Wedding Traditions & Their Meanings 2025

Wedding traditions help couples honor the past while celebrating their future together. From the white dress to the bouquet toss, each custom carries centuries of meaning—though modern couples increasingly choose which to keep, adapt, or skip entirely. According to The Knot's 2025 study, Gen Z couples embrace traditions like cake cutting (67%) and bouquet tosses (38%) at higher rates than Millennials, while also pioneering new customs like grand exits and unplugged ceremonies¹.

Ceremony Traditions

Walking Down the Aisle

Origin: This tradition dates to arranged marriages when fathers literally transferred their daughters as property to husbands.

Today: The custom remains the most valued tradition in the UK, with 53% of couples considering it essential². However, modern variations include:

• Both parents walking the bride
• The bride walking alone
• Partners walking down together
• A different loved one escorting the bride

In Australia, reimagining "giving away the bride" is increasingly common, with many brides making the journey solo or being escorted by someone other than their father³.

The Veil

Origin: Veils served two purposes in ancient times—hiding the bride's face in arranged marriages and warding off evil spirits.

Today: Purely a fashion choice. Brides can wear it draped over the face, pushed back, or skip it entirely. Cathedral-length veils remain popular for formal church ceremonies, while shorter styles suit civil venues.

Ring Exchange on the Left Hand

Origin: Ancient Romans believed a vein called the "vena amoris" (vein of love) ran directly from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart.

Today: While anatomically incorrect, the tradition persists in Western countries. Wedding rings rank as the second most important tradition in the UK (52%)². However, in Germany, Russia, Norway, and Poland, wedding rings are worn on the right hand.

Unity Ceremonies

Origin: Various cultures developed rituals to symbolize two lives becoming one.

Popular types:

• Sand ceremony: Blending colored sands
• Candle lighting: Two flames merging into one
• Handfasting: Celtic tradition of binding hands with ribbon
• Wine blending: Mixing two wines into one glass

Reception Traditions

First Dance

Origin: Historically opened the ball at formal celebrations, giving the couple of honor the spotlight.

Today: Remains popular across all markets. Couples choose between choreographed routines, a simple sway, or skipping it entirely. The "first look" (seeing each other before the ceremony) is growing in the UK, with 17% of couples now adopting this practice—a 6% increase from the previous year².

Cake Cutting

Origin: In ancient Rome, bread was broken over the bride's head for fertility. By the 17th century, English weddings featured tiered cakes that required the couple to kiss over the top tier without toppling it.

Today: Cutting the cake together symbolizes the couple's first shared task as spouses. This remains one of the most enduring traditions:

• 67% of Gen Z couples include cake cutting (vs. lower rates among Millennials)¹
• 49% of UK couples consider it essential²

Feeding each other a bite has become optional, with some viewing the "cake smash" as playful and others preferring a gentle exchange.

Bouquet and Garter Toss

Origin: Medieval wedding guests would grab at the bride's dress for good luck, so brides began throwing their bouquet as a distraction. The garter toss supposedly proved the marriage was consummated.

Today: These are the traditions couples most frequently skip:

The bouquet toss has seen a 22% decline over the past seven years in the US¹. Many couples find the garter removal "outdated" or "awkward." Alternatives include:

• Anniversary dance (longest-married couple wins the bouquet)
• Giving the bouquet to parents or grandparents
• Charm pulls for the bridal party

Parent Dances

Origin: Honored the families who raised the couple and symbolized a thank-you before leaving the childhood home.

Today: The father-daughter and mother-son dances remain meaningful for many couples. In the UK, 28% of brides now give speeches—a modern addition to traditional male-only toasts².

Speeches Order

Traditional speech order varies by region:

Attire Traditions

The White Wedding Dress

Origin: Queen Victoria chose white for her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert—not for purity, but to showcase British Honiton lace, supporting 200 lacemakers who faced poverty due to machine textiles⁴. Her choice was patriotic and practical.

Before Victoria, European brides wore various colors including blue, yellow, red, and even practical colors like black or gray. Mary, Queen of Scots wore white in 1559, but Victoria's wedding—widely covered by the emerging print media—made white fashionable⁴.

Meaning evolution: By the late 19th century, white symbolized purity. However, the tradition only spread to middle-class brides after World War II.

Today: While 41% of US weddings still feature white dresses, ivory/champagne (32%) and blush tones are equally popular¹.

"Something Old, New, Borrowed, Blue"

Origin: This Victorian English rhyme was believed to bring good luck to the bride.

The full rhyme actually ends with "and a sixpence in your shoe" (for prosperity), though this element is rarely observed today.

Regional Variations: US vs UK vs Australia

Wedding terminology and customs differ significantly across English-speaking countries:

Ceremony Statistics by Region

Cultural and Religious Traditions

Jewish Traditions

• Chuppah: Wedding canopy symbolizing the new home
• Breaking the glass: Remembers the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; guests shout "Mazel Tov!"
• Hora dance: Chair dance where the couple is lifted and circled
• Ketubah: Marriage contract read during the ceremony

Hindu Traditions

• Mehndi: Henna applied to bride's hands and feet
• Saptapadi: Seven steps around the sacred fire
• Mangalsutra: Sacred necklace placed by the groom
• Sindoor: Red powder applied to the bride's hair parting

Chinese Traditions

• Red dress: Symbolizes luck and prosperity
• Tea ceremony: Serving tea to both families
• Double happiness symbol: Displayed throughout the venue
• Door games: Bridesmaids challenge the groom before he can see the bride

African and Caribbean Traditions

• Jumping the broom: Symbolizes sweeping away the old and welcoming the new; widely practiced in African American weddings
• Libation ceremony: Pouring drink to honor ancestors

Celtic/Irish Traditions

• Handfasting: Binding hands with cord or ribbon ("tying the knot")
• Claddagh rings: Traditional Irish rings showing love, loyalty, and friendship
• Irish lace veil: Passed down through generations

Modern Adaptations

Traditions Couples Are Skipping

According to recent surveys, these traditions are declining in popularity¹²:

1. Garter toss — Considered awkward or outdated
2. Bouquet toss — Fewer single guests; some find it uncomfortable
3. Bride's side/groom's side seating — Mixed seating creates mingling
4. Matching bridesmaids dresses — 13% of brides now encourage mismatched styles³
5. Father "giving away" bride — Many brides walk alone or with both parents
6. Saving top tier of cake — Freezer burn concerns; couples prefer anniversary cake orders

Rising Trends

New traditions gaining momentum in 2024-2025:

• Grand exits: 43% of Gen Z couples (vs. 26% Millennials)¹
• Unplugged ceremonies: 62% of Gen Z couples request no phones¹
• First look photos: Growing in UK and Australia
• Both families responding: "Who supports this marriage?" instead of "Who gives this woman?"
• Celebrant-led ceremonies: 23% increase in UK demand²

Same-Sex Wedding Traditions

Same-sex couples are creating new traditions while adapting existing ones:

• Both partners walking down the aisle simultaneously or meeting in the middle
• Two bouquets or no bouquet
• Parent dances with any combination
• Personalized vows replacing gendered language

Australia recorded 4,746 same-sex marriages in 2024, a 4.1% increase from 2023³.

Sources and References