You might have heard that on their wedding day, a bride should wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. While the tradition is meant to bring about good fortune to a couple as they tie the knot, it’s also a fun opportunity to get creative with how you style your wedding look. Here, you can bring more sentimentality into your ensemble by wearing borrowed pieces from friends and family members, have some fun with vintage pieces as your something old, and add a touch of color to clean bridal white with your something blue. This tradition isn’t limited to brides, either. Any to-be-wed can play around with this dress code to add some luck to their wedding day.
“When it comes to the ‘something old, new, borrowed, and blue’ tradition, it’s about blending the old with the new in a way that feels authentic to you both—there’s no one-size-fits-all,” says Maisie-Kate Keane, bridal stylist and founder of Maisie-Kate Style. “There’s no need to stick rigidly to the typical items; you can get creative with how you incorporate each element.”
Bridal stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz echoes this sentiment. “Tradition is all well and good, but make sure whatever styling choices you’re making feel authentic to yourself and how you want to feel and present yourself on your wedding day,” she shares. “Following traditions for the sake of following traditions, and at the expense of authenticity isn’t worth it.”
Ahead, learn all about the something old, new, borrowed, and blue tradition’s history—and how you can incorporate these pieces into your wedding wardrobe.
The Meaning Behind the Rhyme
So, where exactly does this wedding tradition come from? It was actually a rhyme that originated in Lancashire, England during the Victorian era that reads, “Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe.” Wearing these items were said to ward off the evil eye and curses that can be cast upon the marriage. While most don’t wear a sixpence in their shoe anymore (the coin was discontinued in the ‘80s after all), many in Western cultures still follow this rule for their wedding day.
“Traditionally, you walked down the aisle with ‘something old, new, borrowed, and blue,’ but I’ve seen brides spread out the traditions over the course of the weekend,” says Hurwitz. “For example: wearing something blue to the welcome party, something old (vintage) for the after party, and borrowing family jewelry for their walk down the aisle in their new dress. If it’s feeling forced to do it all for the ceremony, why not bend the rules a little and try to incorporate the tradition throughout the weekend versus all at once?”
