Wedding Superstitions

Here is a guide to all the many  wedding superstitions to take into account before your big day!

Proposal and Engagement Superstitions

  • A woman should only propose to a man during a leap year, otherwise it endangers the marriage.
  • Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
  • It is bad luck for the bride to remove her engagement ring before the day of her wedding.
  • Stag parties were first held by ancient Spartan soldiers, who kissed their bachelor days goodbye with a raucous party.
  • It is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as hers: “To change the name
    and not the letter, Is to change for the worst and not the better”.
  • Buying the engagement and wedding rings at the same time is thought to bring bad luck. Wearing the wedding ring
    before the ceremony is also considered bad luck.

Bridal Shower Superstitions

  • The first gift the bride opens should be the first gift she uses.
  • The person who gives the third gift to be opened will soon have a baby.

Wedding Day Superstitions

  • It is considered bad luck if the groom sees his bride on the wedding day or see her in her wedding dress before she
    appears in church.
  • It is considered good luck if the bride is awakened by the song of a bird. Sunny weather is also a sign of good luck.
  • Ladies should always take the left arm of their escorts. The man should offer his left arm so that his sword arm is free
    to protect her.
  • It is considered good luck for the bride to glance in her mirror just before leaving for the wedding but bad luck to
    return to look in her mirror after she has left the bedroom to start her journey to the wedding.
  • It brings more luck if the groom arrives at the church before the bride.
  • It’s bad luck for the bride to start down the aisle on time but good luck to step into the church with her right food first.
  • Saying your vows when the hour hand on the clock is going upwards, makes you work together in your married life. If
    you say your wedding vows when the hand is going down, it is bad luck.
  • If the bride cries on her wedding day, those shall be the last tears she ever sheds over her marriage.
  • If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
  • It is considered bad luck for the bride to see a pig, a hare or a lizard running across the road, an open grave or to meet a
    nun or monk on her wedding day.
  • The best man should ensure the good luck of the couple by not allowing the groom to turn back for any reason after
    starting out for the ceremony.
  • Flower girls drop petals as they walk down the aisle is to ensure the new couple will have many chances to have
    children.
  • Carrying a horseshoe or a bouquet in the shape of one is considered lucky for the bride, but only if the horseshoe is
    carried with the open end up so the luck does not ‘fall out’.
  • The best man ensures the good luck of the couple by ensuring that the groom carries a small mascot in his pocket.
  • An old wives’ tale is that if the younger of two sisters marries first, the older sister must dance barefoot at the
    wedding or risk never landing a husband.
  • Certain days are better than others for a wedding. The Victorians believed that it was lucky to marry on a day during
    the week that the groom was born. The luckiest day to marry was on the groom’s actual birthday. And, oddly enough, Saturday was the unluckiest day of all for a wedding!
  • Wearing a garter is believed to bring good luck.
  • The woman who catches the bride’s bouquet will be the next to marry.
  • The man who catches the bride’s garter will be the next to marry.
  • Throwing rice (or birdseed or confetti) as the couple leaves the church enhances their fertility.

Wedding Attire Superstitions

  • The loan of a wedding dress means good luck to the borrower and bad luck for the lender.
  • A veil disguises the bride from evil spirits.
  • The bride (or her father) should put a coin in her shoe for good luck.
  • Dressing the bridesmaids is to fool the evil spirits, so they will not know who the bride is.
  • If the bride helps to make her own wedding dress, it will bring her bad luck. If she rips her wedding dress on the day it means that the marriage will end in death.
  • It is considered good luck if the bride finds a spider in her wedding gown.
  • Wearing a pearl on the wedding day will bring bad luck and tears throughout the marriage.
  • The bride should not try on her complete outfit before the wedding day.
  • The brides’ attire should include “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” for good
    luck.
  • Only a virgin can wear a white wedding dress.

Wedding Cake Superstitions

  • The bride and groom cut the first slice of cake together to ensure that they will conceive.
  • The chief bridesmaid should keep a piece of cake in her pocket for the duration of the couple’s honeymoon, if she hopes to marry soon.
  • Single female guests should take home a piece of wedding cake and place it under the pillow to dream of the man they will marry.

After the Wedding Superstitions

  • Throwing rice (or birdseed or confetti) as the couple leaves the church dates back to ancient times and is meant to bestow fertility on the couple.
  • The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall, as it is a bad omen if the bride should stumble. Hence the custom of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold.
  • It is said to be bad luck if the bride fails to remove and throw away every pin from her dress and veil when she changes out of her wedding clothes.
  • The first one of the couple to make a purchase after the wedding is said to be the dominant partner.

Wedding Sayings

Here is a beautiful collection of wedding sayings suitable for wedding invitations, order of service covers, thank you cards and other wedding stationery.

VERSION 1

This day I will marry my friend, the one who shares my dreams …

VERSION 2

One love that is shared by two …

VERSION 3

As our marriage brings new meaning to love
So our love brings new meaning to life …

VERSION 4

This day I will marry my friend,
the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love …

VERSION 5

On our wedding day a new life has its start
We’ll share in each other one love, one dream, one heart …

VERSION 6

Love can fill a lifetime,
And a lifetime begins this day …

VERSION 7

And the two shall become one…

VERSION 8

For hearing my thoughts,
understanding my dreams,
and being my best friend…
For filling my life with music
and loving me without end…
I do

VERSION 9

A heart that loves is always young.
(proverb)

VERSION 10

Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts.
(Shakespeare)

VERSION 11

With an endless love we’ll share our thoughts,
our dreams, ourselves ..

VERSION 12

I never believed love could be so sweet,
so overwhelming,
so tender…
then I met you…

VERSION 13

Let this be our destiny,
to begin each new day together,
to share our lives forever.

VERSION 14

The love we share today shines from sunrise to sunrise,
growing brighter year to year as we share our lives.

VERSION 15

How beautiful is the day that is touched by love …

VERSION 16

And we shall become one to share all the days of our lives …

VERSION 17

This day our hearts are joined as one.

VERSION 18

A time for love a time for us ..

VERSION 19

He didn’t put a diamond in my champagne glass or get down on one knee,
but his gentle proposal brought tears to my eyes,
and my acceptance brought tears to his…

VERSION 20

He is soft-spoken and I am a chatterbox
He loves a love story, and I like to laugh
He whispered, “Will you marry me?” and I shouted “Yes!”

VERSION 21

How beautiful is life when shared with someone special,
the years float by like moments and love grows ever stronger.

VERSION 22

Close this window
Together we’ve walked hand in hand,
heart to heart,
with love on our side we never shall part.

VERSION 23

This is a day for remembering all the beautiful things that have been
and a day for looking forward to all the beautiful things yet to come…

Wedding Reception Only Invitation Wording

A collection on invitation wording ideas for those who wish to invite people to the wedding reception celebration only
or to celebrate at a party following an earlier wedding date.

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Name) & (Groom’s Name)
request the pleasure of the company of
___________________________________________
at an evening party
to celebrate their marriage
in
(Location of the Reception)
on (Date of the Reception) at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

___________________________________________
The pleasure of your company is requested at the reception
immediately following the marriage
of our daughter, (Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
in (Location of the Reception)
on (Date of the Reception) at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 3

In celebrating our marriage,
on (Date of the Wedding)
___________________________
please join us for the reception
in the (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 4

Following our exchange of wedding vows
on (Date of the Wedding)
___________________________
please join us for dinner and dancing
at (Time of the Reception) in the evening
in (Location of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)
(Dress Code)

Wedding Poems

Beautiful wedding poems, quotes & sayings perfect for all your wedding wording needs.

Blessing For Marriage – James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite
excitement marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience,
tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another –
not so much to fill your emptiness
as to help you to know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make
the mountain less, but more;
and the valley is more a valley because
it has a mountain towering over it.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!”
and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have
good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is
the awareness of one another’s
presence – no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are
side by side, and warm and near when
you are in separate rooms
or even distant cities.
May you have happiness,
and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

From This Day Forward – Author Unknown

From this day forward,
You shall not walk alone.
My heart will be your shelter,
And my arms will be your home.
How DO I Love Thee?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being an Ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old grief’s, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,–I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!–and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

I Promise – Dorothy R. Colgan

I promise to give you the best of myself
and to ask of you no more than you can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person
and to realize that your interests, desires and needs
are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attention
and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you,
to let you see through the window of my world
into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you,
to be willing to face changes in order to keep
our relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and bad,
with all I have to give and all I feel inside
in the only way I know how,
completely and forever.

Marriage Advice – Jane Wells

Let your love be stronger than your hate and anger.
Learn the wisdom of compromise,
for it is better to bend a little than to break.
Believe the best rather than the worst.
People have a way of living up or down
to your opinion of them.
Remember that true friendship
is the basis for any lasting relationship.
The person you choose to marry
is deserving of the courtesies
and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
Please hand this down to your children and
your children’s children.

Love – Author Unknown

Love is a friendship that has caught fire.
It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving.
It is loyalty through good and bad.
It settles for less than perfection,
and makes allowances for human weakness.
Love is content with the present.
It hopes for the future and it doesn’t brood over the past.
It’s the day-in and day-out chronicle of irritations, problems,
compromises, small disappointments, big victories,
and working toward common goals.
If you have love in your life,
it can make up for a great many things you lack.
If you don’t have it, no matter what else there is,
it is not enough, so search for it, ask God for it, and share it!

The Art Of A Good Marriage – Wilferd Arlan Peterson

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end
with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation
and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience,
understanding and a sense of humour.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,
dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

The Vows I Take Will Be Forever – Nicholas Gordon

The vows I take will be forever:
I’ll love you all my life.
There’s no part way, no holding back
Once we are man and wife.
The choice is made, and now I swim
In a far different sea,
The shores of which are bright green hills
Raised up for you and me.
Our love is like a mountainside
Awash in lovely flowers:
It is our home, our solid rock,
Where all bright things are ours.
And though of need we often must
Spend our days apart,
Our love will always be with us,
Held within the heart.
I feel it now, so strong and free,
So part of every breath
That it must live–I swear it will!–
Even after death.

These I Can Promise – Author Unknown

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that’s ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
Yes, I’ll Marry You.

They Said We’d Never Make It – Nicholas Gordon

They said we’d never make it,
But now we’ve come this far.
Today we celebrate our love
And honour who we are.
We had a hard beginning,
Adults before our time.
But growing up together made
Our deepest roots entwine.
You are my life, my love, my hope,
My friend, my world, my song,
The mirror of my unseen heart,
The place where I belong.
And as our one life passes,
Through love we live for two:
A cornucopia of joy
That we this day renew.

This Day I Marry My Best Friend – Author Unknown

This day I married my best friend
… the one I laugh with as we share life’s wondrous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that’s best.
… the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
… the one I love with every fibre of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.

Today I Married My Best Friend – Rachel Elizabeth Cooper

Today I married my best friend,
Our bond complete, it hath no end,
We share one soul, we share one heart,
A perfect time – a perfect start.
With these rings we share together,
Love so close to last forever,
This special day – two special hearts,
Let nothing keep this love apart.

Two Birds – Author Unknown

Two birds begin a journey long,
From different points in far off lands;
With a luring urge – in heart a song,
Two novices heed life’s commands.
As they make their great migration,
Their feeble feet turn to taloned hands;
And the two reach their destination
As seasoned travellers in the northern lands.
Still unaware that the other lives,
Each alights upon the very same tree;
And there the two, as if guided by God,
Fall madly in love and marry.
Thus so it is with (Bride and Groom);
Two birds which Heaven’s winds did blow
To this blessed rendezvous of life,
Like the two birds at Capistrano.

Why Marriage? – Mari Nichols-Haining

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body…
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won’t hold them against me,
Who loves me when I’m unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me…
Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold…
Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship…
Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements…
Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole…
Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage…
Because of this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.

Wedding Invitation Wording

Getting the wording just right can set the tone for the rest of your wedding.  But sometimes the complexities of different family situations can make it hard to know how best to keep everyone happy.

Here is a comprehensive collection of ways to get your wedding invite wording right no matter what your family situation.

STANDARD FORMAT

VERSION 1

(Host Names)
invite
_____________________________

to the marriage of

(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)
(Dress Information)

FROM THE BRIDE’S PARENTS

VERSION 1

A life of sharing, caring
a love of endless giving together
(Bride’s Parents)
Request the honour of the presence of
__________________________________
At the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
and thereafter at a reception in (Location of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

Our joy will be more complete
if you can share in the marriage
of our daughter, (Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
and thereafter at a reception
in (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 3

(Bride’s Parents)
request the pleasure of the company of
______________________________
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
with
(Groom’s Name)
at
(Ceremony Location)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 4

(Bride’s Parents)
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
(Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

FROM THE GROOMS PARENTS

VERSION 1

(Groom’s Parents)
request the pleasure of the company of
____________________________
at the marriage of
(Bride’s Names)
to their son
(Groom’s Name)
at
(Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

FROM THE BRIDE AND GROOM

VERSION 1

With joy in our hearts
we ask you to be present
at the ceremony uniting
(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
and thereafter at a reception in (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
request the pleasure of the company of
_______________________________________
to share in the celebration of our marriage
at
(Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 3

(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
invite you to join them
in celebrating their marriage
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards
at a reception in (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 4

The pleasure of your company is requested
at the marriage of
(Bride’s Name) & (Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 5

(Bride’s Name) & (Groom’s Name)
invite you to join them as they exchange vows
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
(Location of the Wedding)
and afterwards at
their home
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

FROM THE BRIDE AND GROOM’S PARENTS

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Parents)
together with
(Groom’s Parents)
are proud to invite
_______________________________________
to celebrate the marriage of their children
(Bride’s Name) and (Groom’s Name)
at
(Location of Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

(Bride’s Parents)
together with
(Groom’s Parents)
request the pleasure of your company
_____________________________
at the marriage of their children
(Bride’s Name)
with
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date of RSVP and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 3

(Bride’s Parents)
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
son of
(Groom’s Parents)
On (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
in the (Location of the Wedding)
and thereafter to a reception at (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

FROM THE BRIDE, GROOM AND THEIR PARENTS

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
together with their parents
invite you to share in their joy
when they exchange their marriage vows
and begin their new life together
The ceremony takes place in
(Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
and a luncheon follows afterwards
in (Location of the Reception) at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

Because you have shared in our lives
by your friendship and love, we
(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
together with our parents
(Bride’s Parents)
and
(Groom’s Parents)
Invite you to share
the beginning of our new life together
when we exchange marriage vows
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Wedding)
and thereafter at a reception in (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 3

Together with their parents
(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
request the pleasure of the company of
__________________________________________
at their marriage
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

EVERYBODY HOSTING WITH DIVORCED PARENTS

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Name) & (Groom’s Name)
together with their parents
invite you to celebrate their marriage
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers0

FROM DIVORCED PARENTS OF THE BRIDE

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Mothers Names)
and
(Bride’s Fathers Name)
request the honour of the presence of
______________________________________
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
and
(Groom’s Name)
at (Location of the Ceremony)
on (Date of the Wedding) at (Time of the Ceremony)
and thereafter at a luncheon in the (Location of the Reception)
at (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date and Contact Numbers)

VERSION 2

(Bride’s Mothers Name)
(Bride’s Fathers Name)
request the honour of your presence
__________________________________
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
(Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date of RSVP)
(Return Address of RSVP)

BRIDE’S DIVORCED PARENT HOSTING

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Mothers Name)
requests the honour of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
(Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date of RSVP)
(Return Address of RSVP)

SEPARATED PARENTS HOSTING

VERSION 1

(Bride’s Mothers Name)
(Bride’s Fathers Name)
request the honour of your presence
__________________________________
at the marriage of their daughter
(Bride’s Name)
to
(Groom’s Name)
on (Date of the Wedding)
at (Time of the Ceremony)
(Location of the Ceremony)
and afterwards at
(Location of the Reception)
from (Time of the Reception)
RSVP (Date of RSVP)