Wedding Traditions

-- Wedding Traditions --

Looking to have a traditional wedding?
Here are some popular traditions you may want to consider.

-- Wedding Traditions --

* Bride wears white - In western culture it is customary for the bride to wear white.

* Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue - The bride wears one of each on her wedding day for good luck.

* Chinese weddings, the bride wears red - Traditionally, in a Chinese wedding, white is bad. This is because white is usually the color worn at funerals.

But red and black are good, because they are believed to be the colors of luck and prosperity.

For this reason, in a Chinese wedding the bride will usually wear red.

* First dance for the bride and groom - The bride and groom usually share the first dance of the night. This is usually a slow dance, and is followed by the bride dancing with her father.

* Groomsmen and best man - The groom choose a number of groomsmen and a best man to stand with him at the alter.

* Bridesmaids and maid of honor - The bride chooses bridesmaids and a maid of honor to stand beside her at the alter.

* Flower girl - The bride and groom decide on a little girl to lead the way down the isle. She usually carries a basket full of flowers and tosses peddles onto the isle as she walks.

* Ring bearer - The ring bearer will walk down the isle holding a pillow with the wedding bands secured on top. He holds onto the rings until the person marrying the bride and groom asks for the rings from him.

* Vows - The bride and groom make lifelong promises to care for one anther, in the form of vows.

* Throwing rice - After being married, when the bride and groom come out of the chapel, the surrounding crown tosses rice into the air in celebration. (These days they usually opt of more environmentally friendly versions though, such as blowing bubbles, or throwing paper confetti.)

* Sharing the first piece of wedding cake - While cutting the cake, the bride and groom share the first piece (usually they end up wearing more than they eat, by stuffing it into each others faces).

* Throw the bouquet - At the end of the night, the bride will throw her bouquet over her shoulder, and all of the single women at the wedding will gather around to try to catch it. The girl who catches to bouquet is said to be the next to get married.

* The Veil - Traditionally, the bride will wear a veil (or sometimes a tiara) over her head.

* Groom can't see the bride in her dress until the wedding - It is said to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before she walks down the isle.

* Carrying the bride across the threshold - After the reception, when the bride and groom arrive at their doorstep for the first time as husband and wife, the man is supposed to carry his new wife over the door's threshold.

-- Wedding Traditions --