Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and something for luck a sixpence in her shoe to make all her wishes and dreams come true!

We all know the rhyme, but do we know what it all means….?

Something Old – bestows an Ancestors blessings upon you, so something from a Grandma or aged Aunt would be appropriate

Something New – your new status in life – usually the wedding dress is new

Something Borrowed – has to be from a happily married woman to ensure the Brides wedded happiness

Something Blue – personifies the Virgin Mary and a blue bow on a garter, or sewn inside the dress, or even to carry a blue lace edged handkerchief

And something for luck – a sixpence in your shoe – to make all your wishes and dreams come true – Comes from the Greek custom of carrying 3 silver coins, 1 to give to the first person (stranger) that you meet after the wedding.  2^nd coin is to be given your new Mother-In-Law and the 3^rd coin is in your shoe, to wear and take to your new home to take wealth to your house.

 

It is interesting to know why we do so many things at weddings and have no idea why or where the custom came from….

Ask any married person as to why they wear their wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand? Usually the response is – ‘it’s the only finger it fits’ – well the correct answer is –

It’s the only finger that has a vein running straight to the heart, the venus amoris. So that the wedding ring is put on the finger first so that it is pressing on the vein, and the engagement ring is worn on the top of the wedding ring.

Royal wedding rings are always made out of Welsh Gold. It is a very pure and rare gold, and there is a very strong and long connections with Wales, so a kilo of the Claddagh gold was presented to the Queen upon the closure of the mine, so that all future Royal wedding rings could be fashioned from Welsh gold.

 

Have you ever been to a wedding where the guests take an item of cutlery and clink it against the drinking glass to make a tinkling sound and wondered why?

In the first year of marriage if a newly married couple hear the sound of ringing bells (to remind them of their wedding day) they should kiss. Nowadays because so many couples don’t marry in Church (they have a non-religious civil ceremony) they don’t have the pleasure of the sound of the Church bells ringing out to proclaim the celebration of the marriage.  Guests have taken it upon themselves to imitate the sound by the tinkling of glasses at the wedding breakfast– and to make the couple stand up and kiss.

Have you heard the term ‘Wedding Breakfast’ and realize that you are not eating a meal at the Reception till later in the day/evening. This comes from the custom of the Bride and Bridegroom having their first meal together after their wedding, so therefore it is their ‘Wedding Breakfast’ (no matter what time of day it is)

The custom of a Bride wearing a tiara is a very old custom in many countries, as the head is the most important part of the body. Royalty or people of importance adorned their heads with garlands of leaves and flowers to signify their importance (think of Julius Cesar and the wreath of leaves) These were then fashioned in valuable metals and precious stones were added and they became symbols of wealth and standing. Kings and Queens wore heavy headpieces (crowns) and their children wore smaller pieces, consequently Princesses wore tiaras. As the most important day in a girls life, to be treated like Royalty, to wear a small crown and have it in diamonds or other precious stones makes a fitting custom and tradition for all Brides on their wedding day.

The wearing of a white wedding dress became fashionable after Princess Victoria wore white on her wedding day on 10 February 1840. She wore a white satin dress trimmed with Honiton lace, a Honiton lace veil and flat shoes of white satin trimmed with bands of ribbon. Long ribbon ties fastening round the ankles held the shoes in place (as in ballet slippers). White is a symbol of purity and in Victorian times a white gown would be very expensive and could only be worn once. This custom has been carried on to this present day.