Something Borrowed Something Blue
Coco Dietz
The Poem “Something Old Something New…” has continued to set a precedent in Weddings that are happening today. Although many Brides do not know the original meanings or intentions behind the beautiful words, they continue to hide away a sixpence in their shoes as their something blue peeks out in their lovely sea of white.
Something Borrowed:
When borrowing an item from someone they usually imply that this someone has been married previously and, hopefully, with a loving and successful relationship. Typically this person is an older family member such as mother, grandmother, aunt, or perhaps an older cousin. They believed that this borrowing would transfer the good fortune of the older bride to the newly weds so that they would have a happy and prosperous marriage, generally referring to the offspring that would come as a result of most marriages. Commonly they exchange undergarments of some kind to transfer the fertility to the newlyweds to ensure a fruitful marriage. It is far more common these days for the former bride to lend a piece of jewelry or something else small to the bride to adore on her big day. Although the items that were exchanged may alter from the centuries past the idea still lingers in many brides minds today.
Something Blue:
The beautiful tradition of adding a small embellishment of something blue to all encompassing white that covers the rest of you is a tradition that first started out of a tradition but one that led into specific items being created just for that one piece of blue for you to wear. Although this tradition has stuck around more than the four that are also in the poem, the origins of the blue have been lost to time by the majority of brides who adorn themselves with their blue items. The brides who wore blue in the Victorian times when this poem first came out, wore the blue to ward themselves against evil spirits. The blue is referencing the blue of the evil eye, so if the brides wore a bit of blue it was said to confuse said spirits and add to the health, longevity, and happiness of the couple. Since most dresses that brides choose to wear these days are quite long, some brides choose to wear blue shoes to keep to the tradition. While other brides choose to wear some blue in their masterfully put together hair, such as a pin or flower to add to their flowing locks.
