Something old, something new…
I often wonder why the tradition of wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, a silver sixpence in your shoe is still held dear by today’s brides? The rhyme describes the five objects a bride should carry with her on her wedding day to bring luck – although the silver sixpence seems to have died out now. It is thought this custom started in Victorian times in Lancashire and even though so much about weddings has changed since then, practically every bride I meet is planning to follow this superstition.
So what does it mean:
Something old – continuity;
Something new – offers optimism for the future;
Something borrowed – symbolises happiness;
Something blue – stands for purity, love and fidelity;
A silver sixpence in your shoe – a wish for good fortune and prosperity.
Even if you are not superstitious, it is fun to weave some of these traditional items into your wedding outfit.
I have a collection of vintage beads amassed over 20 years that I often use in my designs for bridal gowns – a lovely way to bring in something old.
A few years ago, I made a wedding dress for a bride who was sad that her beloved grandmother would not be well enough to travel to Italy for her wedding. So I incorporated some beautiful old pearls that belonged to her grandmother into the beadwork on her wedding dress.
Something new is often the bride’s outfit – or a new pair of shoes. Sometimes the bride’s parents like to buy their daughter a necklace or earrings to wear on her wedding day – when Kate Middleton married Prince William her parents gave her a pair of beautiful diamond earrings.
With the trend for vintage something borrowed can be a brooch or a necklace from your mother or grandmother. Accessories are a really nice thing to borrow as it will make the lender feel that bit closer to your special day and can either be worn or incorporated into your bouquet. But remember to hand the item back or the good luck with be lost.
Something blue is traditionally a blue bow on a garter but if you are wearing a fitted or floaty diaphanous dress a garter will cause problems. Many wedding dress designers will sew a little blue ribbon inside the dress – sometimes I sew in a tiny blue rose.
You can be creative and one of my brides, Claire, asked for a blue button on the back of her 1950’s inspired wedding dress.
“A sixpence in your shoe” is the line that often gets forgotten after all who has a silver sixpence these days – and even if you did would you want one in your shoe all day! Garters with a silver sixpence stitched to them can be purchased to bring prosperity.
Whether or not you believe in this superstition, people will definitely ask you what items you have that follow this rhyme and its lovely if there is a story attached.
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