When we began planning our wedding, there weren’t many traditions we were keen on keeping.
Cake cutting? No thanks. We’d rather just grab a cupcake and mingle with our guests.
Bouquet and garter toss? Nah. We’re in our late-20s and most of our friends are already married, so throwing out a bouquet or a garter that had been strapped to my sweaty leg all day didn’t appeal to us. Plus, we didn’t want to take away from dancing during the reception. We just wanted to party.
However, there were some traditions we couldn’t part with. Like not seeing each other before the ceremony, a first dance and dances with our parents, and, of course, my something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
Have you ever wondered where this custom originated?
“This tradition comes from an Old English rhyme (“Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe”), and the four objects that the bride adds to her wedding outfit or carries with her on the big day are just good luck charms. Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity; and a sixpence in your shoe is a wish for good fortune and prosperity, although this remains largely a British custom.”
— The Knot
For me, though, the items I chose had special meaning and were more than simple good luck charms.
Something Old
On my right hand, I wore my mom’s wedding rings — pictured here (top left) with a photo of her on her wedding day.
From the moment Justin and I became engaged, I knew I would wear my mom’s rings on my wedding day. My dad gave them to me as a keepsake after my mom passed away in 2009, and I wore them for several years after her death as a way to still feel close to her.
Something New
He went to Kate.
Justin surprised me with a stunning bracelet and pearl earrings from Kate Spade, which became my something new. These are gifts from my new husband that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Something Borrowed
My sister-in-law loaned me her veil as my something borrowed. And it should have extra good mojo because when she married my brother in 2012, she actually borrowed the veil from her sister.
Isn’t that a fun little family tradition we might have just started?
Something Blue
This is probably cheating, but I considered my engagement ring with the sapphires as my something blue.
Justin did an amazing job designing my ring and incorporating sapphires (my favorite stone), so it felt natural and sentimental to make it my something blue.
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Photography: Alisha Rudd Photography /// Dress: Casablanca Bridal purchased at Mecklenburg Bridal Gallery /// Hair and Makeup: Lindsey Mount /// Venue: Historic Beaver Dam, Davidson, NC.
