Wedding Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

[Harriet]

What are you ladies wearing for each, if you are doing so?

 

[winston26]

Good question!! Are people still doing this tradition? And what was the meaning behind it exactly, it brought good luck? I''m not sure I''ll have all that. I can come up with something new and old, but I''m a little stuck on blue and borrowed (not like I want to ask someone to borrow something just for that, well unless the jeweler would like to lend me something!!). I''m not doing the garter toss......the only guys out there would be the 8 yr old ring bearer and FI''s 2 single friends....so it makes it more difficult to fit blue and borrowed in there.

 

[Harriet]

I''m really curious about the history of that saying as well. Does anyone know?

 

[Sabine]

I don''t know the history behind it, but I''m still doing it anyway. My something old are the diamonds from my mother and grandmother''s engagement rings that my mom had reset into a pair of earrings for me, my borrowed is the crinoline I''m wearing under the dress, and possibly my headpiece. My new is my dress and shoes, and my blue are my undies!

 

[ladyciel]

Old and borrowed is my grandmother's pearl ring. She just passed away in Jan (my mom has the ring now), so it means a lot to me to have something of hers with me that day. Also old and borrowed is a necklace from FI's grandmother that every woman in their family has worn or carried at their wedding for at least 3 generations. I haven't seen it yet to decide if I'm wearing or carrying. I'll probably pin it into my bouquet. Something new is my dress, and something blue are my shoes. FI's grandmother also has a sixpence for my shoe if she can find it - she isn't sure she ever got it back from the last wedding in the family. I'm praying it isn't too uncomfortable!

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Its a british thing...

The next line of this old saying actually hints at its origin. The complete phrase is:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride''s family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride''s new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride''s shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.

 

[Independent Gal]

I did it.
Something old / borrowed (from my mom) was my late grandmother''s silver filigree necklace which I wrapped around my bouquet.
Something new - my Valentino shoes!
Something blue - my pedicure. DH didn''t love it, that''s for sure, but I sure did! I had silvery blue toenails.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 5/24/2008 12:59:47 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone
Its a british thing...


The next line of this old saying actually hints at its origin. The complete phrase is:

Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue

And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. ''Something old'' symbolizes continuity with the bride''s family and the past. ''Something new'' means optimism and hope for the bride''s new life ahead. ''Something borrowed'' is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, ''Marry in blue, lover be true.''

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride''s shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.

That''s really interesting! Thanks for sharing that with us, darlin''.

 

[FrekeChild]

Something old-a diamond pin from the 1920s (ish) that belonged to my father''s mother.
Something new-probably shoes
Something borrowed- maybe something from my mom
Something blue-shoes, bracelet from FF, I''m sure something else, when it comes down to it...

 

[buttercup80]

How old does you "something old" have to be?

old: my pearl necklace (My grandfather started it for me when I was born and stipulated that it be finished when he passed away.)

new: the dress, veil, shoes, etc. . .

borrowed: a tennis bracelet from my aunt

blue: my shoes!

 

[doodle]

my family has a blue rosary that has been passed down for generations that each bride''s mother lets her borrow for the wedding to be inherited when a daughter is born. the rosary serves as all four because it''s several hundred years old, but it''s new to me because i''ve never owned it, it''s borrowed from my mother because i don''t get ownership rights unless i have a daughter, and it''s blue.

 

[Independent Gal]

That''s so wonderful, Doodle! What a nice tradition.

 

[Harriet]

Ah, thanks for the history lesson.

 

[HaloAngel]

Interesting to learn the history & I never knew about the sixpence part!

Here''s mine:

Old - ???

New - dress, veil, earrings, hairpin, dress pin

Borrowed - auqamarine cocktail ring

Blue - soles of my shoes (Cynthis Rowley "Trilogy") & garter (& possibly undies)

 

[Pandora II]

Old - my 1880's lace veil and my 1947 mikimotos.

New - my dress

Borrowed - TBC, but probably my mother's gold bracelet.

Blue - ribbon on my bouquet

Sixpence - I have a 1908 silver sixpence (just by chance - I had a bok of sixpences from christmas puddings over the years and one just happened to be 100 years old) , I'm having it sewn into the hem of my dress as it would be a little uncomfortable to wear in my shoe.

 

[doodle]

Date: 5/24/2008 2:26:28 PM
Author: Independent Gal
That''s so wonderful, Doodle! What a nice tradition.

thanks indy! we joke around that the family crazies get passed down with it, too--my great grandmother, for example, drove her car into a baptismal pool of a church because it needed to be blessed!!! lucky me, my FI already knows i, and the rest of my family, is nutty!

 

[Deelight]

I tried to find the origin last night but couldn''t and somehow got sidetracked onto the etiquette hell website - somewhat interesting reading .

Never heard of the sixpence though but it cool to know the history of the rhyme

 

[Gwyn]

I plan on wearing a pearl necklace that FI bought for me the first time he went away for a few days without me.

We have a rule that, whenever one of us has to go away on business or for family things and the other can't come, the person going away has to buy a gift for the person at home. He went a little overboard on the first gift, lol.

Anyway, I planned for that to be my "something old" but my mother says it is supposed to be something really old. i guess like the thing says..."continuity with the bride's family and the past".

Do you have to own the something old for it to count? If i borrowed something old would that count, or would that just be a second "something borrowed" item?

 

[oobiecoo]

My something old was a brooch that was my grandmothers... I threaded bobbypins to it and put it in my hair.
Something new was my dress
Something borrowed... this was supposed to be my mom''s pearl earrings... I was just going to trade her that morning. When she came upstairs at the church she had COMPLETELY forgotten to even bring them since she decided to not wear pearls. Luckily, I had brought a cameo brooch of my grandmothers so I pinned it to my bouquet. It belongs to my mom but she let me borrow it a couple weeks before in case I decided to wear it.
And my blue was a blue button on my garter. I''m STILL in love with my garters! The lady did such a nice job

I didn''t know a sixpence was part of that tradition...

 

[IrishBreakfast]

Trying to remember......! Something old was the string of pearls my mother bought me when I was 16-ish. Something new was my dress. Something borrowed was my mother''s gold watch. Something blue was a blue rose on my garter. *sigh* What a wonderful day that was!

 

[Harriet]

Date: 5/24/2008 11:08:48 PM
Author: doodle
thanks indy! we joke around that the family crazies get passed down with it, too--my great grandmother, for example, drove her car into a baptismal pool of a church because it needed to be blessed!!! lucky me, my FI already knows i, and the rest of my family, is nutty!

 

[Elmorton]

Old - my pearls. They were given to me at my baptism, some are ones that my gpa gave to my gma also. I also carried a hankerchief made by my great grandma (who passed away while I was in college) - it was originally a baby bonnet and converted back to a hankie.
New - the dress, etc
Borrowed - a wedding fan from DH's grandma/his sister. It dates back to the 1840's and DH's mother also carried it. I cried like a baby when DH's gma pulled me aside and asked if I'd like to carry it!
Blue - my college roommate me gave an aqua pendant to wear for my something blue and I slipped it on to my pearls so it dangled on the base of my neck. I also wore a baby blue garter, and my bridesmaids signed the bottom of my shoes in blue sharpie (whoever's name rubbed off the most is the next to be married - my married friends signed on the part that would never meet pavement).
Six pence - thought it sounded uncomfortable, so I superglued one to the sole of one of my heels (again at the part of the arch that wouldn't contact the ground).

I really like the tradition and think it's sweet. Especially the items from family and friends - it made me feel so surrounded by their love.

 

[Sassee]

Old - my diamond earrings
New - dress and shoes
Borrowed - my mother''s sapphire engagement ring (which is also classified as "old and "blue" ha ha)
Blue - my couturist has sewn in a blue bow, but my mum''s e-ring is also covering this, as are my blue bridesmaids!! (they are going to be dressed in gorgeous slate blue)

 

[basil]

Old - locket with a a picture of my grandmother''s childhood friends in it. She wore it at her wedding and so did my mom. Will wrap it into my bouquet.

New - easiest one. Dress, shoes, etc.

Borrowed - peridot and opal ring from my mom

Blue - ?? I did pick up a pair of blue seamless boyshorts the other day. My mom may embroider our initials and date inside of my dress in blue

Sixpence - When my grandmother got married it was during WWII, and her brother was stationed in England. So he sent over a sixpence from the year she was born. My mom literally wore it in her shoe during her wedding, but then was dancing outside in her nylons without shoes and it fell out. Somehow it was found months later. So I''m using that, not so sure how I''m going to get it to stick in the shoe though!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

I am planning on doing this! My shoes will be the something blue. They''re Blue Tux so the bottom is blue. My something old will be a pin that I''ll put on the inside of my dress or on my bouquet ribbon that belonged to my Great-Aunt. Something borrowed not sure and something new not sure probably the dress or flowers?

 

[Pandora II]

Anyone who needs a sixpence, the UK ebay has loads of them. They''re very cheap unless you want an 1908 in which case they''re about $25.