Imagine this type of situation – you are engaged, and together with your friends, you decided to go wedding shopping to find your dress and accessories. You go to the atelier, where you find your dress and your shoes – one thing done. But now, it’s time for the accessories. You go to a jewelry store (or if you prefer browse through an online one, like Pearls of Joy). You find a beautiful pearl necklace, and you’re almost at the register buying it when you remember that your grandma told you that wearing pearls to your wedding brings bad luck. Sadly, you put the necklace back. This is the moment when some people might think – why? It’s only a necklace, what can it do?
The truth is that superstitions are heavily rooted in many countries, especially the wedding ones. And since the brides usually want their wedding day and their marriage to be perfect, they prefer not to tempt fate. But is it really necessary? Well, let’s find out, shall we?
Common Superstitions
Before talking about whether following the superstitions is necessary or not, you should think about what wedding superstitions you recall – there are probably plenty of them – and what their origins are. Some of the most common ones include:
• not seeing each other before the wedding – this superstition goes back to the times when arranged marriages were a norm. People believed that if a couple saw each other before the marriage ceremony, they would be able to change their mind before tying the knot
• carrying the bride over the threshold – in the past, people believed that the bride is more vulnerable to the evil spirits through the soles of her feet, so to avoid bringing them into the house, the groom carried the bride though the door
• using your married name before the wedding – some people believe, that if the future bride is using her partner’s surname before they get married, the marriage will not take place
• something old, new, borrowed and blue – it is believed that if the bride has all of these things on her wedding day, the marriage will be a happy one and full of luck. Something old symbolizes the bride’s past, something new the couple’s future, and something blue is a symbol of love and fidelity. When it comes to something borrowed, a bride should only borrow from a person who has a happy marriage, so that their good fortune can transfer onto the newlywed couple
• wearing a veil – also a very old superstition. It was believed that by wearing a veil, the bride could keep away the evil spirits jealous of her happiness
The list could go on and on, as there are hundreds, if not thousands, wedding superstitions – especially since some countries can have their own. These, however, are the most common ones.
So now that you recalled some of the superstitions that you know, there’s one question left to answer – should we believe in superstitions? The answer is not really.
Why Shouldn’t We Believe the Superstitions
First of all, none of the superstitions has any scientific basis – there is no scientific proof that they actually work. Most of them were probably invented at some point in the past and passed from generation to generation. Another thing is that the superstitions might affect your choices and the way you will plan your wedding if you let them, just like in the example with the pearls – even if you liked the necklace, you wouldn’t wear it because you would be scared to push your luck. Another example could be the non-seeing each other before the wedding superstition, which can affect the dates, as because of it you will probably book the wedding shoot earlier or later.
Even though we shouldn’t believe in superstitions, we still do it – it’s just the way our brain works. We prefer to be safe than sorry. Also, they are so deeply connected to our culture, that many times people don’t even know that something is a superstition. For example, saying ‘Bless you’ after someone sneezes. For us, it might seem obvious to say it, as we were taught this way. However, our ancestors believed that it would prevent the evil spirits from stealing the soul of the person who sneezed.
Final Thoughts
As you could see, there are many superstitions when it comes to weddings, and the ones listed are just the tip of the iceberg. However, no matter how many there are, there is one important question that needs answering – Should we believe in them?
The answer is not really. However, we will still do it, because it’s the way we were taught, and, even though we know that there is no guarantee of the superstitions working, we still prefer to be safe than sorry.
Read More:
