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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Something old, something new ….

I thought since this has been our year for weddings – both our sons married this year, I’d blog about weddings.

The standard wedding traditions are fairly well know. How true the background and reason for these customs, I leave up to you. The wedding ring symbolized eternity, as it has no end. The third finger of the left hand was chosen because of the belief that ancient physician thought that a vein ran from that finger to the heart. Why they thought this, or who specifically proposed this idea is lost in the midst of time.

The idea of the veil comes from the tradition of arranged marriages, where the groom doesn’t get to see the bride until after they are married. Or sometimes the veil thought to symbolize the bride’s virtue. The tradition of the white dress comes from Victorian England.

And of course, the traditional rhyme of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a lucky sixpence (or penny) in her shoe.

For my (1969) wedding
Something old (a lace handkerchief from my grandmother)
Something new (the dress)
Something borrowed (must have been something, but it’s so long ago I don’t remember!)
Something blue (the new tradition of the blue garter)
A lucky sixpence in her shoe (a girlfriend bought me sixpence from England)

My March daughter-in-law:
Something old (her great grandmothers embroidered handkerchief)
Something new (the dress)
Something borrowed (a hairpin)
Something blue (engagement ring is blue sapphire)
A lucky sixpence in her shoe (a ha’penny)

My September daughter-in-law:
Something old (her mother’s garter)
Something new (her dress and jewelry)
Something borrowed (will borrow something on the day)
Something blue (her initials are sewn in blue in her dress)
A lucky sixpence in the shoe (a sixpence from her mom at the bridal shower)

As you might guess from all the similarities, that I’m very pleased with my sons for choosing such great gals.

Do you remember your something old, something new? If so talk about among yourselves on the comment section, as I’m actually at the second wedding today.

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