Once you start planning your wedding, it’s fun to research various wedding traditions and superstitions from around the world.  Maybe you want a ceremony that matches your culture or the culture of your spouse-to-be. Perth is such a cosmopolitan city and we have a wonderful mix of cultures here on which we can draw inspiration. Maybe you want to integrate some fun and interesting elements into your special day just to make for interesting memories and wedding photographs.

Over time, plenty of wedding traditions have come and gone and many stay for ever, – or at least a variation on the tradition. It’s still appropriate in most cultures to dress in special attire for the occasion and to have a feast and celebration that includes family and friends. Mementos of the occasion, such as wedding photographs, are common place, and some traditions still hold true for many cultures. Below we’ve listed a few superstitions that you may or may not have heard of.

Some Common & Lesser Known Wedding Superstitions

• The groom can’t see the bride on the wedding day before the ceremony
• Rain on your wedding day will bring good luck
• The bride is unlucky if her man’s surname begins with the same letter as her name.
• It used to be considered unlucky to get married on a Saturday and also unlucky to be married in the month of May.
• It was unlucky if the bride made her own wedding gown and there were warnings about specific colours. If marrying in red was said that you’d “wish yourself dead”.
• It’s considered in some cultures for the bride to encounter lambs, doves, frogs, black cats, and rainbows on the way to get married.

Some Interesting Wedding Traditions

Some of these traditions, you might be familiar with.  Most people know that at Greek weddings, smashing dishes is a strong tradition. At Jewish weddings, the couples dance the Hora and there’s also the famous chair dance. In Chinese weddings, there is the lovely Chinese Tea Ceremony.  Here are some other interesting traditions:

• Decorating a car is said to be a tradition but do you know why? It’s said to scare evil spirits away.
• Prior to a Jewish ceremony the groom will lift a bride’s veil before the ceremony (known as Bedekin Ceremony). Do you know why? It’s said to be so that he can be sure he’s not being tricked into marrying the wrong bride.
• In Germany, the best man might kidnap the bride and drink champagne with her in a mystery bar until the groom finds them.
• In India, the groom’s shoes have to be protected from the bride’s family. The groom‘s family has to protect them otherwise a ransom needs to be paid.
• A Chinese groom will arrive at the bride’s home to be faced with well meaning friends of the bride (usually her brides maids) who will not surrender her until they are satisfied that he little red packages (ang pau) contain adequate money! This is an occasion of much good natured haggling and giggling before the parties reach agreement.

Start a Tradition of Your Own

Perth is fortunate to have a diversity in cultures which can only enrich our lives. Exposure to this diversity may well bring about the mixing of cultures to create new customs and traditions. We were fortunate to witness this at a wedding where the couple came from different states and had studied the Buddhist religion so had decided to write their own vows and created a “water ceremony”. The couple’s fathers’ collected rain water from their homes in different states. The groom’s mother made special silver bowls to hold the water. During the ceremony the fathers’ poured water from the silver bowls into a gold bowl, also made by the groom’s mother and the couple drank from the gold bowl the mixed water brought from their respective homes. The groom’s mother also carved wooden vessels to hold the silver and gold bowls. The wooden vessels were carved with images of the local gum leaves of their respective states. As recognition of the contribution grandparents play in one’s life, the couple chose to have their grand parents bless their wedding rings. One can imagine that this ceremony will be carried down the line of this family as a new tradition.

There are all sorts of interesting customs and rituals from various countries and time periods.  Morocco’s weddings last about a week. In Italy, the tradition is to wear green for good luck the evening before the wedding and in China, they make the marriage bed the day before the wedding.  Whether you opt to add some colourful traditions to your day for culture’s sake or for interest’s sake, it should be a day that’s done your way with your say in everything from the location, to the theme including tradition, and down to the details of what sort of wedding photos you want taken. If culture and tradition are to be a part of the day there are many ways you can blend them in so that your wedding day is a reflection of the two of you.