Marriage and weddings have changed a lot in modern times, and many traditions have fallen to the wayside as a result. However, there are still some traditions which are worth keeping around, and which probably won’t fall out of style anytime soon.
Those traditions which celebrate love and family still have an important place in today’s wedding celebrations. Here are 10 wedding traditions we should keep around forever.
1. “You may now kiss the bride”
While some couples may choose to eschew the traditional wording, sealing your vows with a kiss is one of the most important and pervasive wedding traditions of all time. It doesn’t really matter how the officiator says it, or if there are two brides or two grooms, but the first kiss after the two of you have been pronounced married is a beautiful tradition.
2. Carrying a bridal bouquet
Flowers have long been associated with weddings, and especially with the bride. Women have been carrying or wearing flowers on their wedding day for centuries, if not thousands of years.
The flowers represent good luck and fertility, and are sometimes even thought to ward off evil spirits. Carrying a bridal bouquet is one of those traditions that we all should keep forever.
3. Tossing the bridal bouquet
Once the ceremony is over, it is tradition for the bride to toss the bouquet for all of the single women at the wedding to try to catch. The woman who catches it is fated to get married next. Superstitions aside, this tradition is just plain fun!
Many brides skip this tradition these days because they say it’s too old and foolish. I don’t know about you, but I don’t agree with them.
4. Having a wedding cake
The tradition of having a wedding cake goes all the way back to Ancient Greece, where sesame cake was, had in the hopes of ensuring fertility. Today the focus may not be so much on fertility all the time, but everyone still loves a good slice of cake.
More: 10 Wedding Cake Ideas Your Guests Will Love
5. Sharing a slice of cake together
The tradition of the newly married couple cutting and sharing the first slice of cake is also a worthwhile one to keep. Not only is it one of the most photographed moments at the wedding, but, since Roman times, it has been used to symbolize the couple’s new bond. When planning your wedding, make sure you include this tradition in your celebration.
6. Not seeing each other before the ceremony
Seeing the bride before the wedding is traditionally considered to be bad luck for the groom. While no longer a widely-held belief, modern couples like to stick to this tradition because of the added anticipation, and the feelings of excitement when they do finally see one another at the ceremony.
7. Wedding rings
While the wedding ring has, in some cultures, been about the marriage contract and the exchange of valuables, the ring is also one of humanity’s oldest symbols for eternity and everlasting love. It is a great way to show that the couple is committed to one another.
8. The first dance
The first dance is a lovely way for everyone to celebrate the newlywed couple, and to get the party started. If you are nervous about having everyone looking at you for too long, then ask your wedding party beforehand to join in after a short while.
9. Throwing rice
Throwing rice or other grains has long been used in cultures around the world to symbolize fertility. Today, most wedding guests simply think of it as a fun way to get involved in sending off the bride and groom after their ceremony.
In some countries, people throw candies instead of rice. Whether you decide to throw rice or candies, it’s a good tradition to follow on your wedding day.
10. Tying tin cans to the newlywed couple’s car
Finally, it is believed that tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed couple’s getaway car comes from the idea that daemons would try to follow the couple after the wedding, but that loud noises would scare them away. Today, most people don’t give much thought to daemons, but instead consider it a fun and noisy way to announce to the world that they have just gotten hitched.
More: 10 Fantastic Wedding Traditions and Their Origins
Whether you care much for the symbolism behind some of these traditions or not, they still provide fantastic ways to make your wedding more meaningful and memorable. At the end of the day, however, you need to remember that this is your wedding, so do whatever is going to make you and your future spouse happy. Don’t worry about pleasing your wedding guests’ sensibilities – put together a ceremony that reflects the two of you.
Do you think we need to keep these wedding traditions?
