Whether you are the bride, the mother of the bride, or the maid of honor, you likely have heard of the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. While it might be a standard wedding tradition today, its history is steeped in symbolism. Let’s dive into what each of them means and how brides incorporate them into their wedding day.
Something Old
The idea behind something old is to represent continuity and protection for a bride’s future child. It is based upon the idea that couples are getting married and will have children at some point in the future. While some couples today are opting not to have children, there is still a sense that having something old is key to the success of their future family. It also represents a tie to the past.
Something New
With a focus on the hope for the couple, something new represents optimism and hope for the couple’s future happiness and a long marriage.
Something Borrowed
The idea of the bride carrying something borrowed represents borrowed happiness from another happily married couple or bride. It is meant to bring good luck and fertility to the couple.
Something Blue
With something blue, the bride carries a token representing purity, love, and fidelity and is meant to ward off the Evil Eye, a curse that could result in infertility. There was also supposed to be a sixpence put in the bride’s shoe to bring prosperity to the couple, although that part of this wedding tradition has largely been abandoned.
The History Behind The “Something” Wedding Tradition
This rhyme began in the Victorian era. St. James Magazine is the first documented reference to this wedding tradition, in an article written in an 1871 issue. The goal of most of the items listed was to ensure healthy fertility for the bride, resulting in the couple having a happy marriage and children.
Over time, this wedding tradition has become a meaningful way to incorporate cherished people, objects, and memories into your wedding day. These objects are typically found for the bride from various female relatives and friends. With no hard or fast rules, a multitude of objects can be used to fulfill the aspects of the rhyme.
Some couples, for instance, drive away from their reception in a vintage car, which represents “something old.” Others incorporate “something blue” into their bouquet or the lining of their wedding dress. “Something old” is often used to pay tribute to family members who have passed, such as a grandparent. “Something new” could be your wedding band, a hairpiece, or even your wedding gown.
“Something borrowed” tends to be a part of the wedding tradition that allows the bride to connect with an important woman in her life, such as a grandparent, using an object associated with that loved one. If you also honor the sixpence wedding traditions, the bride’s father would gift that to his daughter before she tucked it into her shoe.
While this tradition is no longer strictly followed, many brides still enjoy incorporating it into their wedding day, allowing them to pay homage to lost loved ones or invoke special memories from their childhood. If you are interested in following this tradition on your special day, start with finding objects that have special meaning for you as a couple. Doing so will bring this wedding tradition to life and make it a special memory for your wedding day.
Plus, you can also use this tradition as a fun way to connect with the members of your bridal party, allowing them to share special moments with the bride in the time leading up to her wedding. Some people give the bride these tokens as she prepares to walk down the aisle, while others plan for the tokens well in advance. However you choose to incorporate these items, the goal of this wedding tradition is to focus on connections with the past while building hope for a bright future for the wedding couple.
With so many different wedding traditions to choose from, you can decide as a couple how to honor both your cultural heritage and your new family while still making your wedding unique. At Wedding Details, we offer planning tools and resources to find the right themes and wedding traditions to make your special day amazing.
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