I was interested to see where the tradition of a bride carrying something old, new, borrowed, blue and a sixpence in her shoe originated. According to Wikipedia, each of these items represents a good-luck token for the bride. Something old symbolizes continuity with the brides's family and the past. Something new means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. Something borrowed is typically and item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.
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. 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 probably English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era. It may also 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.
(Nanny & Pa's wedding photo from 1954)
So what am I using for my 4 "somethings"? Well, a lot of my items could take care of more than one category, and I'll have lots of each! I'll be wearing my grandmother's (mom's mom) sapphire and diamond ring. This is obviously both old and blue. For something new, I'll have the dress, shoes and all that jazz. I need something borrowed. Although, technically the sapphire ring will be borrowed from my mom....but since apparently you are supposed to borrow something from someone happily married, that won't work! Ha! My custom Modern Trousseau dress will come with an embroidered monogram and name of the dress in it. (I named it "Ruth Marie" after my Nanny who passed away this past spring). I'll be carrying her mom's (my great grandmother) handkerchief as well.
(That's my Nanny. Wasn't she pretty?!)
Looks like I need to borrow something, and I'll need to acquire a sixpence, don't have any of those lying around!
What did you all carry/wear for your 4 "somethings"?
6 comments:
Such sweet ideas! I think my something old is going to be my fiance's late mother's jewelry and my aunt's rosary, my something new is my dress/shoes, I'm borrowing my mother's veil, and my something blue...I'm not sure about that yet!
my something blue is a heart cut from my late moms clothing that im sewing into my dress... something borrowed is a ring from his moms marriage to his late dad... still working on the others
Old - Fiance's grandmother's diamond watch she gave me
New - Dress and shoes
Borrowed - Veil from one of my bridesmaids
Blue - Patch with initials and wedding date sewn into under layer of dress
And definitely a sixpence in my left shoe!:)
Old: Vintage pearl ring, a wedding gift from my sister. Also, my grandmother's hanky wrapped around my bouquet.
New: The dress!
Borrowed: Mom's beautiful lace veil
Blue: Blue rosette sewn on my garter made by my aunt
I didn't do the sixpence ... oh well, guess we won't be filthy rich! :) Ha!
Old: We used my late grandfather's (mom's side) wedding band for the ceremony. (For a Jewish wedding, the band used under the chuppah should be plain without any stones so many brides who get a diamond band choose to buy a second ring for the ceremony.)
Right after my parents got married, my grandfather on my dad's side gave my mother a pin. He passed away when I was 2.5 and we don't have much of his stuff. I took that pin and clipped it to my bouquet when I walked down the aisle.
New: Pretty much everything
Borrowed: a gorgeous ring of my mother's- I didn't want to give it back but I had to
Blue: Hanky Panky lace thong
Sixpence: Since we got engaged in England, TLS found silver sixpence in a souvenir shop and bought one for me to wear at our wedding. If I can find it, you are more than welcome to borrow it.
Hi there! I just became your 870th follower. I can't wait to read more, and it sounds like you're going to have a beautiful wedding!
-Bri
tinytexanbri.blogspot.com
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