These wedding traditions have developed as a sign of the sealing of the marriage bargain. They symbolise the many virtues of a successful marriage including fertility, happiness and prosperity.

Something old, new, borrowed and blue

• Something old - protects the bride and links the wedding day with her past.
• Something new - brings success and good luck to the bride's future life.
• Something borrowed - transfers happiness to the bride when borrowed from a happily married woman.
• Something blue - signifies loyalty and faithfulness.

The wedding cake
The wedding cake has been a part of wedding celebrations since the time of the ancient Romans who broke a thin loaf over the bride's head at the end of the ceremony as a symbol of abundance. The crumbs were eaten by the wedding guests as they were believed to be good luck.

The ancient Greeks offered cakes made of fruit, nuts and honey to the Gods seeking approval of the marriage and their blessings to the couple.

In England during the Middle Ages the bride and groom would kiss over a pile of small wedding cakes to ensure an abundance of healthy offspring.

It was a French baker who first iced a wedding cake with hard sugar frosting.

These days the custom of sharing the cake still represents the sharing of the happiness and good fortune felt by the newly-wed couple. The cake is usually shared out to guests by the bridesmaids and if the cake is a rich, dark fruit cake then the top layer is kept and frozen, to be eaten on the couple's first anniversary or on the birth of the first baby.

Rings
In very early times the engagement ring was given as partial payment for the bride and was a symbol of the groom's good intentions. The first engagement rings were made of grass and later from leather, stone and crude metals. Diamonds became a feature in engagement rings in medieval Italy as they were the strongest gem thereby representing enduring love.

The wedding ring, exchanged during the wedding ceremony, is aslo a symbol of eternal love. In the past, it was considered lucky if silver rings were exchanged, later rings were often decorative with designs such as clasped hands, twin hearts or a single heart. Gold rings became fashionable during the 19th century and were often engraved with a short message, the couple's initials and the date of the wedding.

The rings are placed on the 4th finger of the left hand as the early Egyptians believed this finger contained the vein that led to the heart.

The English Prayer Book of 1549 stated that the 4th finger of the left hand was the proper and holy place for all wedding rings.

The Honeymoon
In early Northern Europe, newly married couples drank a fermented honey drink, known as metheglen for thirty days or until the moon waned. This time became known as the honeymoon.

In ancient times when the bride was captured, the groom hid his bride to prevent her angry relatives from finding her. From this came the concept of the honeymoon trip.

The trousseau/theglory box
The trousseau is the bride's outfit of clothes, linen and other goods which she brings with her at her marriage and is derived from the French word trousse, meaning "bundle". Originally, it was part of the dowry paid by the bride's parents to the groom as compensation for his expenses for caring for his wife.

Today the idea of the "the glory box" is generally out of favour as most brides are financially independent at the time of their marriage.

Wearing a bridal veil
The bridal veil originated in Greek and Roman times and was considered a sign of youth and virginity. The veil was introduced into Europe with the return of the crusaders. With the arranging of a marriage, a bride was swathed in a veil and revealed to her husband after the ceremony. Anglo-Saxon brides wore their hair hanging loose while Jewish brides shaved their heads.

In more recent times the fashion of wearing a veil was introduced in the USA by Nellie Custis at her wedding to an aide of President Washington following some flattering comments by her fiance after he had glimpsed her through a lace curtain at an open window.

Carrying flowers
Brides in ancient Rome carried herbs such as Rosemary as a symbol of fidelity and fertility. In Greece the brides carried ivy, representing eternal love. Orange blossoms were favoured by the Saracens as orange trees bloom and bear fruit at the same time, thereby exhibiting youth, purity and fertility all at once. The Saracen's custom of wearing a crown of orange blossoms on the bridal veil was introduced into Europe by the returning crusaders. Roses are considered the "love blossoms" and became very popular during the Victorian era.

Tying shoes to the honeymoon car
Among the early Hebrews a sandal was often given as a sign of good faith following a property exchange. Later in Europe the shoe became a symbol of domestic authority and in Anglo-Saxon marriages the bride's father transferred his authority to his new son-in-law by handing him his daughter's shoe. The groom would then hold up the shoe and tap it on the bride's head three times. Sometimes old shoes were thrown at the newly weds as they left the church and in Tudor times, people would throw old shoes over the Royal bridal carriage for good luck.

Throwing of confetti
While the idea of throwing a shoe hasn't stuck, throwing confetti at the newly weds as they leave the church has. The throwing of rice originated in the Orient as a symbol of good luck, fertility and prosperity and evolved into the coloured, paper confetti we know today. Many churches and ceremony venues have now banned the thowing of confetti in their grounds so rice is back in fashion (dyed in bright colours) as are rose petals, lavender and bubbles.