Something Blue
June 17, 2010, 16:29 pm Posted by Carol Barnao
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue: check.
“Something old, something new,
something borrowed….and a silver sixpense in her shoe”
Ever wonder where that saying started? Even though I’m not superstitious enough to order a sixpense , I’m still doing the something borrowed, something blue in a pair of victorian-style blue teardrop earrings that were my best friend’s grandmother’s. I love Victorian-style jewelry and am a little facinated by where so many wedding traditions originated (maybe because I’m getting married next Saturday?… Naaah.) So I thought I’d share what I learned from books at our local used bookstore Mr. K’s:
“Something old” symbolizes continuity with the bride’s past. “Something new” stands for hope for the bride’s future. “Something borrowed” usually means something from a happily married friend or family member, whose luck in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item should remind the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. “Something 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 last, a silver sixpence in her shoe represents financial security. For the best luck, I read the sixpence should be in the left shoe.
Another “lucky” tradition I’ll follow next Saturday (and most married people follow and may not know why) is wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand. A 19th Century reason for that was that this finger supposedly had a vein that led directly to the heart.
Also, I wrote a previous blog about how to make and bead a veil. A veil was used to disguise the bride so that she wouldn’t be recognized by evil spirits trying to harm the vulnerable bridal couple.
I hope you found these traditions as interesting as I did. I figure I’ll need all the luck I can get!
