and those you prefer to leave out. And as a plus, we share a typical and unique tradition of Argentina weddings, the ribbon tradition. Instead of tossing the bridal bouquet to find out who is the next lucky lady to tie the knot, the single women of the party are asked to pull a ribbon that hangs out from the wedding cake, and whoever pulls the ribbon with a ring attached to it will be the next bride.