Included in the seemingly endless stream of media coverage that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding received were numerous articles describing the bride’s approach to the time-honored “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” tradition for brides. The idea is that by having something from each of the categories above, a bride is setting the stage for good luck and successful marriage.
For Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the “new” included a Givenchy wedding gown and veil, along with her shoes and much of her jewelry.
“The diamond and platinum bandeau tiara worn by Meghan with her ceremony gown qualifies as her "something old" and "something borrowed,” Tamara Abraham wrote for Harper’s Bazaar. “The tiara was made for Queen Mary in 1932, with the centre brooch dating back to 1893. It was loaned to Meghan by the Queen for the occasion.”
During an interview for ITV documentary, “Queen Of The World,” Meghan explained that her “something blue,” which was stitched inside her gown, celebrated her romance with Harry.
"It's fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date," she said.
While details like this about a royal wedding can be fascinating, they have even more meaning when you understand the history and reasoning behind the “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” tradition.
With that in mind, we have some details for you about its origins, along with a look at how brides honor the tradition today.
Protection and Happiness
The list of items for brides to collect got its start as a rhyme in Victorian England, a rhyme that includes a sometimes-neglected fifth line. The complete version reads:
Something olde,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.
A reference to the rhyme can be found in a short story, “Marriage Superstitions, and the Miseries of a Bride Elect,” published in an 1871 issue of The St. James’ Magazine.
Author Charlotte Sophia Burne, the first female president of London's Folklore Society, deciphered the rhyme in 1883. In “Shropshire Folklore: A Sheaf of Gleanings,” she wrote that having “something old” was for the bride’s future baby: It represented prosperity and fertility.
While Burne didn’t go into detail about “something new,” modern interpretations say the new item represents the next chapter in the bride’s life and a bright future for the newly married couple.
Originally, “something borrowed” was meant to be something another happy bride had worn, according to an article by Jacob Shamsian for Insider.
“It’s meant to transfer their luck onto the new bride's relationship,” Shamsian wrote. “Some sources also say that the garment is meant to ward off the evil eye from spurned suitors, which would presumably leave the woman barren.”
Today, many brides continue to borrow a meaningful item from married friends and family with the idea that they’ll be sharing their happiness.
Burne wrote that having “something blue" was another means of distracting the evil eye. Typically, that item was a blue garter.
On a less superstitious note, blue represents multiple positive qualities, including truth, wisdom, stability, faith, and intelligence. These days, brides carry a wide range of items in that color, from flowers in their bouquet to a message from a loved one on blue stationery.
As for “a sixpence in her shoe,” that’s a reference it a Victorian England coin: It symbolizes prosperity for the wedded couple. If you’d like one, you can buy a silver sixpence on sites like Etsy.
Personal Meaning
These days, even if confusing the evil eye is low on your list of wedding-planning priorities, honoring “the something old, something new” tradition can add something special to your nuptials. The bride’s lucky items symbolize optimism about the future and ties to loved ones and family history.
We encourage you to gather items with personal significance and don’t be afraid to include things that are a bit out of the ordinary.
For the something borrowed, for example, we’ve heard of brides accepting parents’ old love notes, Bibles, special photos, songs, neckties, cufflinks, and favorite recipes.
Whatever the items you collect for your wedding are, we hope they add special meaning and joy to your wedding.