Wedding Traditions

English Wedding Traditions

By Anne Green

The first one that I know of that appears to have English origins is the groom wearing a flower from the brides bouquet in his button hole. This goes back to the time of the English Knights. The knights would wear a flower or carry a handkerchief in honour of their lady when they went into a tournament or battle. I find this a very romantic gesture and am not surprised that it has turned into a well known English wedding tradition that is still popular today.

The second one that I am going to look at is the tradition of the familiar tiered wedding cakes that are still seen at many weddings today. Although cup cakes and other modern alternatives have been gaining in popularity over the last few years the tiered wedding cake is still a common choice. The tradition of having a tiered wedding cake appears to go back to 19th Century England. Initially it was only royalty that had tiered wedding cakes , they used a fake top layer to start with until a way of supporting the tiers was developed around 1900. At some point since then the tradition of keeping the top layer for the christening of the first child was developed although this tradition appears to be dying out due to couples waiting longer before getting married and in many cases having children before they tie the knot.

Another English wedding tradition that is believed to come from Victorian times include the wearing of a white wedding dress and veil. Some people believe that the wearing of a white dress is a symbol of purity that appears to stem from the Queen Victoria's wedding. Queen Victoria wore a white dress and veil during her wedding to Albert in 1840. This started the trend of white weddings that later developed into a tradition that is still very popular in English marriages today.
The final English wedding tradition that I am going to discuss also comes from Victorian England and has a familiar saying attached to it today:
Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue.
Many brides still follow this tradition although they do quite often try to get as many of these into one as possible. For example a new, blue garter made from old lace that is borrowed from a family member and given back to them after the ceremony. This tradition seems to be taken fairly seriously by many brides of today and is thought to bring luck for their wedding day and marriage.

I'm sure that there are many other wedding traditions that are used around the world that have originated in England. As there will be many foreign wedding traditions that have been adopted into English wedding traditions over the years. What is really important for your wedding day is that you adopt the traditions that you like and believe in to make the perfect day for you.