The Age-Old Superstition

Before I start, do you know what superstition I’m talking about? If you guessed not seeing the bride in her wedding dress before the actual ceremony, then you were spot on! I always found this superstition a bit odd, primarily because I’m not a believer in superstitions in the first place.

In fact, I am a firm believer of hard work and conviction determining how your life plays out. So when someone told me all those years ago to ignore the superstition (I’m not 100% sure who swayed my mind back then but if I recall correctly, I believe it was a coworker, of all people), I did just that and actually let my soon-to-be husband get a sneak peek before the wedding ceremony officially began. And if you were superstitious before, you shouldn’t be any more after seeing my results. Over thirty years happily married, in spite of that superstition!

However, that’s not what I meant when I said to re-think the superstition. Because in fact, over time I realized that not letting your soon-to-be husband catch you in your wedding dress really is the right way to go – just for a totally different reason.

I only realized this on the day of my niece’s wedding. She looked absolutely stunning in her simple yet modern-style dress, and along with her hair and makeup looked so angelic. My niece is actually quite close to me so over the years I think her mindset rubbed off on me and she didn’t care if her fiancé saw her before the ceremony began. So she texted him and he came to see her.

That is when I saw this pure look of emotion and happiness pour over his face as he walked into the room and caught a glimpse of her. He literally looked to be on the verge of crying. It was such a beautiful moment and they talked briefly before he left the room. But in that moment of pure emotion, I realized how special that moment would have been had he seen her for the first time at the ceremony. Not just the pure physical beauty that exuded from her, but in the context of her walking down the aisle, a mere minutes away from becoming his new wife.

Now I know this isn’t a new concept entirely. But I do know that in the context of this superstition, most people simply feel like seeing their bride or groom before the actual ceremony is simply bad luck in terms of their marriage. However, even if you don’t believe in superstitions, like myself, there is still plenty of reason to get behind the idea, albeit in a slightly different way. By waiting until you walk down the aisle to reveal your full wedding dress ensemble, you create the perfect storm of emotions for your groom to relish in, taking in your beauty in conjunction with the life-changing moment at hand. In other words, waiting until then gives him a truly memorable moment that he will cherish for the rest of his life.