1. Gift Bows Over the Door: It is believed that you should hang all of the bows from your wedding gifts over your door for a full year after you wed!
2. ‘Til Death do Us Part: If the bride’s wedding gown rips on the day before her wedding the marriage will end in death. (Gasp!)
3. Never Make Your Own Dress: It is bad luck for a bride to sew her own wedding dress. It is believed that each stitch she sews will equal the tears she cries over her marriage.
4. Lucky Day: The Victorians believed that the luckiest day to marry is on the day of the week that the groom was married, and that it was even luckier to be married on his birthday!
5. White Dress: Wearing a white dress on your wedding day actually has nothing to do with virginity. In the past, white cloth was very expensive to bleach and more than one bleaching was required. So, the whiter the cloth the more expensive wealthy the bride’s family was. Some symbols of virginity are actually the bride’s hair being worn down, or orange blossoms or a wreath of flowers worn in her hair.
6. No Knives, please: In the Jewish tradition it’s bad luck to receive knives as a wedding gift. In case someone should give knives, the bride should transform the exchange into a financial transaction by giving a penny or nominal sum for the knives.
7. Stand-In Bride: The bride is never supposed to practice walking down the aisle, even during rehearsal, or it will bring bad luck. The most popular alternative is to ask a close friend, or someone in the wedding to be your “Stand-in” bride.
8. Here Kitty, Kitty: A week before the wedding have a house-cat eat out of your left shoe for good luck.
9. Rosary Beads: If it is raining the morning of your wedding, hang rosary beads on the clothesline. One bride swears by this superstition. On the morning of her wedding it was absolutely pouring, so she hung a strand of rosary beads on the clothesline and by the time everyone was dressed and ready to go the sun was shining and the rest of the day was perfect.
10. The Last Name on the Shoe: The bride is supposed to have all of her bridesmaids sign the bottom of her shoe before the wedding. At the end of the reception, the bridesmaid whose name is worn off the most is the next to marry!
So there you have it! You already know not to let the groom see you until you walk down the aisle, to have him carry you across the threshold, and all of the other “staple” wedding superstitions, but if you’re looking for more ways to ensure that you have good luck on your wedding day just follow these simple superstitions. Enjoy!