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!

Bridal Shower and Dress Fitting

This weekend I flew up north for the final time before the wedding. Terry stayed home to work on his final paper, so I spent some quality time with my parents on Friday night. Saturday we woke up early for a workout, and then Mom and I finally found my earrings for the wedding at Nordstrom! The jewelry line is Nadri - I love them!

Next we headed to Monika's Alterations in Pleasanton, where, I'm convinced, the world's greatest seamstress makes magic happen. I got to try on my newly-altered dress, and it fits great! Monika only had a few changes to make, but they made a huge difference. Plus, she added a bustle, which looks really great with the dress. I even got to try the dress with my shoes, and I can walk and everything! My mom also brought in her dress for alterations, and I am so excited - she looks simply gorgeous in her dress. Now both mothers have their dresses, and the dads have their tuxedos - everyone is going to look incredible!

One fun part of the "small town" feel of Pleasanton/Livermore valley is that we often get a chance to meet other couples getting married at the Palm Event Center. Yesterday, at the fitting, I got to meet the bride getting married the night before us at the Palm! She looked stunning in her dress, and it was so fun to meet and share the excitement of our upcoming weddings.

After the fitting, we headed up to Lafayette for a bridal shower at my Aunt Dawn Lynn's house. Dawn Lynn did such a beautiful job, and the day was just so special. She had awesome snacks, GREAT wine, and a fun game. It was so great to spend a day with all the ladies, including my mom, my "second mom" Diane, my aunt Sue, Terry's mom, Terry's close family friend, my brother's fiancee, my cousins, my maid of honor, and one of my mom's friends. I know everyone had a great time, thanks to my aunt! Check out some pictures from the day:

Amazing little touches everywhere!

We made the "countdown plate"!

My mom and future sister-in-law (my brother's fiancee, Ashley).

My aunt Sue, me, my aunt (and the hostess) Dawn Lynn, and maid of honor Winnie.

My beautiful cousins.

Dad loading the gifts and rehearsal "bow-quet" into the car.

An amazing weekend, and now, as my uncle informed me, we're only five weeks from the wedding! Here we go...

More Girly Stuff - Fitting and Footwear

I wasn't sure what to expect at my first fitting. Too many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" have convinced me that there is bound to be something wrong with the dress. Either it will be the wrong color or the wrong size or an entirely different dress. Luckily, those nightmares only seem to happen to reality show participants, not little ol' me. So the dress is perfect. I could get away with no alterations if I wanted to, because the size was exactly right. I don't even need a hem, fairly rare in the wedding world. My mom is thrilled - alterations can be pricey - but we still have some adjustments to make. For one thing, dresses don't come with bustles, which I didn't know, so we have to get the ribbons for the bustle sewn in. Also, my dress has a corset, so if my waist size changes at all I may need an alteration closer to the wedding. But for now, it fits great!

I'm so grateful for J'aime Bridal, the salon where I purchased my gown. They will store my gown until I am ready to get it, and they'll steam the dress and veil before the wedding. I have received truly phenomenal service from them, and they are attentive, professional, and genuinely invested in their work. I know I'll continue to be impressed with them over the next few months.

One very important aspect of any fitting is to bring the shoes for the big day...and I bought mine! Last weekend, I headed to DSW and Macy's and successfully purchased my shoes for the big day. It's no secret that I've always wanted to wear tennis shoes at my wedding, a la Father of the Bride, and that's definitely happening. They won't look exactly the same, but my mom's working on decorating a pair for me.

Shoes similar to the ones worn in Father of the Bride,
from Wedding Tennies & Formal Shoes.

But for the ceremony, I wanted to class things up a bit with some sparkly heels. I have never been so excited (or excited at all, I think) about shoes, but I think they're going to look awesome!

The details are all coming together beautifully. We're really having a blast with all the planning!

Catching Up

The fact that we haven't posted in awhile (ahem, almost a month...) should serve as no indication of our wedding progress, though it can certainly tell you how busy we keep ourselves. Fall means football season, and apparently cheerleading coaches stay fairly occupied during football season. Between practices with my girls, JV games on Thursdays, and varsity games on Friday nights (which Terry attends almost every week), the wedding planning has to take somewhat of a backseat during the week.

So today is catch up day. We FINALLY compiled (addressed, stuffed, labeled, stamped, and sealed) the save the dates. And we put them in a mailbox. So they are out of our hands and in the hands of the U.S. Postal Service. THANK GOODNESS. Who knew compiling addresses for the people you know and love would be so time consuming and complicated? Plus, who knew that actually writing the addresses properly would be so difficult? I consulted my Emily Post's Etiquette book four hundred and seven times (that may be an exaggeration) over the last six weeks, trying to figure out how to address an envelope for each guest. I hope I did it right.

This weekend we have another wedding adventure planned: We are off to my parents' house for a few days in hopes of booking a florist and baker. Terry's parents are also getting a chance to see our venue for the first time, and I'm hoping I can try on my wedding dress for my dad. We're also aiming to have our parents get to know our pastor and enjoy a bit of relaxation in the gorgeous fall weather of the Bay Area.

And finally, one of the most exciting check marks so far: We booked our honeymoon flights! Our dream of traveling the world together takes another step toward coming true. Our itinerary is:

• San Francisco --> London
• London --> Amalfi Coast, Italy
• Amalfi Coast --> Rome
• Rome --> San Francisco
• San Francisco --> LA to begin our married lives!
  

Regardless of the fact that we are still eight months away from the big day, wedding planning remains a highlight of our week, whenever we can find time. We especially love exploring honeymoon options and look forward to the next steps!

Ten Months and a Wedding Dress

Our wedding lingers only ten months in the future, or 303 days according to the online countdown. According to The Knot, we need to complete the following tasks in the next four weeks:

• Appraise and insure my engagement ring
• Announce our engagement (perhaps a bit delayed?)
• Finalize the guest list
• Investigate family traditions we want to incorporate into the wedding
• Look for a florist
• Decide on wedding invitations and save-the-dates

Looks like a busy month! Luckily, Terry already finished the design for the save-the-dates (I am so excited for everyone to see how talented my fiance is!), but otherwise we have our work cut out for us. My work this semester (so far) feels much lighter than last year, perhaps because this year lacks the horrendous seven-hour adventure to Northridge, so in theory we can focus on the wedding. In addition to planning, we decided to join a gym while my foot is in the final healing stages. My physical therapist gave me the okay to work out, but I can't do my usual combination of running/yoga/Pilates/whatever I feel like doing, so the gym will provide the obligatory bike, elliptical, and lap pool. I can't wait to run again!

While not on the current month's to-do list, we can check off buying my dress! My mom and I planned a morning adventure to Pleasanton's adorable Main Street, where we could check out J'aime Bridal. This bridal shop comes highly recommended by every vendor we have encountered, and now I can see why! I already knew - or thought I knew - exactly which dress I wanted, so Saturday morning was supposed to serve only as a chance to get together with some of my favorite women and celebrate buying the most important dress I'll ever own. But the wedding gods had a different plan!

With my matron-of-honor, mom, second mom (mom's best friend), aunt, and bridesmaid Jenn who happened to be up in the Bay Area, I entered J'aime Bridal confident that I need not try on more than just the one dress. But the owner of the shop, Jamie, convinced me to take a look around at all the dresses. In my browsing, I mentioned the few concerns I had about "my" dress, which Jamie overheard and immediately corrected by grabbing a few new dresses. One by one, I tried them on, and I realized how wrong I was about the original dress. Three dresses in, I had a new favorite, and I truly felt like a bride. We even ordered the veil to complete the ensemble! Sorry, no pictures until the big day, but I will tell you the dress is NOT Maggie Sottero, despite my love for her designs! After the big purchase (and three texts to my out-of-town bridesmaids!), we ventured down Main Street for mimosas, girl talk, and a trip down memory lane with my aunt's photo album from her wedding!

A big thanks to my mom for buying the dress of my dreams, and to the lovely ladies who accompanied me to J'aime Bridal!