Ideas for Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

Wed­ding cer­e­monies have been around since the dawn of time and with such a long-stand­ing tra­di­tion comes dozens of good luck charms and omens passed down through the gen­er­a­tions. The Vic­to­ri­an rhyme “Some­thing old, some­thing new, some­thing bor­rowed, some­thing blue, a six­pence in your shoe” is still around today to bring luck to the bride.

Stuck on what you want to include in your wed­ding for this age-old tra­di­tion? We’ve com­piled a list of some great items that fit into each cat­e­go­ry.

Something Old

The some­thing old tra­di­tion­al­ly rep­re­sents the bride’s fam­i­ly and the past. It’s a great way for a bride today to pay homage to where she came from. Any­thing that pre­dates the rela­tion­ship could be used, but here are just a few ideas:

• A vin­tage car is a per­fect get­away after your send-off. You might even get in some adorable pho­tos.
• A piece of jew­el­ry or lock­et that you’ve had since you were young or that you inher­it­ed from a rel­a­tive.
• A favorite book or fam­i­ly bible that is read from dur­ing your cer­e­mo­ny.
• A fam­i­ly heir­loom or oth­er vin­tage item. There’s a lot of room here to get cre­ative, so ask around your old­er rel­a­tives or go antiquing. You nev­er know what you might find.

Something New

Odds are you’re going to have a lot of new things for your wed­ding. There’s a good chance you haven’t had that dress hang­ing out in your clos­et for years. But here are some ideas for things specif­i­cal­ly ded­i­cat­ed to be your some­thing new:

• Per­fume is a great item to splurge on when get­ting ready for your wed­ding day. It’ll be new and a great reminder of your wed­ding, since mem­o­ries are often tied to scents.
• If you’re tak­ing your groom’s name, have your new ini­tials engraved on some­thing or get them stitched into your dress.
• Lin­gerie is some­thing you don’t often buy for your­self, but your wed­ding is a great excuse to upgrade your undies.
• Some­thing you’ve been recent­ly gift­ed, like from your groom or a fam­i­ly mem­ber, is a great “some­thing new” that you’ll cher­ish far into the future.

Something Borrowed

Your some­thing bor­rowed is eas­i­ly the most sen­ti­men­tal item of the four. It is some­thing lent from one bride to anoth­er to rep­re­sent hap­pi­ness.

• Veils tra­di­tion­al­ly have been a great thing to bor­row. Not only do you save some mon­ey on your wed­ding ensem­ble, but it’s also a great tie to the friend or fam­i­ly mem­ber you’re bor­row­ing from. And with two dif­fer­ent dress­es, your looks won’t be iden­ti­cal.
• Jew­el­ry, like grandma’s pearls or your mother’s wed­ding ear­rings, is a great way to incor­po­rate a loved one into your ensem­ble.
• Some­thing else bor­rowed from an old­er gen­er­a­tion. Like your mother’s cake-cut­ting knife, or your grandma’s chi­na.
• A song or pas­sage that you loved from a friend or fam­i­ly member’s wed­ding could be a sweet trib­ute as well, but you may want to clear it with them first.

Something Blue

The col­or blue is meant to sym­bol­ize fideli­ty, puri­ty, and love. While the ori­gins are roman­tic, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a lit­tle fun with your “some­thing blue.”

• A hand­ker­chief, because we all know that tears will hap­pen, with a blue embroi­dered note from your mom, groom, etc. is both sweet and prac­ti­cal.
• Shoes as a pop of col­or is an excit­ing way to incor­po­rate some­thing blue.
• Sap­phire jew­el­ry is both gor­geous and, well, blue. Even bet­ter if it’s bor­rowed. Two birds, one beau­ti­ful blue stone.
• A blue garter is a clas­sic, but still a fun way to use blue. Plus, you’ll get the chance to show it off with the garter toss.

Silver Sixpence in Your Shoe

The six­pence sym­bol­izes good for­tune, and while many brides leave this out, some still like to include it.

• Glued or taped to the bot­tom of your shoe is a great way to stick to tra­di­tion.
• It could also be made into a charm to be worn on your wed­ding day or just to keep with you in the future.
• Or made into a piece of jew­el­ry, like a neck­lace or a bracelet, for you to enjoy for many years.
• A sim­ple coin gift­ed from a well-wish­er is sim­ple and sweet.

What­ev­er you choose for your some­thing old, new, bor­rowed and blue, this is your time to shine. You can be as cre­ative or as tra­di­tion­al as you see fit. Plus, you have great options to dou­ble down and use one item for two or more of the cat­e­gories.

There are so many small details that go into cre­at­ing your dream wed­ding, but that does­n’t mean you should have to stress. Gen­er­a­tion Tux lets you sam­ple your cloth­ing before the big day, in the com­fort of your liv­ing room. See what we have to offer to make your union extra­or­di­nary. The some­thing blue might even get to be the hand­some groom wait­ing at the end of the aisle.

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