Have you ever wondered where the term ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue’ came from? This wedding tradition dates back to an Old English rhyme “Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe” and relates to the four good luck charms that a bride will wear or carry with her on her wedding day.
Something Old is a symbol of continuity, while Something New represents optimism for your future. Something Borrowed symbolizes your borrowed happiness and lastly, Something Blue stands for the love, purity and fidelity in the union you are about to take. Most brides forget the fifth part of the rhyme where a coin is placed in their shoe as a final symbol of good luck and to honor that old tradition in it’s fullness.
Something Old: Some brides opt to use a family heirloom as their “Something Old” but another token of love would be to use an item that belonged to a family member that may have recently passed away, or attaching a vintage photo charm to the ribbon wrapped around your bouquet. You could also wear the family pearls or ring, arriving in your grandfather’s vintage car or re-purposing your mother’s bridal gown into a more current version.
Something New: This can be anything, pretty much! From your new dress to the new jewelry you will wear around your neck, or even the new surname you will be called by. Other options would be a new purse to carry, your veil or the words in your vows to your future husband.
Something Borrowed: There are a few options when it comes to finding things to borrow for your wedding day. You could use a watch that was borrowed from a friend or family member or using a recent wedded friend’s cake topper and knife for your cake cutting ceremony.
Something Blue: In 1840, Queen Victoria may have started the tradition for brides to wear white down the aisle when she married Prince Albert but prior to that women wore blue gowns since it was a symbol of their purity. So now that brides are wearing white gowns, some opt to wear blue shoes, blue flowers, blue jewelry or carrying a blue handkerchief for wiping those tears.
The Coin: If you choose to add the coin into your shoe as your fifth token of luck, a sixpence coin can be ordered online or you can use a coin from the year you met the love of your life.
What are you planning for your Something, Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue? Leave a comment below!
