wedding myths

Refrain from your married name
Using your married name before you're officially married is considered bad luck.

Stitch Now, Cry Later
The bride should avoid sewing her own wedding dress, as it's said that for every stitch of the dress the bride makes herself, she'll shed one tear during the marriage as a result.

Before reaching the church:
Waking to the sound of birds singing is considered good luck. Hearing the crow of a cock after the dawn is seen as bad luck. The bride should avoid putting on her own veil, instead getting a well-married woman to do so for her. Rain on your wedding day is considered good luck, as is sun shining on the bride. On the way to the church, passing by a funeral procession is most definitely an ill omen, and most wedding routes are planned to bypass funeral routes to avoid this. On the other hand, should the bride pass a policeman, clergyman, doctor, blind man, dove, lamb, spider, or black cat along the journey, these are all viewed as good signs. For added good luck, the groom should pass a coin to the first person he sees at the church.

Wearing pearls:
Pearls can be viewed in both a positive and negative light. Their shape, resembling tears, has been thought to signify future tears on the bad luck side, or as a replacement for tears on the good luck side. Your choice of whether or not to wear pearls will likely depend on which side of this fence you fall on.

Seeing the Bride:
It's a commonly held belief that the groom should not see the bride at any point on the wedding day before she makes her stroll down the aisle. At the very least, the groom should avoid seeing the wedding dress come wedding day.

There's a time for everything:
And when it comes to marriage, it's said the best time for the couple to exchange their vows is right when the minute hand of the clock is pointing upwards, which signifies ascension towards heaven.

Dropping the ring:
This myth also supports two different viewpoints. Dropping the wedding ring during the ceremony is sometimes viewed as a good omen, ridding them of any evil spirits. On the other hand, it's also said that the he or she who drops the ring will be the first one to pass away.

Greeting the bride:
It's considered bad luck if a woman is the first person to congratulate the bride after the wedding. Noble men should get aggressive and jostle their way to the front of the pack, all in the name of preserving good luck.

Removal of the pins:
Each pin holding together the dress and veil should be removed before the items are taken off, as it's considered bad luck if they are not.

When it's alright to throw shoes at people:
Well perhaps not at, but at least over. Yes, it's considered good luck for someone to toss an old shoe over the bride's head as she exits the church.

The long road home:
The wedding party should take the longest road home for good luck, while the bride should take an alternate route home than the one taken to the wedding. This is seen as good luck, and a symbol of her new path through life.

If only dealing with all in-laws were so simple:
When entering her home for the first time after the wedding, the bride should have a piece of cake broken over her head by her mother-in-law, which is an indication that they'll be friends for life.