Bridesmaid’s Write Their Names on the Bridal Shoe

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Sia Aristidou

Five Bridesmaids and one Flower Girl each write their name on the bottom of the Bride’s wedding shoe.
Photo by Porfyri Photography

My understanding of the Greek Tradition:

There are so many fun rituals and traditions shared at a Greek Wedding and I must say that this is one of my favourites.

At my wedding we said that the name of the bridesmaid that is last to rub off from the bottom of the shoe will be the next to get married. So naturally, all the girls who can’t wait to get married strategically placed their name on a part of the shoe that is less likely to wear away, pushing hard down on the permanent marker and ensuring that the writing was big and clear. Anyone who was avoiding the thought of marriage would place their names on the edges and kept me up on the dance floor for most of the night. The only rule is that all of the Bridesmaids names need to be on the sole of the shoe so that it is a fair chance for everyone. If any names are writing up the arch or on the heel, then there is no chance for the names to wear away.

This is what my shoe looked like by the end of the night:

According to our shoe game, my bridesmaid “Catherine” will be the next to get married. Only time will tell if this superstition turns into a reality (I will keep you updated).

Variations of this Greek Tradition:

I have heard many other variations for this tradition including:

The first bridesmaid’s name to rub off the bottom of the shoe is the next to get married.
The last bridesmaid’s name to rub off the bottom of the shoe is the next to get married.
The number of bridesmaid’s names to stay on the bottom of the shoe is the number of children that the Bride and Groom will have.
The number of bridesmaid’s names that have been rubbed off from the bottom of the shoe is the number of children that the Bride and Groom will have.

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Share your story!
Do you have this tradition in your family? What are your rules or strategies?
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A Wedding That Embraces Greek Traditions

Posted on February 15, 2008 by Sia Aristidou

Watch this Greek Wedding video from youtube. It shows a lot of the Greek traditions that I write about on this blog including:

The groom waiting at the front of the church
The groom’s gift of flowers
Smashing items before leaving the house
Writing names on shoes
Breaking the bread
The ceremony
Crowning
The Dance of Isaiah
Greek Dancing
Feeding each other cake
Connected by ribbon

A Cinderella Moment

Posted on December 12, 2007 by Sia Aristidou

Cinderella moment, originally uploaded by elinag.

In This Picture:
The groom is putting a shoe on his bride’s foot.

This is a true Cinderella moment. Whilst i don’t know the actual details of this particular wedding, it is tradition for the groom to buy the bride’s wedding shoes and offered it to her with money as a wedding gift. I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before she walks down the aisle… maybe that’s just another superstition.

You can see a close up of the money and the shoes in another post called ‘Shoes With Money’ and read about another shoe ritual called ‘The Bridal Shoe’.

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Do you know about any other wedding shoe rituals?
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Shoes Filled with Money

Posted on December 12, 2007 by Sia Aristidou

Money in the shoes, originally uploaded by elinag.

In this picture:

The groom is offering a gift to his bride. This gift is her wedding shoes with some money tucked inside.
Have a better look at this real Cinderella moment!

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What did you get as a wedding gift from your groom?
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The Bridal Shoe

Posted on December 11, 2007 by Sia Aristidou

The bridal shoe, originally uploaded by Prêt à Voyager.

This photo describes what Kathleen told me about the bridal shoe in a previous post: Names on Shoes.

In This Picture:
“Names of single friends are written on the bottom of the brides shoe. At the end of the night the names that are worn off are those of the girls destined to be married soon; names of those that remain are screwed.” (Prêt à Voyager)

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Do you know about any other shoe rituals?
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Greek Weddings & Traditions

Category Archives: Shoes

Bridesmaid’s Write Their Names on the Bridal Shoe

My understanding of the Greek Tradition:

Variations of this Greek Tradition:

Related topics that you might like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

A Wedding That Embraces Greek Traditions

Related posts you might like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

A Cinderella Moment

Related Topics You Might Like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

Shoes Filled with Money

In this picture:

Related Topics You Might Like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

The Bridal Shoe

Related posts you might like

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

My understanding of the Greek Tradition:

Variations of this Greek Tradition:

Related topics that you might like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

Share this:

Related posts you might like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

Share this:

Related Topics You Might Like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

Share this:

In this picture:

Related Topics You Might Like:

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

Share this:

Related posts you might like

Sia Aristidou is fascinated by the rituals and traditions celebrated in Greek culture. Sia writes about love, marriage, family and tradition and sells beautiful handmade wedding gifts at the Greek Wedding Shop.

Connect with Sia on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to the Greek Weddings & Traditions blog. If you want to learn more about Greek food and Greek cooking, then join the Greek Cooking Challenge.

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