Ok, another movie post. I saw Something Borrowed last weekend…I couldn’t wait to see it, since I really loved the book.
The movie was cute, and I thought they covered the book pretty well. They left out some things, merged a couple of characters into one, and added some things that weren’t in the book at all, but that’s how it goes. Ginnifer Goodwin is adorable, and definitely does Rachel justice. Kate Hudson plays Darcy obnoxiously, which is to say, spot on. John Krasinski is funny and charming in his goofball way as always. And Colin Egglesfield, the guy who plays Dex, did a good job, and is a very dashing Dex – if not almost a little too pretty sometimes. Overall, I thought it was a good movie – I just think the book is better (isn’t it always?).
Anyway, the title and theme of this movie, as well as its sequel, Something Blue, got me thinking about where the whole “old, new, borrowed, blue” wedding tradition comes from. While it is pretty self-explanatory, it’s worth thinking about:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed , something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Something old is meant to provide a link from the bride to her family and past. It is common for the bride to draw upon a connection to her mother or grandmother. The “old” item may be a piece of jewelry owned by the mother or grandmother of the bride, mom’s old wedding dress or veil, a photo of a relative, or it can be something that has been handed down for generations from one bride to the next. My something old was an antique brooch from my grandmother (my dad’s mom) who died before I was born. I had my florist put it in my bouquet:
Something new is said to represent hope and optimism – a symbol that you and your husband are creating a new life together. A common way to include this tradition is to count the wedding dress as the new item, but it can be anything new that was purchased for the wedding – jewelry, shoes, ring, etc. My something new was my dress:
Something borrowed usually comes from a close friend or family member, and is especially good luck if it is borrowed from a happily married relative or friend, as it is believed that her good fortune in marriage will carry over to the bride. The borrowed item also serves as a reminder to the bride that she can depend on her family and friends. Anything can be borrowed – a veil, earrings, a necklace or bracelet, some other accessory. The idea is that it is supposed to be returned…something I failed to do! My something borrowed was mother’s wedding band. We share a ring size, and she had gotten a nice new wedding set for my parents’ 35th anniversary. She had a unique wedding band that was altered to frame her marquise cut diamond – and it happened to fit perfectly with my engagement ring (it turns out that gazing at my mother’s ring since I was a little girl caused me to only want a marquise when the time came for me). The idea was that we would purchase another band for our anniversary at some point, but even when that happened, I couldn’t bear to separate my ring with my borrowed one. It meant a lot to me to say my vows with the same ring that my parents exchanged nearly 40 years ago…you don’t mind, do you Mom? 🙂
Something blue comes from ancient Rome, as the color blue is said to symbolize love, fidelity, and purity. Interestingly enough, in the early 19th century, it was common for wedding gowns to be blue, in accordance with the proverb, “Marry in blue, lover be true.” Some ways to incorporate blue (if it isn’t already one of your wedding colors) are to have a blue flower in your bouquet, wear a blue garter, toenail polish, or (gasp!) panties. For my something blue, I got a little crafty with my shoes:
Some brides also include the last part of the poem – the silver sixpence. It should be placed in the left shoe for good fortune. Since sixpences aren’t common here, it can often become something that is passed down or shared within families.
Coming from England and dating back to the Victorian era, this tradition certainly has a lot of history behind it. Carrying these things with her on her wedding day is meant to bring the bride good luck for a happy marriage.
Did you incorporate these traditions into your wedding day?
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