The old, new, borrowed, blue tradition

I'm very traditional at heart and so I really wanted to include this old tradition into my wedding. I was intrigued about where it came from though, so I did a bit of research and found out that it dates to at least the late Victorian era when it was included in a book of folklore, with the addition of a last line 'and a silver sixpence in your shoe'.

Historically, the items would be given to the bride by her family and bridesmaids for luck and as tokens of love. I was interested in what each part signified though.

Something Old is to represent the past, and where the bride comes from. Because it is being used on the wedding day it is also a sign of a link to the future. One of the common something olds would be for the bride to have a piece of lace or other fabric from her mother's dress sewn inside her own gown. Other something olds are jewellery, or a button from the bride's father's coat which can be sewn inside the dress of even included in a bouquet.

Something New signifies a new beginning and a new life with the bride and her new husband. The most common new thing is the wedding dress itself, but as so many new things are usually bought for a wedding, it could be anything from a hair accessory to shoes.

Something Borrowed, depending on where you look, either shows borrowed happiness or that the bride's friends and family will always be there to support her when help is needed in the future. It goes without saying that the borrowed item must be returned after the wedding, or it is no longer borrowed! Often brides will borrow jewellery, and if it is a family heirloom that is borrowed it can also be counted as the something old, but I've known friends to borrow pairs of tights from their sisters or a hanky from the groom as well.

Something Blue can be seen to symbolise faithfulness, purity, loyalty, love, modesty and fidelity. Blue items don't have to be a bright shade, and could be hidden from view if the blue item is a garter. I've seen blue pants, blue bridesmaid dresses, a single blue flower in a bouquet, and blue stones in jewellery. Some people use blue for their eye make up, and others will have blue-soled shoes.