As it turns out, even if you walk down the aisle wearing
something old, something new, something borrowed
(anything but your skivvies, please) and something blue,
you’re not doing everything that you can do to ensure
luck and happiness in your marriage, according to
superstition.
Who knew that you should also look for a chimney sweep on
the way, and that if a pig happens to catch your eye
before you tie the knot, you’re doomed. (I don’t know if
you can even eat bacon on your wedding morning! But I
think I’d just take my chances there.) I got curious
about some of the lesser-known wedding superstitions that
are out there, and when I overturned some stones (well,
cyber-stones on the internet) I found quite a few
interesting tidbits. Here are some of my favorites:
Ever wonder why there are so many June
weddings? I always assumed that it was because
the weather was beginning to cooperate consistently then.
However, apparently there is a historical context for
this trend as well: Romans believed that Juno, their
goddess of woman, blessed marriages that took place in
her month.
Pay attention to what you say when you open your
shower gifts! Some believe that
everything the bride says as she opens her gifts will be
repeated on her wedding night. (Hint: Don’t exclaim that
the new corkscrew you just unwrapped is "So cute and
compact, how could it possibly work properly?")
Also, beware the gift-giving order: the first gift the
bride opens should be the first gift she uses (open the
champagne glasses!), and the person who gives the third
gift to be opened will soon have a baby. It is supposed
to be good luck to take all of the ribbons from the
bridal shower gifts and tie them together to make a mock
-bouquet to be used during the rehearsal.
Get out your calendar: Plan your
wedding on a Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for
crosses, Saturday for no luck at all. I don’t really
know what most of this means, but I noticed that Sunday
isn’t even included. My husband and I were married on a
Sunday, which you would assume is either because we’re
Heathens or Jews (there’s one of each in my marriage),
but was actually because the reception facility was
cheaper that day.
Hold onto the bling, butterfingers!
If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony,
the marriage is doomed.
The following are supposed to be good
omens on your wedding day: Seeing a rainbow,
rain, meeting a black cat, and meeting a chimney sweep.
Ok, Mary Poppins.
Don’t get married at a zoo, or a cemetery.
Bad omens on your wedding day include
crossing paths with a pig, hare, or lizard. Also, seeing
an open grave, meeting a nun or a monk supposedly mean
that you will be barren. I would bring birth control on
the honeymoon anyway.
They say that the spouse who goes to sleep
first on the wedding day will be the first to
die. Red Bull, anyone?
Why does the groom carry the bride over the
threshold? So Mrs. Trips McClumsy doesn’t take
a spill on her way in to her new home. This brings bad
luck.
Get married when the hands of the
clock are pointing upwards. Somewhere between
half-past and the full hour. Or use a digital.
Back away from the thimble! It’s bad juju to
make your own dress. Go ahead and
borrow a gown from somebody else, but beware that
misfortune will befall the lender.
Finally, don’t try on your whole wedding
ensemble at once before the big day. Some
sources say that you should not even try on the wedding
dress in its entirety (have it fitted in pieces), but I
think you’ll be safe if you just leave off the veil, or
the jewelry until show time.
Good Luck!
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