15 Popular Wedding Traditions & Their Origins

This saying is derived from an Old English rhyme that lists the four good-luck objects a bride should have on her wedding day. "Something old" represents the couples' past lives, while "something new" symbolizes their happy future. "Something borrowed" typically means incorporating an item belonging to someone who is happily married in the hopes that some of their good fortune rubs off. And the color blue? It represents fidelity and love.

These days, brides are carrying peonies and roses down the aisle, but back in ancient Greece and Rome, it was all about aromatics. During that time, brides would hold bouquets of garlic, dill, and other herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits. Carrying a favorite flower variety is a tradition that became popular in 1840, when Britain’s Queen Victoria married Prince Albert and carried a bouquet of snowdrops, his favorite flower. (Looking for floral inspiration? Check out our detailed wedding flower guide, written by a professional florist.)

In Roman times, people believed evil spirits would attend the wedding in an attempt to curse the bride and groom. To confuse the spirits, bridesmaids acted as decoys and dressed identically to the bride. The idea was that the spirits would be unsure which woman was the bride—which would lead them to leave her alone and allow the couple to wed.

This tradition also dates back to ancient Rome, where a bride would walk down the aisle wearing a veil over her face to disguise herself from those pesky evil spirits looking to ruin her wedding day. These days, wedding veils come in many styles and lengths: short blusher veils, medium-length fingertip veils, and dramatic cathedral veils.

The Romans believed that the fourth finger on the left hand was connected directly to the heart by a vein called “the vein of love.” Because of this hand-heart connection, this finger has been adopted through the ages as the wedding ring finger.

Prior to 1642, many weddings were announced in the newspaper (before that, they were typically announced by the town crier!). Then metal-plate engraving was invented, and members of the middle class began sending out engraved invitations. With the Industrial Revolution, invitations became more widespread—and were sent in double envelopes to protect them from damage en route. (To explore our envelope colors—plus our paper options, foil colors, and more—request a wedding invitation sample kit.)

Have you ever received a wedding invitation with "honour," spelled out British-style with the “u”? This formal spelling style lets guests know that the wedding ceremony will be held in a place of worship, like a church.

This wedding ceremony tradition dates back to a time of arranged marriages, where the “giving away” of the bride represented a transfer of ownership. Back then, young women were used as collateral and were given away in exchange for a “bride price” or dowry. Today, this tradition has shifted away from its antiquated origins and is now an opportunity for a father to escort his daughter down the aisle to meet the person she is about to marry.

In Celtic, Hindu, and many other cultures, the bride’s and groom’s hands are tied together to symbolize the couple's commitment to each other and their new bond as a married couple. The Celtic ritual is called “handfasting,” while in Hindu weddings, the ceremony is called the “hastmelap.” (Want to learn more? We’ve collected a list of cultural traditions and common wedding vows.)

Back in the day, marriage meant expansion, from starting a family to increasing one's assets. Rice symbolized both fertility and prosperity, and tossing it at newlyweds at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony conveyed best wishes and good luck—for babies, bountiful harvests, and everything in between. Nowadays, guests may toss dried lavender buds and biodegradable confetti or even blow bubbles.

In ancient Rome, guests would break a loaf of bread over the bride's head to symbolize fertility, and the newlyweds would share a few bites while guests scooped up the crumbs for good luck. In medieval England, the bride and groom had to try to kiss over a pile of stacked spiced buns, scones, and cookies—a precursor to the tiered wedding cakes of today—supposedly ensuring a prosperous future if they were able to successfully smooch without toppling the whole thing over. Browse our list of 27 wedding cake ideas to see how far the wedding cake has come since then.

Traditionally, the top tier of the wedding cake was frozen to be enjoyed by the wedding couple at their future child's christening. Back in the 19th century, many people assumed the couple would have a baby within a year, so by preserving the wedding cake, they wouldn't have to buy another dessert to celebrate the pregnancy or birth. Nowadays, some couples opt to return on their one-year anniversary to the bakery that made their wedding cake to order a smaller cake with the same flavors. But many couples stick to the cake-saving tradition, in spite of its outdated origins.

In the 16th century, the European aristocracy would give wedding guests a bomboniere—a small trinket box made of crystal, porcelain, and precious stones that was filled with candy or sugar cubes—as a show of wealth (sugar was an expensive delicacy at the time). As sugar became more affordable, bombonieres were succeeded by sugar-coated almonds. The now-traditional wedding favor of five Jordan almonds symbolizes five wishes for the newlyweds: health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.

Hundreds of years ago, it was thought to be good luck to touch the bride—and even rip off a piece of her wedding dress. To avoid having her dress torn to shreds, brides would toss their bouquet into the crowd to distract people while she made a break for her bridal chamber. Nowadays, many brides opt to save their bridal bouquet, drying or pressing it.

When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, she wore a dress that was white—a hue that quickly became the style standard for non-royal women. A few years later, a popular women’s magazine declared white to be an emblem of purity, further boosting its popularity as the gown color of choice.