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Blog entries tagged as "wedding-traditions"

  • Wedding Customs and Superstitions

    Friday 13 January 2022 - News, Advice - Tags: wedding-superstitions, wedding-customs, wedding-traditions

    Wedding Customs and Superstitions

    By Amy Croffey

    Since it's Friday the 13th today, tradition says it’s bad luck to get married, so we put together some more Irish wedding traditions for couples. Some of you may stick religiously to these superstitions, others won’t bat an eyelid at them, and many might follow them ‘just in case’, whatever you decide, here are the customs that we believe are either most noteworthy or bizarre:

    Blue - Wearing something blue is considered to represent purity and fidelity.

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    Bonfires - In some parts of the west of Ireland, neighbours light bonfires outside their homes to wish the bride and groom good luck on their wedding day. Neighbours and friends will stand at the fire and wave to the couple as they pass to their reception.

    Cat - If you feed a cat out of an old shoe, your wedding day will be a happy one. 

    Confetti - Throwing rice or confetti as the couple leaves the church is meant to bestow fertility on them.

    Dress - It is unlucky to try on your whole outfit (dress, shoes, veil, the lot!) and look in a full length mirror before your wedding day, but if you leave off a shoe or a hairpin you can fend off the bad luck. Phew!

    Earrings - The earrings you wear on your wedding day will bring you luck and happiness for evermore.

    Groom - The groom should pay everything with an odd sum of money on his wedding day, or else bad luck ensues.

    Rain - If it rains on the wedding day, the bride will cry all of her married life. 

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    Ring - If the bride has to assist the groom when he is putting the ring on her finger it means he will be ruled by her in the future. (Get him a smaller ring ladies!)

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    Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe - The something old should be from a happily married woman, the borrowed should be an object of gold and the sixpence should be worn in the heel of the left shoe as a symbol of wealth. 

    Sun - It is believed that if the sun shines on the bride on her wedding day, it will bring good luck to the couple and their children will be beautiful.

    Surnames - It is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname began with the same letter as hers.

    Veil - It's good luck to get a happily married woman to put your veil on, but bad luck to put it on yourself.

    If you are anything like us, you’ll probably take many of these customs with a pinch of salt, so instead of using these customs, make your own for your wedding day.

    We got most of these superstitions from the ladies on the WOL Forums, if you know of anymore wedding customs, superstitions or traditions from Ireland, or anywhere around the world, leave us a comment below!

    Shoe image by Studio 33 all other images by Elizabeth Messina.

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