{"id":1138,"date":"2015-02-23T07:27:20","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T12:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birkatelyon.com\/blog\/?p=1138"},"modified":"2015-02-23T07:28:47","modified_gmt":"2015-02-23T12:28:47","slug":"whats-old-new-borrowed-blue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birkatelyon.com\/blog\/whats-old-new-borrowed-blue\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Old and New and Borrowed and Blue All Over?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"High-Quality<\/a><\/p>\n

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this before: if you\u2019re getting married you need something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. OK, right, I\u2019m 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\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

Where Does It Come From?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old Victorian Era English rhyme that goes a little something like this: \u201cSomething old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue, And a sixpence in your shoe.\u201d And, hey, who couldn\u2019t use a nice, shiny sixpence in their shoe?<\/p>\n

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\u2019d probably get just as far in life spending Monopoly money as you would six pennies, but that\u2019s beside the point.<\/p>\n

OK, So What Does That Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clearly it\u2019s not really about the sixpence \u2013 at least, not in 2015 it isn\u2019t. Each item in the poem represents something, of course. They\u2019re meant to be good-luck charms for the bride on her special day. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The old is meant to draw a line of continuity from the family she grew up with to the one she\u2019s about to start. The new should bring optimism and a sense of hopefulness for the exciting married life that\u2019s about to begin. The borrowed refers to an item that\u2019s on loan from a happily married family member or friend who\u2019s 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\u2019ll pass on some of her good fortune to the bride. But its symbolism doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/sup> century. There\u2019s even an old proverb that states, \u201cMarry in blue, lover be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that you know where the old rhyme comes from and what the items in it are meant to symbolize, let\u2019s take a look at a few ways you can work them into your wedding day.<\/p>\n

Something Old Ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n