Should a groom see his bride 24 hours before the wedding day?

It seems that couples are divided on the question of whether the groom should see the bride the day before the wedding day or not, according to an Easy Weddings poll. Of almost 1000 couples that took part in the poll 52% said the groom shouldn’t see the bride, 45% didn’t see why not, and 13% hedged their bets, saying it was OK to see the bride as long as the lights weren’t on!

The tradition of not seeing the bride for 24 hours, or possibly just the night before the wedding, stems from an ancient tradition of the bride not showing her face to the groom at all before they were married, something that very few Australian couples would consider today!

The tradition has endured for a number of reasons, most notably because a lot of couples feel that it builds excitement and anticipation for the wedding ceremony if the first time the groom sees the bride in 24 hours is when she walks down the aisle towards him. It’s the same reason that most brides still keep their wedding dress a secret from the groom.

However, as indicated in the poll results, many couples now feel that it doesn’t matter if the groom sees the bride the night before the wedding, or even on the day of the wedding itself. It is becoming more common for couples to get dressed up and have a photo shoot before the ceremony so they don’t have to do it during the wedding when their guests are there, and some couples find it relaxes them to spend time with their partner in the run up to the ceremony.

Some couples enjoy taking part in long held traditions, while others feel that superstition plays no part in a modern wedding, meaning that opinion is split over this particular wedding custom.