No scissors at bridal shower

In my family its an old Italian tradition that scissors will sever the marriage. Also a related fact, in Italian tradition if you give knives or scissors as a gift, its tradition for the bride to give the giver a penny to buy the sharp object. The reason is an old superstition that sharp objects can sever a marriage!

Thanks ladies. I just told my MOH so she will know. Don't want to offend anyone with not following tradition.

Iv heard of the broken ribbons = number of kids. My fmil was chanting for me to break ribbons

@MrsinMay that's hilarious. So how many did you break?

Amongst the women of my family, it is bad luck to cut or break the ribbon. You have to slide the ribbon off the gift in one piece and it cannot be untied. Breaking it will cause a break in your relationship with your spouse. Cutting it will sever your marriage.

ETA: Also, what ever the bride says as she opens her gifts will be the words she utters on her honeymoon.

ETA: Untying it will unravel your home.

...I have never heard of this. I thought based on the title that people were afraid the bride would stab them or something.

@kitandkaboodle - I've never heard the honeymoon piece. So I'm now confused whether to cut or not cut the ribbon.

@beth - haha I didn't even think about that. I will be very laid back at the bridal shower unless the BP and my mother don't listen and have a stripper. Lol :-)

LOL@Beth and ditto!

Well hell...no wonder my first marriage didn't work. I broke the crap out of ribbons. Haha! Everything happens for a reason, right? ;-)

I knew about the ribbon thing, but didn't know about the scissors! I have a boxcutter keychain on my keys, so I'll be set regardless lol

I'm with Beth! When I first started reading this I didn't even realize you're talking about the ribbons on presents...I was like "There's a ribbon breaking game I'm unaware of, too?"

Never heard of it either!

I hadn't heard of the Italian traditions, but growing up it was always a big thing that the number of ribbons the bride-to-be broke was the number of children she would have. I made sure to break the ribbons on the gifts from my mom and MIL, (both of whom can't wait to be grandmothers!) and broke a double for twins, just in case. Even though I'm not at all superstitious.

Yeah, the number of broken ribbons equals the number of kids you'll have. That's why I always tie the ribbons super tight when I go to a shower I've heard the honeymoon one too. Someone writes down everything the bride says and then reads it back after the gift opening is finished.

Here I go again.... lol.....In the olden days, the Moh would sit next to the bride during the shower and take the unbroken ribbons and bows and attach them to a paper plate or other round disk thing, making a horrendous type of ribbon bouquet. Therefor the reason and excuse for not breaking the ribbons. Oh and you would carry this horrendous bouquet during your rehersal, to practice walking down the aisle with a real bouquet. Haha dumb tradition, but tradition non the less. :-)

Mrs. Cheapskate, around here they still do! They sen make a hat for the bride to wear.

Thank ladies. I told my MOH some of the comments and she said she will need a list to keep up with all the things she is supposed to do. Lol. I like the idea of the read back of the comments upon opening gifts. Now wish I didn't know because it would make it funnier I'm sure.

Oh mrscheapskate. You mean like this lol

@cheapskate........same with us!

I've heard the broken ribbon = number of kids thing too. And I broke precisely zero haha (sorry Matt I know you want 3...)

Mrs. Cheapskate my BM made me a ribbon bouquet!! She did a great job so I will feel bad if I don't use it at the rehearsal!