A wedding is a celebratory ceremony where two people are brought together in matrimony. Wedding traditions and customs differ across cultures, countries, religions, and societies in terms of how a marriage is celebrated, but are strongly symbolic, and often have roots in superstitions for what makes a lucky or unlucky marriage. Superstition is often linked to practices involving luck, fate or prophecy, and while many weddings are now more focused on celebratory traditions, many are still practiced, and numerous well-known wedding traditions have roots in superstitions from previous ages. A common example of a superstition involves no one seeing the bride in her wedding dress until the ceremony.
By country/religion
Asian wedding superstitions
China
Traditional Chinese weddings might involve a tea ceremony rather than the Western tradition of exchanging vows. When a bride leaves with the groom, a "Good Luck Woman" – a woman who has been blessed with healthy children, surviving parents and a happy marriage – holds a red umbrella over the bride's head. This umbrella symbolises "raise the bark, spread the leaves", and protects the bride from evil. Meanwhile, other relatives shower rice and red and green beans. In some provinces, the perfect wedding date is important for a successful marriage, and can be determined by slaughtering a chicken.
India
In Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh weddings, henna is applied one to three days before the wedding and is worn by the bride on her hands and feet throughout her wedding ceremonies. The superstition dictates that the darker the henna on the bride's hand, the stronger her marriage will be. Rain on one's wedding day is thought to bring wealth and fertility to the marriage. A superstitious wedding practice from northern India involves tying gold and red kaleerein (ornaments) from the bride's choora, before the bride moves her hands above the heads of the unmarried women. The superstition infers that the girl upon whose head the kaleerein fall will be the next to marry. If the wedding ceremony incorporates candles and these candles sputter, it can be considered a bad omen, as it suggests there are evil spirits lurking.
European wedding superstitions
England
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
“Something old, something new” refers to the traditional rhyme originating in Victorian-era England stating that, for good luck and a happy marriage, a bride must have on her wedding day: "Something old, something new / Something borrowed, something blue / And a sixpence in her shoe."'Something old' symbolises the bride-to-be's past, her family and her values, and could be a piece of jewelry or a similar token. A bride's 'something new' might be a gift from the groom or her family, and represents a new chapter in the brides life full of good fortune and happiness. 'Something borrowed' might be a bridal accessory lent by a friend or family member who themselves is happily married, to ensure the bride's marriage is just as happy as theirs. 'Something blue' represents purity, faithfulness and modesty, projecting these values into the future marriage, and could come in the form of a blue ribbon or brooch. Lastly, a sixpence in the bride's shoe – or even sewn into her dress – promises lasting wealth for the couple.
Seeing the bride before the wedding
A very common wedding superstition to this day is that the groom mustn't see the bride before the wedding. This emerged from a time when arranged marriages were commonplace, and was practiced to ensure the groom would go through with the marriage regardless of the bride-to-be's identity or appearance. Although arranged marriages are no longer as common, most brides still prefer to keep their bridal-look a secret from the groom until the ceremony.
Good luck
According to English folklore: