Stop me if you’ve heard this before: if you’re getting married you need something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. OK, right, I’m sure all our readers have heard this saying before. Our married readers have surely put it to use on their big day, too. But why? What does this little rhyme really mean, where does it come from and how can you adhere to it in 2015? Let’s find out.
Where Does It Come From?
There’s an old Victorian Era English rhyme that goes a little something like this: “Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue, And a sixpence in your shoe.” And, hey, who couldn’t use a nice, shiny sixpence in their shoe?
All kidding aside, the history lesson here is that a sixpence is a silver coin worth six pennies. They were minted in Britain from 1551 through 1967, and throughout most of that period six pennies could actually buy you something of at least small value. Nowadays you’d probably get just as far in life spending Monopoly money as you would six pennies, but that’s beside the point.
OK, So What Does That Mean?
Clearly it’s not really about the sixpence – at least, not in 2015 it isn’t. Each item in the poem represents something, of course. They’re meant to be good-luck charms for the bride on her special day. It’s said that luck will come her way and her marriage will be a happy one if she carries items that correspond to the first four items of the rhyme.
The old is meant to draw a line of continuity from the family she grew up with to the one she’s about to start. The new should bring optimism and a sense of hopefulness for the exciting married life that’s about to begin. The borrowed refers to an item that’s on loan from a happily married family member or friend who’s so close that she might as well be part of the family. The idea being that the source of the borrowed item is so content with her marriage that she’ll pass on some of her good fortune to the bride. But its symbolism doesn’t stop there; the borrowed item is also meant to serve as a reminder that the bride has wonderful friends and family members upon whom she can depend.
As for the blue item, well, the color blue has held a strong connection to weddings for hundreds of years. For example, ancient Roman brides wore blue to represent love, fidelity and modesty. Certain religions have long associated the color with purity. And it was an in-vogue color for wedding gowns prior to the 19th century. There’s even an old proverb that states, “Marry in blue, lover be true.”
Now that you know where the old rhyme comes from and what the items in it are meant to symbolize, let’s take a look at a few ways you can work them into your wedding day.
Something Old Ideas
- Wear a relative’s classically beautiful wedding gown or take a piece of fabric from it and sew it into your gown or wrap it around your bridal bouquet
- Instead of an old dress, wrap an old handkerchief of someone close around your bouquet
- It can be any fabric, really, so consider using something from a doll from your childhood or an old piece of clothing that has some meaning to you
- Wear a locket with photos of your parents or grandparents
- Print out an old family recipe on some note cards carrying your wedding’s theme and hand them out as party favors to guests
Something New Ideas
- This is probably the easiest one of the four: buy some new shoes – you’ll most likely want a nice new pair of wedding shoes anyway, and that certainly fulfils the “something new” requirement
- Wear some new jewelry
- Buy a new set of lingerie or a garter
- Even your dress could technically be considered to have fulfilled this requirement if you buy it new, but the more traditional route is using some sort of accessory
Something Borrowed Ideas
- Your friends and family members probably have some pieces of jewelry you’ve always liked – now’s your chance to borrow those earrings or that bracelet, ring or other piece and enjoy it for yourself for a day
- Another common one is borrowing your veil or headpiece from someone
- Really, almost any accessory can do: brooches, purses, hair combs and more are all fair game
- Get a charm from someone close and hook it onto your bouquet for when you walk down the aisle
Something Blue Ideas
- Use a blue guest book or place cards for your wedding guests
- Have some fun with it and get a blue temporary tattoo
- Sew a monogram into your dress using blue thread
- Consider blue embroidery or a blue sash for your dress
- Jewelry can work here too – wear a blue diamond, sapphire or high-quality cubic zirconia jewelry piece