Loading Forever Farrah…
By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-17.
Sugared almonds in fives, thirteen coins, a sixpence in the shoe, chestnuts caught in a skirt. Wedding traditions that wish couples luck, wealth and children.
Almost every culture has wedding customs meant to bring the couple luck, wealth and children. Some are objects, like Italian sugared almonds given in fives or the thirteen coins of las arras; some are actions, like smashing porcelain in Germany or catching chestnuts in Korea; and some are colours, like Chinese red. Most began as folk beliefs, and today couples keep them mainly for meaning and fun. Here are the best-known ones, grouped by what they wish for.
Something old, something new. The English rhyme "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe" appears to come from 19th-century Lancashire, according to Wikipedia's history of the rhyme. The earliest documented version is from 1876, and the sixpence, a coin for prosperity, was a later addition. Borrowed items were meant to pass on good fortune from a happily married couple.
Breaking porcelain. On the German Polterabend, guests smash porcelain the night before the wedding because "shards bring luck". The couple sweep it up together.
Red and lucky dates. In traditional Chinese marriage, the bride wore red to symbolise happiness, and choosing an auspicious day was as important as avoiding an unlucky one. The Double Happiness) character, 囍, appears on decorations and gifts. See Chinese wedding traditions.
Las arras. In Spanish, Mexican and Filipino Catholic weddings, thirteen coins are blessed and passed between the couple, a symbol of prosperity and of sharing everything they own.
Sugared almonds. Italian confetti and Greek koufeta are sugared almonds given to guests. According to Wikipedia's entry on dragées, they are often packaged in fives, representing happiness, health, longevity, wealth and fertility.
Money on the bed. Before a Greek wedding, friends and relatives traditionally put money, and young children, on the couple's new bed for prosperity and fertility, according to Wikipedia's list of wedding customs by country.
Money for the couple. At Filipino receptions, guests pin notes on the couple during a money dance to help them start married life. In Nigeria, guests spray the dancing couple with notes, though the central bank treats this as currency abuse, so many now use envelopes. More on gift customs in who gives gifts at weddings around the world.
Dates and chestnuts. At Korean pyebaek, the groom's parents throw jujubes and chestnuts that the bride catches in her skirt. Dates stand for daughters and chestnuts for sons, and the number caught is said to foretell how many children the couple will have. See Korean wedding traditions.
Almond rings. When a Norwegian kransekake is lifted, the number of rings that stick to the top one is said to be the number of children the couple will have.
Pomegranates. The pomegranate is a symbol of fertility, abundance and marriage in Armenia, according to Wikipedia's pomegranate article, and it features in Zoroastrian wedding ceremonies.
Sake in threes. One interpretation of the Japanese san-san-kudo, three cups each drunk in three sips, links it to fertility and the bond of man, woman and child. Others read it as sharing joys and sorrows.
The seven steps. In a Hindu wedding, the couple take seven steps or rounds of the sacred fire, the saptapadi, each with a prayer: for food, health, wealth and strength, love and respect, children, a long life, and lifelong friendship. See Indian wedding traditions.
Rice from a basket. In Trinidad's Hindu weddings, the bride lets rice slip from a basket seven times, as the Milwaukee Public Museum records.
| Tradition | Where | What it wishes for |
|---|---|---|
| Something old, new, borrowed, blue | England, now widespread | Luck, prosperity (the sixpence) |
| Polterabend | Germany | Luck |
| Red clothing and lucky dates | China | Happiness, a good start |
| Las arras | Spain, Mexico, Philippines | Prosperity, sharing |
| Sugared almonds in fives | Italy, Greece | Happiness, health, long life, wealth, children |
| Money on the bed | Greece | Prosperity, children |
| Money dance and spraying | Philippines, Nigeria | A financial start |
| Dates and chestnuts | Korea | Children |
| Kransekake rings | Norway | Children |
| Saptapadi | Hindu weddings | Food, health, wealth, children, long life |
Pick ones with meaning to you. A grandmother's brooch as "something old" means more than a bought charm.
Keep them practical. Porcelain shards, thrown rice or confetti may be banned by your venue. Ask first.
Blend families' customs. If you come from two cultures, choose one lucky custom from each side, such as sugared almonds as favours and a sixpence in the shoe. Small, visible touches let both families see themselves in the day without adding hours to the schedule.
Tell guests what they're seeing. A line in the programme or on your wedding website turns a mystery into a moment everyone shares. For more ideas, see 15 wedding traditions from around the world.
Seating a multicultural guest list? See how Matchmaker seats families together automatically.
In Italy and Greece they are a traditional favour, often given in fives for happiness, health, long life, wealth and fertility.
It is the last line of the "something old" rhyme, a later Victorian addition, and the coin stands for prosperity.
Examples include the Korean pyebaek, where the bride catches dates and chestnuts, the Norwegian kransekake rings, the Greek custom of placing children on the couple's bed, and the pomegranate in Armenian symbolism.
Some are, such as las arras in Catholic weddings or the saptapadi in Hindu weddings. Many others, like the Polterabend or the sixpence, are folk customs with no religious meaning.
Loading Forever Farrah…