Sunday, September 19, 2010

Behold... The gift!

I have been working on my little sisters wedding gift for some time now.... It has finally come together and I think it is a masterpeice!

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a sixpence in her shoe.



Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "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 she can depend on her friends and family. “Something Blue” symbolizes love, modesty, and fidelity. Finally, a “Silver sixpence in the bride's shoe” represents wealth and financial security.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.

It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe.

These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted.

7 comments:

Katherine said...

you are just too cute! such a good sister. congrats to lexy!

Lisa and Tate said...

You are such a clever girl! And such a generous sister!

Chris Grover said...

hey! just wanted to thank you for always leaving the NICEST comments on our blog! your family is so beautiful and you guys just seem so happy and full of life! hope you don't mind if i drop in sometimes!

btw, we were in lethbridge alberta. you're right, seems like most lds people know each other in that area!

Single Women Adopting Children said...

You are so darn crafty!

Nicole said...

You're amazing Tabby! What an awesome sister you are! Love you!

Kathy said...

K...I have to say the water bra is the best. Nobody ever gave ME a water bra (and I surely could have used one!) You ARE a good sister and I LOVED seeing you at Lexy's reception. K. Its official.....I'm not stalking anymore, its out in the open :)

Anonymous said...

Great post, I am almost 100% in agreement with you