SURNAMES
It was thought unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers. The sentiment
     was summarised in the following rhyme:

         To change the name and not the letter
          Is to change for the worst and not the better
 
 

     CHOOSING THE DAY
Although most weddings now take place on a Saturday it was considered unlucky in the past. Fridays were
     also considered unlucky particularly Friday the 13th. The famous old rhyme advises a wedding in the first half of the week:

         Monday for wealth
          Tuesday for health
          Wednesday the best day of all
          Thursday for losses
          Friday for crosses
          Saturday for no luck at all

     Advice on which month to marry in is given by the following rhyme:

          Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind and true.
          When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
          If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
          Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden and for Man.
          Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
          Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
          Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
          Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
          Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
          If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
          If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
          When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.

          Marry in May and you'll live to rue the day

     May has been considered an unlucky month to marry in for a number of reasons. In Pagan times the start of summer was when the
     festival of Beltane was celebrated with outdoor orgies. This was therefore thought to be an unsuitable time to start married life. In
     Roman times the Feast of the Dead and the festival of the goddess of chastity both occurred in May. The advice was taken more
     seriously in Victorian times than it is today. In most Churches the end of April was a busy time for weddings as couples wanted to
     avoid being married in May. Queen Victoria is thought to have forbidden her children from marrying in May.

          Marry in Lent, live to repent

     Lent was thought an inappropriate time for a wedding as this was a time of abstinence.

     June was considered to be a lucky month to marry in because it is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of love and marriage.

     The Summer as a whole was considered a good time to marry and this is partly to do with the sun's association with fertility. In
     Scotland one popular custom was for the bride to "walk with the sun" to bring her good. She would walk from east to west on the
     south side of the church and then continue walking around the church three times.

     SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW ...

          Something old, something new
          Something borrowed, something blue
          And a silver sixpence in your shoe

     The rhyme originated in Victorian times although some of customs referred in it are much older.

     The "something old" represents the couples friends who will hopefully remain close during the marriage. Traditionally this was old
     garter which given to the bride by a happily married woman in the hope that her happiness in marriage would be passed on to the new
     bride.

     "Something new" symbolises the newlyweds' happy and prosperous future.

     The "something borrowed" is often lent by the bride's family and is an item much valued by the family. The bride must return the item
     to ensure good luck.

     The custom of the bride wearing "something blue" originated in ancient Israel where the bride wore a blue ribbon in her hair to
     represent fidelity.

     The placing of a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe was to ensure wealth in the couples married life. Today some brides substitute a
     penny in their shoe during the ceremony as silver sixpences are less common.

     THE WEDDING DRESS

          WEDDING DRESS COLOUR Most brides today marry in white which symbolises maidenhood. This tradition started by the rich
     in sixteenth century. The tradition was given a boost by Queen Victoria who chose to marry in white instead of silver which was the
     traditional colour of Royal brides. Before the white dress brides wore their best dress. The colour was a matter of preference. The
     following is a traditional rhyme offering advice on dress colour:

          Married in White, you have chosen right,
          Married in Blue, your love will always be true,
          Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
          Married in Brown, you will live in town,
          Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
          Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
          Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
          Married in Pink, your spirit will sink,
          Married in Grey, you will go far away,
          Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.

     A green dress is thought to be unlucky unless the bride is Irish. The old expression that a woman has a 'green gown' was used to imply promiscuity, the
     green staining being due to rolling in grassy fields.

     THE VEIL
      Traditionally, brides have been thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits and many of the customs and
      traditions associated with weddings are to provide protection. The veil was originally worn by Roman brides. It was
      thought that it would disguise the bride and therefore outwit malevolent spirits.

      The veil became popular in Britain in the eighteen hundreds. In this country it is associated with modesty and chastity.

      In some Eastern ceremonies the bride is veiled and the groom is not allowed to see the bride's face until after the
      wedding ceremony.

      In some Jewish weddings there is a ritual where the groom ensures that the bride is his intended before placing the veil
      over her face.
 

     FLOWERS

     Flowers have always been used for decoration at weddings.

     Some people choose the flowers at the wedding on the basis of their symbolic meaning.
...orange blossom has always been
     associated with weddings because it signifies purity and chastity.

     Peonies are avoided by some as they represent shame; azaleas represent temperance: roses symbolise love and snowdrops represent
     hope.

     A combination of red and white flowers is avoided by the superstitious because they stand for blood and bandages.

     However, people from different regions may attach other meanings to the same flower.......... lilies symbolise majesty to some
     but are thought unlucky by others because of their association with death.

     The groom often chooses a flower for his buttonhole which also occurs in the bride's bouquet. This is a vestige of the time when a
     Knight would wear his Lady's colours to display his love.

         BRIDESMAIDS

     Bridesmaids were dressed in a similar way to the bride for the same reason as the origin of veil. The bridesmaids were thought to act as
     decoys to confuse evil spirits and thus protect the bride.

     THE COUPLE'S FIRST PURCHASE

     It is said that the first partner who buys a new item after the wedding will be the dominant one in the relationship. Many brides ensure
     that they make the first purchase by arranging to buy a small item such as a pin from the chief bridesmaid immediately after the
     ceremony.

          SHOES

     In the past there have been a number of customs involving shoes which were thought to bring good luck. The best known, which is
     still upheld, is to tie shoes to the back of the newlyweds' car. This has evolved from the Tudor custom where guests would throw shoes
     at the newlywed couple. It was considered lucky if they or their carriage were hit.

     Less well known is for the bride's father to give the groom a pair of the bride's shoes to symbolise the passing of responsibility for the
     daughter to her new husband. A variation of the custom is for the groom to tap the bride on the forehead with one of the shoes to
     assert his dominance.

     The custom of the bride throwing her bouquet shoulder, described below, was originally performed by her throwing one of her shoes
     over her shoulder.

     BOUQUET

     After the reception the bride throws her bouquet back over her shoulder where the unmarried female guest group together. Tradition
     holds that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next one of those present to marry.

     A parallel custom is for the groom to remove the garter worn by the bride and throw it back over his shoulder toward the unmarried
     male guests. Again the one who catches it will be the next to marry.

        Excerpts  from  www.weddings.co.uk