If there’s one thing we love at Posh Totty Designs, it’s a good old wedding. Month upon month, we have the privilege of being part of dozens of people’s big day – even if it is just behind the scenes! But while we pootle away personalising wedding bands or simply notice that we need to source more lucky sixpences, we often find ourselves wondering how certain wedding traditions originated. So, we took some time out and went on a little research mission to get to the root of some of those traditions. Here are some we love…
The Expression, “Tying the knot.”
This one seems to have its roots in old Pagan times, when wedding ceremonies featured the ritual of handfasting. One by one, guests would be invited up to wrap and tie ribbons around the couple's hands to symbolise their blessing of the binding of their union. Take a look at our beautifully crafted Personalised Infinity Necklace above, the perfect piece to wear on your big day.
The Groom’s Best Man
If you were Anglo-Saxon, meeting someone to marry wasn’t that straightforward. Men of a marrying age would leave their home settlement to go off in search of a wife. Guy’s would enlist the company of their smartest, strongest male friend to help them fend off any perils that cropped up – which was usually their chosen betrothed’s family, who they!
Throwing the Bouquet
The bridal tradition of chucking her posy actually replaced the tradition of tossing her garter into the crowd. However, Victorian people were easily flustered by, erm, underwear so the bouquet became the new missile. Why throw something in the first place? Well, it was intended as a getaway distraction to stop the bride’s female guests tearing her dress to shreds. Acquiring a piece of the bridal gown after the ceremony was considered hugely lucky for love, longevity and prosperity – but often left the bride wanting for modesty!
Placing the Wedding Band on the Fourth Finger of the Left Hand
This one’s ever so romantic. In Renaissance Italy, before the intricacies of the human body had been fully established, people believed that there was a vein that ran from the fourth finger on the left hand directly up to the heart. Aw. Click the image above to take a peek at our wedding bands and ring collection.
Something Old, Something New…
This lovely rhyme emerged around the Victorian era, and is rooted deeply in superstitions of the time. “Something old”, such as an ancestor’s necklace, was worn to symbolise the bride’s heritage, reminding her of where she’d come from. “Something new”, such a pair of shoes, represented her future, ensuring luck would walk with her for years to come. “Something borrowed” stood for the reminder that the bride always had the support of her family and friends to turn to. Blue symbolised purity so “something blue” was commonly incorporated in the form of a ribbon in the garter! But the bit that everybody forgets is “And a lucky sixpence for her shoe!” Popping a sixpence in her shoe before getting hitched augured abundance in both health and wealth for her marriage.
The White Wedding Dress
Blame the Victorians again! Traditional colours for wedding gowns were green (if you were a Pagan) and silver and the 18th and earlier 19th centuries, a bride would simply wear her best formal dress. But when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, she subverted tradition for a brand new white wedding dress as a statement of her virginity. Being quite the fashionista of her time, the newly established tradition has endured to this day. Need a dress? We love the amazing selection of vintage and made-to-order gowns at our neighbours, Hope & Harlequin.
Bridesmaids
The original purpose of bridesmaids dates back to Roman times, when the bride would pick 10 female witnesses to dress identically her. Yep, it flies in the face of the whole ‘not wanting to be shown up’ thing of the present day, but back then, tribes and clans could get possessive, and it was the bridesmaids role to act as decoys. Thankfully, we’re much less likely to have the threat of a wayward uncle sabotage our wedding day. Unless of course the DJ puts on a Jive Bunny mix…
Confetti
The word ‘confetti’ is actually an Italian name for a sugared almond delicacy that the Italians would chuck into the air during a celebration. Where sugared almonds have more commonly switched to playing the role of wedding favours in more recent times, throwing rice at newlyweds was considered in Pagan times to encourage fertility. It was the Victorians – again! – who replaced rice for shredded paper. Need confetti? Look no further as you’ll find it by clicking the image above.
