Wedding curiosities and traditions

If you have ever wondered at some of the odd things done in the name of getting married, then this section aims to provide some answers.

The Best Man

This is a throwback to the days of raiding parties, where brides-to-be, were abducted by the groom and his best man and forced to marry. The best man would also serve as an extra pair of hands in the event that the bride’s family tried to take back their daughter.

Hen night

This is so named because the bride’s women friends would be invited around to the bride’s family home the night before the wedding where they would help pluck the hens for the following day’s feast. A bit like pheasant pluckers??

Penny Wedding

This was so named because the guests were expected to make a donation when they attended a wedding. This type of wedding was rare as it was a matter of the bride’s family honour that they paid and the “free wedding” as it was known, was definitely the norm. The “free wedding” was where the bride’s father footed the whole cost of the wedding. It is worthy of note that Scottish weddings went on into the evening unlike those in England, most likely due to the cost. Surely a good measure of the generosity of a nation? Penny weddings were frowned upon by the church, as they were believed to lead to promiscuous dancing. Anyone attending a penny wedding and not contributing was referred to as a “whistlebinkie”. Although if they brought a penny whistle to play, or sang or told stories they would be forgiven.

Tying the Knot

This well known euphemism for getting married came about as a result of the superstitious tradition of removing any knots from the clothes and body of the bride and groom before the wedding to ensure there was no impediment to the couple’s fertility. After the ceremony the knots would be re-tied, hence the name tying the knot.

Confetti

The tradition of throwing confetti, rice or rose petals comes from the belief that this symbolised fertility and that by showering the newly weds, fertility would be passed on to them, ensuring that a large family would ensue. Following this, it was common for the father of the bride to throw a shoe after the couple as a symbol of responsibility transferring from him to the groom for looking after his daughter.If you know the origins of any wedding traditions then please email them to us.