THE HISTORY OF
SOM ETHIN G Old, SOM ETHIN G New, SOM ETHI N G Borrowed, SOM ETHIN G Blue THE CL A S SIC WEDDING TR ADITION THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE MODERN T WIS T S. Ever y bride has heard of the old wives’ tale and fidelity. Although the typical “something warning that a wedding without “something old, blue” is usually a garter, modern brides have something new, something borrowed, something been incorporating blue into their special day in blue” means the marriage is bound to be jinxed. creative ways - like manicures, shoes or in their But just how did the superstition start? groom’s bow tie. Originating in Victorian England when good The most unknown – and confusing – part of luck charms were used to ward off evil spirits, the tradition is the SIXPENCE , a silver British coin the rhyme “Something Olde, Something New, that’s roughly the size of a penny. Traditionally, a Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence father would place a sixpence in his daughter’s shoe, in your Shoe” was offered to protect the bride from wishing the couple good fortune and a prosperous the Evil Eye: a terrible glare that cursed brides and marriage. After the rings were exchanged, the doomed them with infertility. By incorporating bride and groom often gifted each other gold and a n item from each silver coins, or the groom Of course, the items have would give his bride silver as “somet hing” {plu s a sixpence}, the newlyweds wedding gift, represented changed over time, but the awith w e r e s u r e to h a v e a a sixpence. Eventually, prosperou s a nd happy sentiment behind the rhyme this tradition extended marriage. Of course, the to the bride’s family, who remains to this day. items have changed over would include a sixpence in time, but the sentiment behind the rhyme remains the dowry for the groom. Now, the sixpence is to this day. Let’s take a closer look at the origins of typically replaced with a penny - whether it be this time-honored bridal tradition. a penny that has been passed down from another Representing continuity of love and optimism family member, a penny from the year of the for the future, respectively, something OLD and marriage, or even a penny containing the birthsomething NEW are arguably the most sentimental year of the bride. Some brides even hunt for a true items on the list. By including things both old and British sixpence, so the rhyme is honored to the new, it was believed that the the couple {and any fullest degree! future children they had} would be protected from Fun fact! Seek ing inspiration from timeless harm and hardships. A beautiful nod to the couple bridal traditions, we incorporated a smoky blue and their future family, if you ask us! into our new wedding line as a subtle nod to the In years past, the preferred BORROWED item Old English rhyme. Want to see more? View our was the undergarment of a woman who already wedding line at coton-colors.com. had children to trick evil spirits into thinking the bride was fertile – thus preventing the curse. Over time {thankfully}, the borrowed item has changed to honor a loved one with something of sentimental value, such as grandma’s pearl necklace or mom’s wedding veil. Historically, BLUE represented the three key qualities for an oh-so-happy marriage: love, purity, 16
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