10 Common Wedding Traditions Explained

White Wedding Dress

It was thought to be Queen Victoria to be the first women to popularize wearing a white dress. Typically, women wore the best garment in their collection regardless of color on their wedding day, which was done to show their wealth to the groom. After Queen Victoria wore a white dress, people began to follow suite, hence it becomes the current tradition. That being said, modern wedding dresses technically aren't white, there are many colors like “Frost”, “Candlelight”, “Warm Ivory”, or “Ecru”.

Bridesmaids

The tradition of bridal parties dates back from centuries ago, where the bride's friends would dress in a similar manner to the bride in order to fool evil spirits. In the modern day, bridesmaids help to support the bride and help with the wedding.

The Best Man

The tradition of having a best man stems from a rather dark origin. It is from the Germanic Goths, who would travel to neighboring communities to capture a bride when all suitable women were spoken for in their local community. This was not a one man task, so the groom would seek help from the best man possible for the task.

Bride Standing to the Left of the Groom

Continuing from the last point, when a groom captured his bride, there was always the possibility of the bride's family attempting to save her from his grasp. The bride stood to the left of the groom, so the groom had his right hand free to protect his bride if such an instance occurred. The best man was often also in attendance and heavily armed for assistance. This is not the most romantic story of wedding traditions explained so far, but such tradition has remained customary till nowadays.

Throwing the Bouquet

This tradition is thought to have its origins in England, where women would once try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and grab her flowers in order to obtain some of the bride's good luck. The bride would throw the bouquet to create a distraction and get away from the mob. In the modern day, the bouquet is thrown to only one woman. The women who catches it is said to be the next one to get married.

The Wedding Ring

The tradition of wearing the ring on the third finger of the left hand stems from ancient Roman. They believed that the vein in that particular finger ran directly to the heart. The wedding ring itself represents everlasting love, as it is a never-ending circle.

Wearing a Veil

This tradition is thought to originate from Rome, and the veil was thought to hide the bride from evil spirits, who were jealous of the bride's happiness. The veil has also long been a symbol of modesty, youth, and virginity.

Not Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

When listing wedding traditions explained, this tradition should not be missed. It is originated from the time of arranged marriages. It was believed that if the bride and groom saw each other before the ceremony, they may have second thoughts about the wedding. Many people in the modern day chose to not follow this tradition, however, and often see each other on the day before their wedding ceremony.

Giving Away the Bride

This tradition also stems from the old days of arranged marriages. In those times, daughter (the bride) was considered the property of the farther until they “gave them away” to the groom (often for a price). In the modern day, the farther giving away their daughter is a symbol of their blessing for the new couple's marriage.

Ringing Bells

This wedding tradition is thought to originate from Irish weddings. After a couple got married, bells were rang to ward off evil spirits, and help to ensure a harmonious married life. Some Irish brides would even carry bells within their bouquet (small in size, of course), to remind them of their sacred vows. Bells are still rang till now at weddings across the world, and are also a common gift given to newly married couples.

Except for 10 common wedding traditions explained above, there are also many strange wedding traditions all over the world, you can watch the video below if you are curious about it.