A Sixpence in Her Shoe
By: Coco Dietz
We have traversed through Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Now here we are with the final piece of the poem, A Sixpence in her Shoe. With this final addition to the centuries old poem, you will get a better understanding of why we follow these traditions even today.
This final tradition in the series of traditions this poem outlines, is that of placing a sixpence in the Bride’s shoe on the wedding day. A sixpence is a type of coin, a type of British currency that has since been done away with, its worth was equal to six pennies. This coin was given to the bride on her wedding day, typically presented to her by her father, to be put in her shoe in representation of good fortune as well as good luck that is wished upon the couple in their newly married life. This miniature ceremony typically happened just before the bride promenades down the aisle to her new husband and new life.
Although this tradition is not nearly as common as the other parts of the poem, the bride’s who do adhere to this tradition replace the sixpence with a penny or another coin. Some even go as far as to track down a sixpence to have on their wedding day to follow the traditions of old. Even though this tradition is not as important to the day as some other traditions or even newer traditions that bride’s choose, some companies who specialize in shoes meant for the special occasion of the wedding day will come with a sixpence for the bride to add that extra special blessing for the bride.
One of the more common themes in brides of the 21 century, is the enmeshment of the old ways and the new. Of course with the changing of the years comes the changing of traditions, but keeping the old traditions alive is important to remember where we came from. The modern brides hold the importance of the old while also taking their own fun twist on their wedding. Whatever your wedding looks like, it is important that you find the kind of wedding that fits who you and your spouse are as well as what you want your marriage to look like.