rif’s mother showed me this poem over dinner last night. Curious, I did some search on Google and found my discoveries too interesting not to share! Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Each item in this poem is said to represent a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.
*picture credits: google.com
"Something old" symbolises continuity with the bride's family and the past. To symbolise this link, brides would wear a piece of antique family jewellery or select something from the mother's or grandmother's wedding gown. Other things that may be chosen include a handkerchief, a scarf or a piece of lace.
Suggestions I found online:
- Use a classic car for wedding day transportation
- Place an antique bookmark to mark ceremony readings
- Use a childhood pillow for the ring bearer’s pillow
- Get a relative’s monogrammed handkerchief
- Display wedding photographs of parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents at the reception
- Find an antique tussy mussy (a conical hand-held bouquet vase) for the bride’s bouquet
- Get a vintage purse to match the bride’s gown
- Have the wedding at a historic location
- Have the bride carry a childhood treasure she has saved like a ring, bracelet, small doll, locket, etc.
Wear my mum's necklace?
Or maybe her diamond earrings...- Bring out the heirloom jewellery to wear like an engagement ring or wedding band, a brooch, earrings, a bracelet, a necklace, or some sparkly hair pins
- Tuck an antique hat pin into the bride’s bouquet
- Carry a vintage pill box
- Sew a button from one of the bride’s father’s old coats on the inside of the bride’s gown at the hem or place it in her purse
- Give the bride a vintage compact mirror for her purse
- Get a champagne glass to smash during the ceremony from a relative’s wedding or anniversary
- Wear a headpiece, tiara, or veil that has been handed down
- Wear vintage white gloves
- Take some of mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown fabric or lace and sew it inside the bride’s gown or to her petticoat
- Display the parents’ cake toppers or use it as the wedding cake topper
- Tuck a love letter saved by the bride’s mother from the bride’s father into the bride’s purse
- Carry a wedding photo of parents’ or grandparents’ in the bride’s purse
- Display a photograph of the bride as a little girl or carry it in the bride’s purse.
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"Something new" represents optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. It could be anything that is purchased new for the wedding -- wedding flowers, wedding rings, wedding shoes...etc. Wearing a new item on your wedding day conveys the message that you are are creating a new union that will endure forever.
Suggestions I found online:
- Buy a new lipstick in a pretty shade
- Have a custom perfume designed for the bride
New white wedding shoes- Purchase a new makeup bag or new purse to use on the day of the wedding
- Get a bouquet made of silk flowers, a new tussy mussy to hold a fresh flower bouquet, or a crystal bouquet
- Find a new charm for the bride’s charm bracelet
- Select a new jewellery item to wear on the day of the wedding like a bracelet, earrings, a necklace, or an anklet
- Treat the bride to a pair of new luxurious silk stockings
- Give the bride new lingerie to wear under her gown or on her honeymoon
- Get a sun parasol to keep the bride cool in between all of those photographs
- Treat the bride to a new haircut, new highlights, or new hair extensions
- Purchase a special guest book with extra room for guests to include a personal note at the wedding
- Drive a new car for the bride’s wedding day transportation
- Pack some mints or a stick of gum
- Experiment with a new henna tattoo kit
- Give the bride a new fancy collar or outfit for her pup or kitty
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"Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that her friends and family will be there for her on the special day and in the future when help is needed. Anything can be borrowed, but it must be returned afterwards.
Suggestions I found online:
- Let the groom borrow the grandfather’s pocket watch or have the bride carry it in her purse
- Include flowers from the bride’s grandparents’ garden in floral arrangements at the wedding or in the bride’s bouquet
- Borrow father’s silk handkerchief
- Use aunt’s prayer book during the ceremony
- Borrow a long-time family friends’ timeshare for your honeymoon
- Borrow the song from the bride’s (or groom’s) parents’ wedding to dance to
- Have the wedding at a borrowed location like the bride’s parents’ backyard or country club
- Borrow a cell phone
- Use a best friend’s strapless bra for the day
- Borrow a headpiece or hair baubles
- Use someone’s silver knife to cut the cake with at the reception- Wear borrowed jewellery from a happily married gal pal
- Borrow a button-down shirt or robe for the bride to wear while getting her hair and makeup done
- Borrow the flower girl or ring bearer from a friend’s wedding
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“Something blue” symbolises purity, modesty, and faithfulness. The blue item can be anything – garter, necklace pendant or blue-themed wedding flowers. In the olden days, people used to wear blue wedding gowns. “Marry in blue, lover be true,” so the proverb says. Suggestions I found online:
- Use blue confetti
- Wear a blue Garter- Decorate with blue balloons at the reception
- Have the groom wear a blue suit
- Wear an ice-blue wedding gown or a blue sash on the wedding gown
- Use blue ribbon or flowers in the bride’s bouquet or on the groom’s boutonniere
- Paint the bride’s toenails or fingernails with blue nail polish
- Have the florist use blueberries in the table centerpieces
- Apply blue eye shadow (after Miss Universe Malaysia 2008, no freaking way am I going to let anyone put blue eye shadow on me!)
- Wear blue-tinted contact lens
- Sprinkle the bride’s skin lightly with sparkly blue body glitter
I'm considering striking blue shoes now! :)- Wear blue shoes
- Dress in a blue underskirt or petticoat
- Wear sapphire, tanzanite, opals, or aqua marine jewellery- Use a blue-stone tiara
- Drive a blue car for transportation
- Carry a blue purse
- Pack blue lingerie for the honeymoon
- Get a pretty new blue scarf or handkerchief
- Tie a blue thread around your finger
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“A silver sixpence in her shoe” represents wealth and financial security. The sixpence is traditionally placed in the bride’s left shoe, but it can also be carried in the bride’s purse or sewn into the hem or lining of her gown. These days, a dime or a copper penny is used as a substitute and many brides have found other ways to interpret this wedding custom by using different items and carrying the item instead of placing it in their shoes..
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Suggestions I found online:- Buy a silver sixpence to use for the wedding
- Use an old coin from the country of the bride or groom’s ancestry. This could also double as the “something old” item.
- Get a mint coin for the bride to carry. This could also double as the “something new” item.
- Pack travellers checks if the newlyweds are honeymooning out of the country
- Carry another valuable object like a different coin, jewellery, or a bill in the denomination of the bride or groom’s ancestry
Thinking out loud:
Wedding bands are smooth, simple circles signifying eternity and are supposed to ensure an endless marriage. If my wedding band has diamonds on it, does it mean I’ll have a bumpy and difficult marriage?
So if my wedding band looks like this, how?!
How ironic, I stumble upon your blog and couldn't help noticing the picture that you uploaded on wearing a blue wedding shoe under the wedding dress.I wore the exact same shoe that the model wore on the pic and it turn out great! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSo much stress on so many people just to prepare a few days of celebration. RM200K is a huge amount to splurge on these few days. Most likely, you will recover the money, judging from your parents' many high profile friends.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, it is the day to day married life that determines whether you go insane or end each day with a peace of mind and be happy.
Have you both discussed about house chores, keeping track of credit card and other house related bills monthly, who is going to open the mails, write and send off the cheques, who will do the online payments? If there a pooch, who's taking the dog out for walks? Who's bathing it every week? These are activities no one relishes but the chores have to be attended to every week, every month. If only one partner does it, in a jiffy it will wear that person down and whatever intense adoration that existed during the pre-wedding phase of the relationship, that adoration will slide into deep resentment.
Then when you both plan to have kids, are both really game to be parents? Gotta be painfully frank to each other here. Parenting is definitely not for the faint hearted. It's not just going to be ONE partner waking up early ALL THE TIME to wake the kids up, prepare the kids for school, take leave to register the kids for classes, bring the kids to the doctor, dentist, checking out tuition centers, buying books, ensure there's food and someone at home when the kids come home from school, organize the transport for tuition, paino lessons, etc, etc. You get my drift?
Many couples don't even discuss these mundane everyday duties before they marry. They find out AFTER that grand costly wedding ceremony that neither are really into this second job but now, someone has to get it done.
In hindsight, one will realize a lot more detail is needed than in preparing a wedding to make the day to day married life peaceful, secure and satisfying. It isn't the color of the bride's footwear nor the smooth wedding bands or the diamond studded ring that matter. Many couples don't even wear the rings which they put so much thought into choosing within a few years after the wedding. The venue of the wedding dinner which is stressing you out like hell now will fade into oblivion in the few years to come when your head gets big trying to juggle the day to day married life issues.
Ultimately, it is the immense consideration on the part of each partner towards each other that makes a marriage work. That both are anxious to share out the not so-fun-duties in married life so as to lighten the load for the other. Both are generous in little gestures of appreciation for the other just to enjoy seeing the other partner happy. When a couple has things which they can laugh about together everyday, especially when the going is darn tough, their adoration for each other can only deepen for years and years to come.
You are both extremely, extremely blessed that both sides of the family can afford such a grandiose day for two young people. Honestly, it is an enormous sum which many people can't even save up in 10 years despite a frugal lifestyle.
You both make a handsome couple - Sue Lynn, the Creator certainly didn't stinge on the beauty department where you are concerned! From reading your articles, I gather you have a great sense of humor. With so much goodness in both your young lives, it would be such a great positive impact if you both made it second nature to bless the people who are lucky enough to cross path with you everyday.
All the best to your preparations and may your great day be wonderfully memorable even if something totally unexpected crops up. Can't wait to see your wedding dress and the cake too!