Wedding Traditions

For hundreds of years, it has been a tradition in Europe, and later in the United States to make a joyful celebration at a wedding and the vehicles that transport the bride and the groom are no exception.  On this most festive day, even the cars should be decorated.

Back in the days before people went on honeymoons, newly married couples were often given a charivari at their home.  That is, all the wedding guests would come to the house, stand outside, and bang pots and pans and buckets and anything else to make noise.  The point was to slyly poke fun at the bride and groom, keep them awake and maybe a little annoyed. This tradition later showed up in the practice of tying tin or steel cans to the bumper of the wedding limousine.  Even if the bride and groom were leaving for some faraway honeymoon, at least they could go with some noise!

It has also been a tradition to tie shoes to the back of a wedding limousine.  This comes from a time when shoes were scarcer, and were a sign of wealth.  It was a way of wishing prosperity to the newly married couple.

Today Setting New Wedding Traditions

Today, there are as many ways to decorate a wedding limousine as there are brides and grooms getting married.  This should be undertaken by a mischievous member of the wedding party, and one sneaky enough to slip away during the reception and get the decoration done.

White shoe polish on the windows is a common first step.  There is not any history or symbolism to using shoe polish; it’s just a great way to write personalized messages on a car.  Some people write a simple “just married” on the wedding limousine.   Others may think of a more personal message tailored to the couple.

White flowers and streamers are popular wedding limousine decorations too.  Tie these items to the antenna, door handles, side mirrors, and if the driver will let you inside, put some decorations in the interior of the limousine too.  Do anything you want; just don’t block the windshield!