Wedding Planning Guide - Traditions Return to Wedding Planning Topics List Wedding Ring Finger It is quite a wide held belief that choice of finger is due to a vein running from the 3rd finger on the left hand to the heart. This originated from an Egyptian belief that the ring finger is the stem of the 'vena amoris' - the vein of love. The other possibility is that 17th Century Christian Weddings involved the priest/vicar/rector touching the thumb, and then each finger saying "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" - by which time he would have arrived at the ring finger. The Bride's Veil and Standing on the left Long ago, when the Groom would 'capture' his Bride, he may have put a cloth over her head to carry her away. He may have had to fight other men, in which case he would have held her in his left hand whilst fighting with his right. The Bride and Groom must not see each other before the Ceremony on the day of the Wedding In the days of arranged marriages, when it was feared that if either party saw each other before the Ceremony they would try to back out! Something Old, Something New... Perhaps one of the most upheld traditions, this rhyme dates back to Victorian times, making it relatively new. The full version of the rhyme is: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence in your Shoe! Something Old: A link between the Bride and her family/the life she is leaving. Something New: For good luck and fortune in the Bride's new life. Very often the dress is the new item. Something Borrowed: This should be borrowed from a married woman, and be something she wore at her wedding. This brings the new union the luck and happiness of the other marriage. Something Blue: Translates from Biblical times, when the colour 'blue' represented fidelity and purity. And a Silver Sixpence in your Shoe: This doesn't just symbolise financial wealth for the Bride, but also refers to being 'wealthy' with love and happiness during the newly weds life together. Return to Wedding Planning Topics List Home | About Us | Sites | Supplier Directory | Wedding Planning Guide | Contact Us | Advertise Mailing List | Tell A Friend Visitor Terms & Conditions | Links copyright Internet Wedding Guide 2007 lisa bailey affordable web design