Ask The Wedding Guide: Where could I purchase what is called a sixpence.  Jackie

Reply:

Jackie,

Today, most brides who want to follow the "something old, something new and a sixpence in your shoe" wedding tradition simply use a penny or another coin as a symbol of the six pence.  I don't believe six-pence are in current circulation. However, if you have your heart set on a sixpence try one of these places:  coin collectors who deal in British coins , wedding accessory shops who deal in wedding tradition items, wedding supply compaines with wedding tradition items.

Why does wedding tradition suggest a bride wear or carry something old. Wearing something old is a bride’s acknowledgment of her family and the past. Family heirlooms, jewelry or a family member’s wedding dress, are often given to a bride to keep and use in their wedding ceremony. The Victorian rhyme (something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver six piece in her shoe) contributes to the long-standing popularity of this wedding tradition.

An alternative meaning to the something old wedding tradition is linking friends in hopes that the Continue reading "Something Old Wedding Tradition" »

The circle shape of wedding rings represented eternity for the Egyptian. Wearing a wedding ring symbolize the marriage agreement. They placed the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand believing the left hand was directly connected to the heart. The Greeks also believed in this wedding ring tradition thus Continue reading "Why Wear Wedding Rings On The Left Hand?" »

Unlike most wedding traditions, the Unity Candle is a relative newcomer. Its appearance was first noted in the early 1970s, but it has become quite popular since then. The addition of the Unity Candle gives the couple’s mothers a place in the wedding ceremony, and adds a time within the ceremony itself for celebration and reflection.

The Unity Candle ceremony actually consists of three candles: two tapers with a pillar in the middle, all typically white. The taper candles, which are lit by the mothers of the couple at the beginning of the ceremony, represent the individual families from which the bride and groom come. Later, the bride and the groom each seize a taper and direct its flames into the Unity Candle, thus symbolically uniting their families Continue reading "Why a Unity Candle?" »

Rice has long been seen as a symbol of fertility. Years ago, wedding participants would cover the newly wed couple with blessings for a productive marriage by tossing grain, nuts, or rice at them. The hope was that the couple would have plenty of children to help manage their farmlands.

Today, wedding participants shower the couple with blessings for long life and prosperity. Although traditional, rice is not typically thrown. Urban legend has it that uncooked rice harms wild birds, but this is myth only. A large amount of rice (or grain!) scattered on the ground, however, does present danger: it can Continue reading "Why throw rice?" »

Like tossing the bridal bouquet, the tradition of tossing the garter is rooted in the ancient belief that pieces of a bride’s attire can spread her good luck to the person who holds them (see "Why toss the bouquet?"). As a personal item, the bride’s garter is imbued with even more meaning than her bouquet, and should only be removed by the groom. In some traditions, the garter represents the bride’s virginal girdle, and the groom claims ownership of her body when he removes it. This proved a dangerous thought in some cultures, for drunken wedding-goers would attempt to claim the garter themselves and soil a bit of the bride’s chastity in the process. Thus the groom would ceremoniously remove the garter and toss it to his attendants or best Continue reading "Why Toss The Garter?" »

Brides have worn veils for centuries. In ancient cultures, it was considered bad luck for any male outside of the bride’s family to see her before the wedding. She often wore a thick and dark-colored veil for several days preceding the ceremony in order to prevent such an occurrence. On the day of the wedding, she continued to wear a veil (now sheer or white) and surrounded herself with attendants in hopes of fooling evil spirits that might try to harm her and foil the fortunes of her family.

The unveiling took place when the bride was finally presented to her groom. The veil then symbolized Continue reading "Why wear a veil?" »

The Hebrew tradition of the veiling of the bride stems from the biblical story of Rebecca; veiling herself before meeting her husband Isaac. Tradition states: when Rebecca went to Isaac’s family’s area, she saw a man in a field and asked who he was; the reply was Isaac your husband to be; at that point Rebecca placed her veil over herself. Many see the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca as a marriage made in heaven and with great reverence the tradition of the veiling the bride was incorporated into Jewish wedding ceremonies.

For the "veiling of the bride" the groom’s father and the bride’s father along with the Rabbi and other members of the wedding party escort the groom to the bride’s reception area (this would be where the bride Continue reading "Why the Groom Veils the Bride – A Jewish Wedding Tradition" »

Jumping the Broom is a wedding tradition with confusing origin. Many believed that Jumping the Broom originated as a wedding tradition in the Southern U.S. during the period of slavery. As a way around the master’s ban on marriage, slaves created Jumping the Broom commitment ceremonies, which later became wedding traditions for the African-American community. Although some may believe it's history creates a negative connotation, it is actually a greatly revered cultural wedding tradition in many modern African-American weddings; providing that even bondage couldn't deny the importance of the marriage commitment.

However, the tradition of Jumping the Broom has a greater connection to African Tribal Rituals where Jumping the Broom is a show of respect for their ancestors. In the African Tribal ritual, placing of Continue reading "A Wedding Tradition: Jumping The Broom" »