I value tradition

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a sixpence for her shoe.

Flowers
The groom often chooses a flower for his buttonhole which also occurs in the bride's bouquet. This is a vestige of the time when a Knight would wear his Lady's colours to display his love.
Some people choose the flowers at the wedding on the basis of their symbolic meaning. For example, orange blossom has always been associated with weddings because it signifies purity and chastity; peonies are avoided by some as they represent shame; azaleas represent temperance; roses symbolise love; and snowdrops represent hope.

Wedding cake
In medieval England, guests brought small cakes and piled them in the center of a table, challenging the bride and groom to kiss over them.

Wedding dress
It is also unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before until she arrives at the ceremony.
The bride should not wear her entire outfit before the wedding day. Some brides leave a final stich on the dress undone until it is time to leave for the ceremony when the outfit is completed.

Wedding bells
Church bells ring as the couple enter; they peal a different tune as the newlyweds exit to scare off evil spirits.

Bouquet and garter
After the reception the bride throws her bouquet back over her shoulder where the unmarried female guest group together. Tradition holds that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next one of those present to marry.
A parallel custom is for the groom to remove the garter worn by the bride and throw it back over his shoulder toward the unmarried male guests. Again the one who catches it will be the next to marry.

Banns
If the couple will marry in a church, banns announcing the proposed wedding are read aloud in the church three Sundays before the wedding. It is unlucky for the bride and bridegroom to be present at the calling of the banns.

Threshold
In Wales, the bride was always carefully lifted over the threshold on her return from the marriage ceremony because "it was considered very unlucky for a bride to place her feet on or near the threshold" and "trouble was in store for the maiden who preferred walking into the house".

Bridesmaids and veil
To act as decoys and disguise the bride and therefore outwit malevolent spirits.

The best man
It is the best man's duty to protect the groom from bad luck. He must ensure that once the groom has began his journey to the church he does not return for any reason.
He must also arrange for the groom to carry a small mascot or charm in his pocket on the wedding day.
When the best man is paying the church minister's fee he should pay him an odd sum to bring luck to the couple.

Our first purchase
It is said that the first partner who buys a new item after the wedding will be the dominant one in the relationship. Many brides ensure that they make the first purchase by arranging to buy a small item such as a pin from the chief bridesmaid immediately after the ceremony.

In Japan...

- The groom must arrive before the bride at the church to avoid bad luck.
- Breaking something during the reception brings good luck to the newlyweds.

In Jewish tradition...

Yichud
Private moment between the Bride and Groom.
Immediately after the ceremony, we stole away for a few moments alone together. Our caterer put together a “moment platter” so we could enjoy all the hors d'oeuvres that were served at the cocktail hour while we were inside, and of course, some bubbly. I highly recommend taking the time to do this, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

Birkat Hamazon
Grace after meals.
During the reception, those who wanted to participate stepped away from the campfire and s’mores to say the traditional post-meal blessing. We honored 7 people by asking them each to say one of the sheva brachot (seven wedding blessings), which are repeated during the birkat (blessings) at weddings.

Ketubah or Ketubot
Pre-marital contract.
Traditionally, the content of the ketubah formalises the various requirements by the Torah of a Jewish husband vis à vis his wife (e.g. giving her adequate resources for dress, food, and shelter, and providing her with regular sexual intercourse), and stipulates the sum to be paid by him in case of divorce (or death), generally one year's maintenance.
Ketubot are often hung prominently in the home by the married couple as a daily reminder of their vows and responsibilities to each other.

Entertainment
It’s traditional at Jewish weddings for guests to entertain the bride and groom (in fact it's considered a special honor blessing - a mitzvah).
Our guests completely took us by surprise and put on an incredible show! They sat us in the middle of the dance floor and did all kinds of magic tricks, juggling, chicken fights, dancing, and even push-ups in between rounds of the hora! The energy and love was so incredibly festive and celebratory and joyful. All 150 guests were cheering and laughing and it totally epitomized what I had hoped the day would be like.

The Hora
A lively Israeli dance performed at the wedding reception. While they hold on to either end of a handkerchief, bride and groom are lifted into the air on chairs by their joyful guests, as they are celebrated as 'king and queen of the night'.

The circling
In traditional Jewish weddings, the bride circles the groom three or seven times before she enters the huppah. The bride's circle symbolizes her protection of the groom and her shift in commitments: Her top priority is now her husband (while before it was her parents).