Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. If you've attended a wedding at some point or another, you've probably heard about this sweet wedding tradition where a bride chooses to incorporate something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue into their wedding look. Your somethings can be tokens of love from others, family heirlooms, accessories — really, anything goes! Six newlywed brides revealed how they chose their something old, new, borrowed, and blue, and their reasons behind their choices are so, so sweet.
According to Reader's Digest, this wedding tradition dates back to the Victorian era. The Knot reports that it derives from an Old English Rhyme that reads, "Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe." The somethings were originally symbols of good luck and ways to ward off the Evil Eye, and the sixpence was said to bring you prosperity. But over time, the meanings of the somethings have shifted slightly. Today, according to The Knot, "something old" represents continuity; "something new" offers optimism for the future; "something borrowed" brings the couple good luck; and "something blue" stands for love, purity and fidelity.
Because the somethings are so broad, they can be just about anything you'd like to incorporate into your look. Something old and something borrowed may be some sort of family heirloom. Something new can be the dress itself, the shoes, or any accessory, and the something blue can be any blue detail, whether on your garter, a hint of blue on your bouquet, or even a statement jewelry piece. Here, five new brides reveal just how they incorporated this age-old tradition into their special day.
My something old was my great-grandmother's ring that my mom had in her jewelry box. I was struggling to find something, and I asked my mom if she had any jewelry that I could possibly wear. I know my mom was very close with her grandmother, so it meant a lot to me to wear it. My mom had it cleaned and had two of the stones replaced, so it was the perfect addition to my big day. My something new was my dress! My something borrowed was also the ring (double whammy), and my something blue was a blue ribbon on my garter.
— Tina, 26
Something old: My mother started a beautiful tradition when my oldest sister got married by taking the lace from her wedding veil, and cross-stitching a hanker-chief for each of us. The veil itself holds a lot of sentimental value, obviously because it was my mother's, but also because the lace is in the shape of shamrocks (my mother is incredibly proud of our Irish heritage). In one corner, she stitched my parents' initials and their wedding date. In the other corner, she stitched mine. The idea is that, should I have a daughter, I can stitch her initials into the third corner, and gift it to her on her wedding day.
Something new: My husband and I decided that, instead of reading the vows we wrote for one another in front of everyone, we would send them along with a gift before the ceremony. He bought me a pair of diamond earrings, and placed them in the box, which also held his vows. There are plenty of pictures of me weeping.
Something borrowed: I'm not much of a jewelry person, but I knew on my wedding day I'd want a little bling. My mother let me borrow her diamond bracelet. Though, she let me keep it, so does that still count?
Something blue: My garter! My wedding dress was my dream dress, and the boutique I got it from was so quaint and lovely. As a treat, and a sign of congratulations, they let me pick out a garter on the house. I found one with blue lace and checked that off my list.
— Julia, 27
Basically my entire outfit was new — my dress, my hairpiece, my shoes (which did have blue soles). For my old, borrowed and blue, I ended up wearing one thing that encompassed all three. I wanted to wear something that day of my late Tia [Aunt] Ana's. My mom has always worn this blue sapphire ring of hers (Tia Ana's), so she let me borrow it for the day. I'm not sure how to describe the setting of the blue sapphire ring, but basically these two connected gold bands hold up the sapphire and in the middle of those two bands there is hollow space where another band fits nicely. My mom lost the original band that was supposed to go with the sapphire ring, so my abuela on my dad's side let me borrow her original band to put in between the sapphire's gold bands. So long story short, I wore my tia's blue sapphire ring with my abuela's original wedding band in between. It was special because both my mom and dad's side of the family were represented in that ring. The earrings are also borrowed [from] my abuela Mamucha.
— Celina, 24
New: definitely the dress!! Old: my bisabuela’s [great grand mother's] earrings that every woman on my dad’s side has worn in some way on her wedding day. Borrowed: my friend’s veil. It was gorgeous and I didn’t want to have to buy one lol. Blue: I fell in love with my wedding shoes before I even found my dress. And they had blue bottoms.
— Jackie, 29
Something old, I wanted something from my abuela. So, I wore the earrings she wore on her wedding day. Something new, for me I wanted my own dress and veil, not someone else’s. This had to be perfect for me. Something borrowed, I borrowed the mantilla [church veil] and coins because I wanted it to be something that was used by other family members in their weddings, since they have strong, happy, long-lasting marriages. Something blue, I knew I wanted blue shoes. That was a must.
— Kathie, 25
My wedding style was very traditional and classic. I had pieces on my wedding day that went with the "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" because I think it's just so classic and meaningful. For my something old, I wore my grandmother's (or Mamaw as I called her) earrings and necklace. She was such an important person in my life and passed away long before my wedding day, so I wanted to be sure a part of her could still be there with me on such a special day. For my something new, I obviously had my wedding dress but also a new pair of shoes I loved! They were champagne with bows and pearls on that back that went perfectly with the simple, yet classic look I was going for. My something borrowed was a beautiful sapphire ring from my dad. While it was also qualified for my something blue, I also had accents of blue on the garter my aunt had hand-made for me as well. Overall, it was a perfect day and I loved being able to have all these pieces to complete my look!
— Julie, 26
