5 Strange and Delightful Wedding Traditions From The Past

Some wedding traditions we’re happy to see fade away, especially gendered and patriarchal traditions of past eras. And new traditions are starting all the time.

 

But some old-timey traditions are so unusual and interesting that we just don’t want to let them go! 

Here are a few old fashioned wedding customs we’d like to bring back -- but with a modern twist.

 

Next, ask a friend or family member to get ordained online to officiate your wedding ceremony. 

 

 

 

1. Silver sixpence in a bride's shoe 

 

Our first question when we heard this one was “Uh, what’s a sixpence?” If you don’t know either, a sixpence was worth about 6 pennies, which makes sense. To bring luck to a wedding ceremony, legend says the coin had to be made of silver and placed in the bottom of a bride’s shoe before she walked down the aisle. 

 

 We love the sound of this tradition, but prefer a more comfortable approach… Some chunky retro penny loafers with a lucky coin tucked in top? Or maybe a silver charm tied to a delicate white shoe lace would do the trick.

 

 

2. Wearing someone else’s underwear

 

Yep, it turns out the “something borrowed” in that whole wedding rhyme was actually about borrowing someone else’s underpants. More specifically, the English folklore says that a bride should borrow undergarments from a woman who’s already given birth to a healthy child or two… so that her own fertility will be boosted! 

 

We didn’t know that’s how these things worked… But we like to see friends participating in the wedding ceremony. So, why not! Just give them a good wash and fluff first?

 

 

 

3. Ringing bells

 

This tradition started when many couples were getting married in religious ceremonies, and church bells rang out loudly to announce the newlywed couple as they left. But there’s no reason you can’t ring any kind of bell -- in any kind of setting you like! 

 

It’s also said that ringing bells has the power to keep away evil spirits, which seems like a good idea on a day that’s already stressful enough (without an uninvited spirit showing up). We say grab those handbells and get to celebrating! 

 

 

 

4. The High Noon wedding

 

We’ve heard from a few sources that weddings used to begin right at noon. High noon! Right on the dot! Can you imagine the excitement? (And not just because that meant a wedding actually started on time…)

 

We don’t know why this wild-west vibe was abandoned, but we want to bring it back. In fact, how about an entire Old West themed wedding set for high noon? With wedding chaps and cowboy hats, and two lovers exchanging dueling (duet style) wedding vows? Sounds like a mighty fine time! 

 

 

 

 

5. Matching Bridesmaid Dresses

 

Ok, we know what you’re thinking. “Good riddance!” to those ugly puffy-sleeved, big-bowed fashion monstrosities that were once a rite of passage for women in decades past. 

 

But hear us out -- If you don’t want to make your friends wear ugly dresses, that’s your business. But how about matching jumpsuits? Or festive holiday onesies? Or Stormtrooper uniforms? Either way, we still see some clear benefits to asking the wedding party to coordinate.

 

 

 

 

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You might also like: 

 

• Italian Wedding Traditions - From Warding Off the Evil Eye at Your Ceremony to Dancing La Tarantella
   
• Tradition & Creativity in the Ceremony
   
• Honoring the Memory of Loved Ones in Your Wedding Ceremony
   

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