Our wonderful and always very stylish events assistant has graciously lent her writing skills and wrote a blog for me today. I am sure there will be more from her in the future! Thanks Katie!!!!
“Are those blue shoes?”
I always anticipate every wedding I work to see what each couple will do to make their day stand out among the rest, mainly because I am not generally one for traditions. One tradition, however, that seems to be consistent among all brides is the “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” poem. Call me uncreative, but I always thought satisfying this list was pretty straight forward. Borrow some jewelry for the old and borrowed part, wear blue on your garter, and your dress of course would be new.
Lately, however, I have seen several brides wearing stunning blue earrings that make a statement against bright white dresses. Another bride wore a beautiful lace headpiece that was constructed out of her mother’s wedding veil. But one bride in particular blew my perception of this tradition out of the water. As she made her way carefully down the stairs toward the aisle, she revealed cerulean blue peep-toed high heels. A bold and wonderfully creative move in my opinion. I was so excited about this innovative spin on a seemingly straight-forward tradition, I turned to the internet to learn more about the story behind the tradition, and to learn more about how modern brides are keeping this tradition alive in new and interesting ways.
The full poem actually goes like this:
Something old, something new.
Something borrowed, something blue.
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
The last line clues us in to an old English origin, as sixpences originated in England and were made from the late 1500’s through the late 1960’s. The sixpence was meant to signify wealth and financial security as the new couple began their lives together. Carrying something old was meant to represent continuity, of the Bride’s past and family, so as to not forget where she came from. These items traditionally included jewelry, photos, an old pillow for the ring bearer to carry. Carrying or wearing something new symbolized optimism and hope for the couple in their new life. New items included the flowers, the rings, and of course the dress. Something borrowed was typically from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune would then be passed on to the bride and groom on their wedding day. And finally, the Romans wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christians dressed Mary in blue to represent purity. Today, this color still carries with it meanings of love and loyalty. These items can include anything from jewelry and nail polish, to ribbons, garters, and as I learned, shoes!
Finding out WHY this tradition has stuck was a bit harder than learning WHAT the tradition actually means. Either way, the variations on this theme that I have seen in brides lately has given me inspiration. First, because the continuation of a centuries old tradition reminds us that wedding days have always been and will continue to be a very special time in the life of two people committing their lives to each other. And second, though the words of the poem remain the same, the way in which each bride chooses to carry out the tradition is as personal and unique as each of those marriages will be. Who says that a dress can’t be borrowed? Or that a diamond in a ring can’t be old? The possibilities are endless.
Did you and/or do you plan to carry on this tradition on your wedding day? And if so, how/why?
