You may not be aware of where the something old, something new, something borrowed something blue tradition came from. The phrase originates from an old English rhyme “Something olde, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in your shoe.” The procedure was that the brides family and friends gave her old, new, borrowed and blue items as well as a sixpence as a token of good luck on her wedding day. Many brides today carry on this tradition by having something old, new, borrowed and blue in their possession on the day.
- Something old represents continuity with the bride’s past and family.
- Something new represents optimism for the bride’s future.
- Something borrowed carries good fortune over to the bride from a friend or family member (usually one who is happily married) whom the item is borrowed from.
- Something blue represents purity, love and fidelity.
- A sixpence in your shoe wishes you good fortune and financial security (although I am not sure how many brides are willing to spend their wedding day with a coin in their shoe!).
We have put together some suggestions for you:
Something Old
- A family heirloom that has been passed down throughout generations, whether it be a brooch, hair piece or piece of jewellery.
- Use ornaments to decorate your venue such as your grandmother’s table cloth or a lamp belonging to a great aunt.
- Add something that your parents used for the their wedding day, perhaps your mother’s headpiece or their cake topper.
Something New
- Typically the bride’s wedding dress is the ‘something new’ as it is such an important part of her overall wedding day.
- A new fragrance, you may choose to go with your own signature favourite or try something new. What better an excuse to go shopping!
- New lingerie to wear. It is going to be your first night with your future husband after all!
Something Borrowed
- Jewellery is always a popular choice, if you have a group of close friends it would be a lovely idea to pass around a piece of jewellery that you will each borrow to wear on your wedding day.
- Use a sister or mother’s cake cutter to cut the wedding cake. Use flowers from the brides grandparent’s garden to decorate the church, or include some in the wedding bouquet.
Something Blue
- A popular choice is for the bride to wear a blue garter underneath her wedding dress.
- If you like the colour blue you could include it in your wedding colour scheme, you could have little blue favour bags for guests with sweets or chocolates inside.
- For those brides feeling adventurous or wanting to add a pop of colour to their ensemble, you could wear blue shoes with your wedding dress!
{Image of blue shoes from walkinonair on Etsy}
