Old, new, borrowed, blue

You know the old tradition, but I looked up the origin just for fun. The best explanation I found was from Yahoo! Answers:

The next line of this old saying actually hints at its origin. The complete phrase is:

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

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.

How fun! Here are my items for the wedding:

Something old: As you might remember from a previous post, my aunt Dawn Lynn gave Terry the diamond for my ring. The diamond is from my great-grandmother, so we think that's old enough. :-) Plus, the "something old" is supposed to connect the bride and groom to the bride's family and past, which this diamond does perfectly!

Something new: Pretty much everything I'm wearing - dress, shoes, veil, earrings.

Something borrowed: I'm supposed to borrow something from a happily married woman, so I will be wearing my mom's tennis bracelet.

Something blue: I love the origin of the "something blue" part. The fact that the color blue has been an important part of weddings since ancient times gets me all giddy. So my blue, like most brides, is in my garter. I'm attempting to make my own, and we'll see how that goes, but no matter what I'll have blue in my garter.

I hadn't heard of the "silver sixpence in the bride's shoe" part of the rhyme, but I like it! I'll have to see if we can find a sixpence in the next three weeks!