In honor of today’s date (Friday, the 13th), I thought it would be fun to discuss and hopefully demystify some of the crazy myths and superstitions surrounding weddings.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe. Everyone knows that this is a tradition, but many don’t know that this tradition is rooted in a superstition. There are various explanations surrounding this superstition on the web. If you are interested, check them out. I think that this is a fun tradition to follow, but I wouldn’t sweat it if you forget about following it for your wedding. Believe me; you will have enough to worry about.
It’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding. The tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other until the actual wedding ceremony came from the days of arranged marriages. The couple's parents were afraid that if their children saw each other before the wedding, one of them might not be pleased with the other and run away. Thus, it became “bad luck” for the couple to see each other. Arranged marriages still exist in some culture, but the couple does have an opportunity to check each other out beforehand. My take: With more and more weddings featuring so many special elements and events, taking pictures before the actual ceremony would be a nice benefit to the wedding party AND the wedding guests. And seeing each other for the first time privately is so much more emotional than seeing each other for the first time in front of an audience.
The bride is never supposed to practice walking down the aisle during her rehearsal. Apparently, this practice will bring bad luck or evil spirits to the bride. The most popular alternative is to ask a close friend not in the wedding party to be the "Stand in Bride.” As a wedding planner, I find this superstition to be a pain in the “you know what.” It is very important for the bride to know the pace and the placing of the wedding and this cannot be accomplished if she is not participating in the rehearsal.
The numbers connected to your wedding date can be good luck or bad. Remember last year’s July 7th phenomena? Brides and grooms were clamoring to get married on this wedding date filled with lucky numbers! Well, look out because August 8, 2008 will be just as popular. Apparently, the number 8 is considered good luck in the Chinese culture (check out my post from earlier this year).
Have you heard the superstition that states the minute hand on a clock should be going up when you get married? Apparently, exchanging wedding vows as the minute hand is past the 30 minute mark is said to be good luck. As the minutes ascend towards heaven the couple becomes more blessed. My thoughts on this: If you can beat the clock, it’s a nice thing to do. If you can’t, don’t sweat it.
Wedding superstitions that are so crazy, debunking is unnecessary.
Wedding Cake – If a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband. Let’s be straight here – Chances of dreaming of your future husband are minimal only if you met him at the wedding. Place a slice of cake under your pillow, and you should be more concerned about the mound of ants that will be under your pillow when you wake up to the next morning.
Meeting a nun or a monk on your wedding day means that you will not be able to have children – As a Catholic, I find this superstition to be absolutely hilarious. Many devout Catholics will have at least one nun on their wedding guest list, and being barren is not exactly what Catholics are known for. Okay, okay, I am playing to a stereotype here, but that stereotype alone debunks this superstition!
Honeymoon Slumber (The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.) – Ha! Who makes this stuff up! Instead of worrying about who went to sleep first on the wedding night, pay attention to your healthy eating habits, your exercise schedule, your stress level, and your healthcare plan!
It’s a sign of bad luck if it rains on your wedding day. I’ve heard that rain drops on a wedding day means that a bride will cry most of her married life. My take -- Rain is nothing more than, well rain! Let’s face it, no one can predict the future and no one (especially Weathermen) can predict the weather. So, you should pick that wedding date that is suitable for you and your fiancé and not worry about anything that you cannot control. The sunny day isn’t your goal anyhow. Getting married is.
Superstitions are fun things to discuss with your girlfriends on days like today, but as an old married lady, I can tell you that the only thing that you want to be concerned about on your wedding day is the love, respect and happy life that you are about to share with your new spouse.
