Something old, new, borrowed and blue

The tradition of the bride wearing something old (for continuity), new (optimism for the future), borrowed (borrowed happiness) and blue (fidelity, good fortune and love) on her wedding day stems from an Old English rhyme.

The veil

Brides originally wore veils to stave off evil spirits. The veil was often red (for defiance against evil) or yellow (for Hymen, the god of marriage). Martha Washington's daughter is said to have been the first bride to wear white lace, covering her head with a long lace scarf for her ceremony. Her fiancé had previously commented on her beauty as she stood behind a lace window curtain, and she went with it _ as have millions of other brides.

Not seeing each other pre-ceremony

In the early days of arranged marriages, the bride and groom often never saw each other at all before the wedding. Even after couples were already acquainted before they married, it was still considered bad luck for the groom to glimpse the bride pre-ceremony; she would not be pure and new. Nor was the bride supposed to see herself _ it was believed that if she saw her reflection, she would leave some of herself behind in the mirror. (Brides today probably wouldn't take too well to not being able to preen before the wedding!)

These days, many couples still uphold the not-seeing-each-other tradition. Others throw caution to the wind and spend time alone together pre-ceremony to calm their nerves or enjoy the excitement together.