Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
This bride sewed her wedding date into the hem of her dress with blue thread (the perfect something blue!)
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Where did this saying come from?
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 definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era. Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. As for the colorful item, 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. It may 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. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.{source}
Where did this saying come from?
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 definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era. Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. As for the colorful item, 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. It may 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. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.{source}
I love the idea of sewing the date into the hem!
ReplyDeletei'm with Borrowed and Bleu! Sewing the date into the hem is adorable.
ReplyDeleteOn Pinterest there is a great comment stream going on and I had to share some of the great ideas others have posted:
ReplyDelete"I had my monogram (maiden name) and wedding date stitched in blue onto a piece of my mother's wedding dress and then that stitched into the bodice of my dress - loved it, something old and something blue in one!"
"I did this with my wedding dress. Although I was afraid of someone messing up my dress so I had our names and the date sewn on a piece of ribbon. Then I attached the ribbon into my dress."
"My daughter is using a piece of a my dads blue t shirt cut into a heart to be seen into her dress in. Remembrance of her Grandpa who passed 4 years ago"
"My mom sewed "and they lived happily ever after" in blue"
I am going to put "and they lived happily ever after" with the date also into my dress! :)
ReplyDelete