Wedding Traditions: Something Old Something New Poem

Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something Blue,

A silver sixpence in her shoe.

All brides to be know this traditional poem, and of the tradition of wearing such items on their wedding day to bring luck to their marriage.

But where does he poem and the tradition stem from and what does each item in the poem represent.

The rhyme dates back to the time of Queen Victoria and is often quoted with the third line missing "Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something Blue."

Something old:

Represents continuity with the bride's family and the past, usually a ring or a piece of jewellery that has been passed down through the family from generation to generation.

Something new:

The wearing of something new shows the bride is looking to the future of her marriage. This could be the wedding dress or the lingerie worn under the dress.

Something borrowed: a token borrowed from a happily married friend or relative in the hope that some of their happiness and good luck will be transferred to the new couple. A piece of jewellery is usually borrowed for the big day.

Something blue:

The colour blue is believed to come from the Virgin Mary, who is often portrayed in a blue robe, blue is a symbol of purity, most often the something blue is the garter the bride wears.

A silver sixpence in her shoe:

It has become a tradition that the brides parents pay for the wedding and the grooms parents pay for the rehearsal meal, this came about from olden days when the bride's family had to provide a dowry to the groom. by taking her as his wife he becomes her provider and her protector and the dowry is a payment for these services, the groom's parents also had to pay a bride price to the parents of the bride.these traditions have evolved to what we have today, the bride's parents pay for the wedding and the grooms parents pay for the rehearsal dinner and celebrations.

hope this helps Chuck.