Something Old, Something New,

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

and a Lucky Silver Sixpence in her Shoe

It is almost a creed. Or a mantra. Or A chant. For what? To make sure that the wedding would be blessed with all the wishes of goodluck and good fortune all throughout.

Many brides may feel they are not superstitious enough to believe in traditional wedding beliefs but many would also be subtly working toward having something old, new, borrowed or blue. And for absolute luck, throw in a sixpence in her shoe.

Here is a "summary" of what this belief is all about.

Something Old represents the connection between the bride and the members of her own family, including distant relations. The possibilities are varied~~it could be a piece of antique family jewelry, a handkerchief, a scarf or a piece of lace. The picture of the watch below may not be a very good "something old" item but I couldn't resist the temptation of posting it here. It reminds me of a love story a la Somewhere in Time. (And if you're still not convinced that it falls under the "something old" category, would you have liked me to post a GRANDFATHER clock instead?

Something New represents good luck and success for a bright new married life. The most popular choice here is the wedding gown. I personally think it wouldn't be nice to "borrow" or "rent" a wedding gown~~or wedding rings!!! -- and definitely not the wedding flowers. These are wedding stuff that are necessarily NEW.

Something Borrowed represents items borrowed by the bride from a happily married woman to let her marital happiness bleed unto the new bride. The rule is ~~ borrow something and return it afterwards. These items usually come in the form of pieces of jewelry that not only represent marital happiness of the woman the bride borrowed from but also a reminder of their girlfriendship . Jewelry is a practical choice~~for how could she ever borrow anything else when her wedding attire and accessories are very limited. The bride does not carry a purse on her wedding day, or a pen, a hairbrush, or a cellphone . But she can borrow a necklace, a bracelet , a piece of accent for her hair, or a pair of earrings. Maybe money and then pay later ~~ (I love you, girlfriend!)

Something Blue represents faithfulness, purity and loyalty. A blue garter is the most appropriate choice which symbolizes love, modesty and fidelity. To be modern about it, the bride could innovate a little and may choose to paint her fingernails and toenails blue. Although it could turn some conservative friends off ~~ imagine blue toenails and fingernails of the bride wearing immaculate white wedding gown. ~~and especially if the nail polish is applied as sloppily as in the picture below. Not wise!

To add a little humor in the "something blue" category", I sincerely hope that the bride would not have to bring blue pills on her wedding day. And if ever she has to, I hope not in a heap like this:

Whether the bride abides by ancient tradition that dates back to the Victorian era, it is part of the fun of getting the wedding ready to be creative in thinking what old, new, borrowed and blue things to incorporate in the bride's wedding attire.

The ideas presented above could be criss-crossed and mixed and matched into the 4 categories.

The end part of the traditional credo is "and a lucky silver sixpence in her shoe" (There you go, Cinderella...be swept off your feet and whisked away to the Prince's castle)

Footnote:

For May -December couples that end up getting married, it is easy to create a set. Old groom (he's 67), New (young) bride (she's 25), a borrowed walking stick (for the groom) and the blue pill (you know why, don't you?) ~~now, now...I thought the mantra is for the bride???