We have now entered what is known as ‘peak wedding season’, which runs from May until October each year. There are numerous traditions which occur during weddings across all different cultures and countries, especially with the use of money. Here is everything you need to know about these traditions that occur in wedding ceremonies all around the globe…
Wedding Traditions within the UK:
The familiar verse ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ is a long-standing wedding tradition which is widely recognised and concerns what the bride should wear on her wedding day to bring her good luck. That being said, what a lot of people do not know is that the verse actually continues with ‘and a silver sixpence in her shoe’. This is because traditionally, the father of the bride would put a sixpence into the bride’s shoe before walking down the aisle, symbolising the father’s wishes for the couple to have good luck and fortune in their marriage.
A tradition which is thought to give the newly-weds prosperity and good luck is by inserting a silver coin, which has been minted in the same year as the wedding, into a champagne bottle cork which has been popped on the day and can be used as a keepsake for the couple. As the years go by, the cork will tighten around the coin, and this signifies a growing bond.
Another tradition, which is practised in Scotland and Northern England, is known as ‘Wedding Scramble’. This is essentially when children gather around the car before the bride would head to the wedding venue, and her father would throw out money as they drive away for the children to collect. This is practised as it is believed to bring financial stability to the couple, however, it has been altered slightly over time. Nowadays, the groom tends to throw the coins out when he drives away with his new bride, or the father of the bride throws money to the couple after the ceremony.
Traditions across the globe:
In Sweden, the gifting of coins on the wedding day is also used to bring good luck and fortune. Similarly to the UK’s tradition, the bride is given a silver coin from her father which is placed into her left shoe, and a gold coin is given from her mother which is then placed into her right shoe.
Spain and Latin America have a couple of wedding traditions which include using money, such as ‘The Gift of Thirteen Coins’. This is when the groom provides his bride with thirteen gold coins on the night before the wedding. The coins represent Christ and his twelve Apostles, and the bride must carry the coins with her during the ceremony. Some couples will decide to pledge their commitment to each other by presenting one another with these coins; typically the bride will have a bag of silver coins, and the groom will have a bag of gold coins.
Throughout Europe, there is the cultural tradition known as the ‘Money Dance’ or ‘Dollar Dance’. This is when the bride wears a purpose-made apron on top of her wedding dress so that guests can pin money onto the apron in exchange for a dance with the bride. Traditionally, the groom pins money first, and then this is followed by the father of the bride, relatives and then friends. These days, it is common for the same practice to be used on the groom so that female guests can gift money in exchange for a dance with him.
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