Wedding Customs: And a silver sixpence in her shoe...

Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride.
If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.

"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member,
whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.
The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

"Something blue". As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries.
In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity.
Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color.
Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns,
as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security.
It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck.
For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe.

Upper left: Vintage image from victoriana.com, old bible: Unknown source, veil: vintagetextile.com,
Rosary: OfAra.com, Rosary on bouquet: photogig.com, handkerchief: beachyscapecodcupboard.blogspot.com,


Wedding gown: Elizabeth Fillmore, Renee Romano tierra: artebride.com, ring: nahoku.com,
shoes: belissimabridalshoes.com, lingerie: polyvore.com.

Pearl choker: jewelry-weblog.com, Pearls in hair: hairbotique.com,
vintage headpiece with veil: davenportandco.com, bouquet charm: unknown source.

Blue bouquet ribbon: truebluebridal.com, crinoline: "Audry2" was a google image search original source unknown,
handbag: Jessica McClintock, shoes: Nine West, garter: garters.co.uk, ring: rainbowdreams.com.

sixpence

We suggest this old custom as a topic for any pre wedding family get togethers...
it always seems to start some wonderful conversations!

Sources:

Image sources directly below images with links whenever possible.

ask.yahoo.com
Wedding Savvy as well as her mother and grandmother!
They all chimed in on this one!