Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wedding Folklore

Before we talk weddings, I want to invite all the followers of our American Romance Blog to join me and other E-Harlequin readers for my *Free* weekly online read, The Bull Rider's Surrender. One chapter a week will be posted at E-Harlequin beginning Monday March 7th. I'll be giving away copies of my books so please join the discussions following each chapter. Hope to see you there! Now,on to weddings...

My niece recently became engaged and March of next year she'll be walking down the aisle. Watching her go through the process of shopping for a wedding gown, picking her bridesmaids and planning the details of her wedding brings back fond memories of my wedding planning days. For those who are superstitious I thought it would be fun to share a little folklore about weddings. Some of these I'd never heard of before I married and after reading them I believe it was a good thing! I was married on a Friday in the month of May and did not have a sixpence in my shoe. And I know for a fact I fell asleep first on our wedding day because hubby is a night-owl and I come from a long line of farmers…early to be—early to rise.

WEDDING DAY
Certain days of the week, and certain months of the year are better than others for a wedding.
Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday for no luck at all

Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true,
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.


FOR A LUCKY BRIDE


Something old,
Something new,
Something borrowed,
Something blue,
And a lucky sixpence
In her shoe.

Married in White, you have chosen right
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Blue, you will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Brown, you will live in the town,
Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.

OTHER BELIEFS
If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.
The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall - hence the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.
The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.

Weddinng Cake


If a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.

Anyone care to share a superstition they followed on their wedding day?

Marin Thomas
The Bull Rider's Surrender March E-HQ Weekly Read
Roughneck Cowboy Feb 2011
Rodeo daddy April 2011
The Bull Rider's Secret July 2011

8 comments:

Pamela Stone said...

Hi Marin. Cool post. I too came from a farmer/country family.

My grandmother always said that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding gown before she walked down the aisle. It was also bad luck if he saw her on their wedding day before she walked down the aisle.

My other grandmother said that the first night you slept in a new house, you were to name the corners each after a man you would like to marry. The next morning when you woke up, whichever corner/guy you looked at first was the man you would marry.

Linda Warren said...

Marin,

Your posts arr always so informative. I learn from them. Great post!

I've always heard if it rains on your wedding day, your marriage will be filled with tears.

Linda

Leigh Duncan said...

What a cool post, Marin!

Estella said...

Had not heard of some of those.

Marin Thomas said...

Pam and Linda--thanks for sharing your wedding trivia! I often wonder how many of these things have come true for people.

Leigh and Estella, thanks for dropping in. I was married in Vegas 25 years ago in a 5 minute ceremony and my husband and I are the only ones out of our siblings that remain married so I have to think Vegas was lucky for us!

Barbara White Daille said...

Great post, Marin!

Like Pam, I'd always heard that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day before the ceremony.

Also, I've heard the saying "Happy is the bride the sun shines on."

We were lucky with both of them.

Barbara
www.barbarawhitedaille.com

linda s said...

My mother knew all these and brought the sixpence... a real one. She was sooo superstitious. lol Love that you married in Vegas, Marin. Much more fun.

CC said...

What a hoot, Marin! Brought back some memories of long, long ago! All those superstitions! The one I most remember is the groom shouldn't see the bride on their wedding day before the ceremony. We adhered to that adage and got married in November - it must be why we're still going strong 30 years later! :-) But it didn't say what you're chances of success are if you marry on a Sunday!