Shots Photography

Wedding Traditions For Brides

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Many of us know of the ditty, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." This popular saying for what the bride is to wear descends to us from the Victorian era. "Something Old" would probably represent the bond a bride has with the family she is leaving. "Something New" most likely is related to the new world she will be celebrating with her husband and his family. A bride wears "Something Borrowed", is usually borrowed from a successfully married woman, which will to offer success to her own new marriage. "Something Blue" likely is a token which represents the bride's desire for faithfulness and success inside her new marriage.

White Dresses for Brides

The first recorded instance of a white wedding dress has been left to us in 1499, when Anne of Brittany wore white for her ceremony to Louis XII of France. Up till that time, women would wear whatever was their best dress.

This tradition also has a history coming from Bible times, because the "Church" encouraged to cloth itself in a white dress as a symbol of its purity as the "Bride of Christ." Christian women often hold that they should not wear a white dress if she is entering a second marriage or if she is not a virgin. This is an curious superstition because the "purity" of the church is actually supposed to come from Christ.

In the orient brides have traditionally worn white. From ancient Roman times, white symbolized a ceremony filled with happiness. Certainly, it is today a symbol of happy bliss and a new beginning from other cultures.

The Bride's Wedding Veil

The wedding veil wasn't originally white as is the modern tradition for most of today's nuptials. In ancient Greece the color was yellow. In ancient Rome the dress would often would be red. Much of the symbolism has been lost but wearing a veil remains quite popular. Originally, the veil was another symbol for a bride's modesty, and of course her virginity.

Some hold today that according to history, it is bad luck for the bride to be seen by her husband to be before the ceremony. Remember that in history there were so many arranged marriages, it was often likely that the man would not see his bride until the moment of ceremony. In several cultures, the veil hid the bride until the man lifted it to see what his new wife looked like for the first time.

In the United States, Nelly Curtis wore a veil at her union to Major Lawrence Lewis who was President George Washington's aid. Lewis had earlier seen his bride standing behind a thin curtain and after he commented how beautiful she was, Nelly then decided to veil herself for their ceremony.

Follow whatever traditions feel right to you, not because of any worry about causing good or bad luck. More importantly, establish your own traditions, creating the meanings you desire them to have, which you can then leave to your children.

We see all of these traditions used by our couples when they come to Hawaii and use our Maui weddings services. It doesn't matter if the ceremonies are on the beach or performed in a chapel, the traditions seem to remain the same. I should tell you that for Hawaii weddings, you don't have to follow any traditions but your own.

Rev. John Souter is a licensed Hawaii minister who owns a Maui Weddings company. If you are looking for an Affordable Maui Wedding take a look at his website.

MORE ARTICLES:

Wedding Flowers Join the Do-it-Yourself Trend
The movement toward DIY projects allows Wedding Flowers-DIY to give brides step-by-step guidance when planning and designing their wedding flower arrangements.

For Second Weddings Only - Eight Tips
Planning a second wedding? Prevent favorite guests comparing your second wedding, to the first wedding. It isn't tricky but it will take some thought.

The Perfect Wedding Budget
Creating a wedding budget is one of the first things a bride should do. Although it is extremely important, brides often fear the task and in turn do not create one at all.

The History of Specialist Lighting Photography in Chicago
Every photographer from amateurs to professionals with decades in the business knows that there are several different types of considerations to be made when going for a great photo. Many photographers will also say that getting lighting right is one of the biggest challenges in their profession. In cities like Chicago where several large modeling agencies have offices, studio lighting is a good skill for any Chicago based photographer to master. For this reason, as well as taking everyday portraits, it is important to practice good specialist lighting photography in Chicago.

5 Tips For Choosing Your Wedding Flowers
No wedding is complete without flowers, and there are so many from which to choose. Sometimes choosing the flowers can be a little overwhelming, because often they can all be so beautiful. Yet, there are some things you can do during your wedding planning to make choosing your flowers and floral arrangements a little easier.

Weddings Western Style
More and more couples today are choosing to have the wedding they want in the way they want and refuse to be dictated to as to how their special day should be celebrated by tradition.

Gifts & Favors by Donna Opens New Wholesale Wedding Favors and Shower Gifts Website FavorsDepot.com
A launch of new wholesale favors and gifts store providing high quality personalized wedding favors, bridal shower favors, wedding party favors and wedding reception gifts.

What Makes The Best Wedding Anniversary Gift?
Choosing a wedding anniversary gift that wows your husband or wife can rate high on your anxiety list; your anniversary is an occasion where the thought counts even more than the gift. The idea that your loving spouse should "know what I want" can lead to disappointed expectations, as men and women tend to have radically different ideas about what "romantic" means.

Digital Photography Tips For Taking Great Photos
The rivalry between film cameras and digital cameras is relatively fresh. How come? Three mega pixels digital cameras have an array of choices for consumers, which is already comparable to a high quality point and shoot models. Nowadays, the same thing goes with five mega pixels digital models for excellent quality photographs. The thing is, quality photographs can be taken with ease using many types of digital cameras.

Wedding Favors Supplier My Wedding Reception Ideas Announces Bookmarker Wedding Favors
Looking for unique wedding favors to thank guests for sharing your wedding day? Bookmarker wedding favors are unique and useful wedding favors family and friends will appreciate and enjoy for years to come.

Whats a Goldfish Doing at a Wedding?
Time was when you'd open a wedding invitation you'd find an understated high quality piece of parchment, with an uncompromisingly clear font, requesting, ever so formally, the honour of your presence.Then came radical changes, described by those in the know as, giving the wedding back to the people.

Hottest Wedding Favors for 2006 Along with the Biggest Trends and Wedding Favors Ideas for 2007 - Announced by MomentsofElegance.com
This week MomentsofElegance.com, the premier online source for elegant wedding favors and bridal shower favors, released a year-end wrap up of the most popular wedding favors for 2006 along with trends and wedding favor ideas for 2007. This article details the growing emphasis on personal and unique party favors for special events. Event planners and brides-to-be will now have access to the most popular wedding favors over the past year as well as inspiration and fresh ideas for new and unique wedding favor products for the coming year.

Its the Heart (and heat) of the Wedding Season - Sun & Heat Protection During an Outdoor Wedding
So, you decided to opt for an outdoor wedding under the sun amidst the lake, ocean or beach. Are you sure you have considered all the aspects of an outdoor wedding? Did you consider the fact that you and your guests are going to be outside for many hours throughout the day in the beating hot sun? Some people worry so much that it's going to rain or be cold that they completely forget to prepare themselves for the sun and the heat.

Hudson Horizons Develops a Wedding and Event Planning Website for Elegant Ensembles
Hudson Horizons has recently launched a new wedding and event planning website for Elegant Ensembles, a trusted and respected entertainment company located in Closter, N.J.