Something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new! We Brits are a traditional lot when it comes to weddings! Whilst fashions and trends come and go, there are some aspects of many weddings that simply can’t be missed. There are many wedding traditions, and each couple and family have their own story behind them.

We’ve gathered some of the most popular ones to help you add British wedding etiquette twist to your modern day.

Seeing the bride

It’s often seen as bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the big day. This stems from an ancient tradition of the bride not showing her face to the groom at all before the wedding! Some couples prefer to keep it this way and not spend the night together before the ceremony, to build up the anticipation. Others however, prefer to spend a few minutes with their loved-one ahead of the ceremony. This can be to get some classic reaction shots from the groom of the bride in her dress, or simply to calm any shaky nerves!

The veil

The bride traditionally wears a veil to hide her beauty and to ward off evil spirits as she glides up the aisle. Veils come in many different shapes and sizes, and they are usually lifted either when the father of the bride delivers her at the bottom of the aisle, or when the officiant announce s the couple as bride and groom. An extra bit of trivia: have you ever noticed how the groom always stands on the right? This is an age-old tradition to keep the groom’s ‘sword arm’ free, to fight off any other gents who might like to marry the lady for themselves!

Throwing confetti

Throwing confetti is a fun tradition for when the newlywed couple leave their chosen venue. Thought to increase fertility, rice was often used as ‘confetti’. However, the Victorians bucked this trend and began using shredded paper! Nowadays, there are plenty of choices of confetti, in all different colours – from dried flower petals to biodegradable paper.

Bouquet toss

The girls in the wedding party love this one, and it’s a really fun wedding tradition. The bride gathers the women in the party behind her, and throws her wedding bouquet. The one to catch it is next to marry! Well, in theory…

Think we’ve missed one? Stay tuned for our next post on British wedding traditions! Or, read more of our blog here.