Almost every bride knows the rhyme: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. What most people forget is that there’s a fifth line, and that each piece is supposed to mean something.
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The tradition comes from Victorian England, and according to folklore, each item carries a little wish for your marriage: something old for continuity with your past, something new for optimism, something borrowed for happiness borrowed from a couple whose marriage you’d want to copy, and something blue for love and fidelity. (The forgotten last line, “and a sixpence in her shoe,” is for prosperity. More on that at the end.)
The fun is in how personal you can make each one. Brides get wonderfully creative here, like the one whose something blue was, of all things, the planet Earth:
“I had a pin with Carl Sagan’s ‘pale blue dot’ quote on my bouquet. My ‘something blue’ was Earth :)”
— via Reddit.com
Below are our favorite ideas for each one, from the deeply sentimental to the delightfully weird. For me, I went more traditional. My mother-in-law gave me a broach that I tied to my bouquet (my something old). My something blue was a ring my grandma gave me that had a navy blue stone I always forget the name of (I since lost it in a move and I still devastated about it!), and my something borrowed was a purse my mom gave me to use. And well, something new can be basically anything you’re wearing that day! Mine was my necklace.
What are you doing to do for yours?
Something Old
This is the one that tends to bring tears. Something old ties your past to your present, so it’s usually where family and the people you’ve lost come into the day.
“My dad’s name embroidered on my dress in a hidden spot. He died a few years ago.”
— via Reddit.com
If you have a piece of jewelry that’s been handed down, wear it. If you don’t, you can make something old out of almost anything with history: a swatch of a grandmother’s dress sewn into your hem, an old family photo tucked into a bouquet charm, a handkerchief that’s been in the family for decades. For more in this vein, our vintage wedding ideas are full of heirloom inspiration.
“I wore my late grandmother’s sapphire earrings that my mom now has ☺️”
— via Reddit.com
That one is a twofer, of course, since sapphires are blue.
“Old: get an old antique handkerchief and sew it into your dress somewhere. Or get an antique brooch and put it on whatever is holding your bouquet together.”
— via Reddit.com
Something New
Something new is the easy one. Your dress counts, and so does anything you bought or were gifted for the day. The tradition is about optimism, so this piece gets to be purely happy.
“My new was my dress, most of my jewelry, and shoes. My blue was my nails and my engagement ring (main stone is a sapphire). My old was a hankerchief…”
— via Reddit.com
If you want your “new” to be a keepsake rather than just the dress, a piece of jewelry is the classic move, especially something a partner gives you the morning of. Pearl studs are the safe, never-dated choice, and they photograph beautifully on camera.
Freshwater Pearl Stud Earrings
The classic something new. Simple sterling and real pearl, the kind of thing you’ll reach for at every nice event for years, not just the wedding. If your partner is looking for a morning-of gift idea, point them here, and it doubles as a keepsake you can pass down later.
Something Borrowed
Tradition says your borrowed item should come from someone in a happy marriage, so a little of their luck rubs off on you. It’s the one you can’t just buy.
“Stepmom’s turquoise and silver ring. Old, borrowed and blue. She offered it to me two days before our wedding, without me ever asking. My mom died in 2013 and I wanted to participate in the tradition but figured I’d just skip it. So grateful. We are so much closer now. 💙”
— via Reddit.com
A borrowed veil, a bracelet, your mom’s earrings, a relative’s brooch, all classics. But borrowed doesn’t have to be an object at all, which is where it gets fun.
“Borrowed recipe? If you have any family/traditional recipe that they would love?”
— via Reddit.com
“What about a cutting from a plant? Or a sourdough bread starter? Try to think of ‘something borrowed’ as a piece of something existing that they can make their own.”
— via Reddit.com
Sweet idea: Borrow a family recipe and serve it at the reception, or ask a happily married couple you admire to lend you something small for the day. If you need help asking the right person, our guide to heirlooms from the mother of the bride is a good nudge.
Something Blue
Blue stands for love, purity, and fidelity, and it’s the category where brides go the most off-script. It can be a whisper or a statement.
“our beloved cat that we adopted together after just 5 months of dating passed away the year before our wedding. just so happened his collar was blue so i had it wrapped around my bouquet as my something blue💙”
— via Reddit.com
The hidden options are endless: blue nail polish, a blue bead sewn at the bustle, blue ink for your vows, a blue ribbon wrapped around your bouquet stems, or a charm tucked out of sight. A couple of brides shared the ones that made us smile:
“use one of your dad’s old shirts to stitch a tiny blue heart on the inside of your gown, over your own heart.”
— via Reddit.com
“I had my toenails painted like a Tiffany Blue color; and I also printed my vows in blue ink. I was really struggling to find a something blue :D”
— via Reddit.com
If you’d rather not improvise, the garter is the original “something blue,” and a powder-blue one with a little lace nods to the old-fashioned version of the tradition while staying completely hidden. Blue on your nails is another no-stress route, with plenty of ideas in our wedding nails for brides roundup.
Powder Blue Lace Wedding Garter
The easiest something blue there is. A soft powder-blue garter checks the box without you having to overthink it, and the vintage lace gives it an “old” feeling too. Slip it on and you’re done, whether or not you do a garter toss.
Don’t overthink it: Blue is the one people stress over most, and it matters least how you pull it off. A swipe of polish counts as much as a sapphire. Our guide to gemstones has options beyond the usual blue sapphire.
…And a Sixpence in Her Shoe
This is the part of the rhyme nobody remembers. The full Victorian version ends with “and a sixpence in her shoe,” a little silver coin tucked into the bride’s left shoe for prosperity and good luck as the couple starts out.
“It comes from a Victorian English rhyme – one of several about things that bring good luck on your wedding day.”
— via Reddit.com
“Something old – antique locket, used dress… Something blue – flowers, husband’s suit (And a silver sixpence in her shoe – managed to get a sixpence from the year my dad was born)”
— via Reddit.com
It’s a small, cheap touch almost no one else thinks to include. You can hunt down a coin from a meaningful year, like that bride did, or buy a ready-made one.
Bride’s Lucky Sixpence & Card
For the line everyone forgets. A genuine British sixpence on a little keepsake card, ready to tuck into your left shoe the morning of. It also makes a sweet, cheap gift from a mom or maid of honor.
The Only Rule That Matters
You don’t have to hit all four (or five). Plenty of brides double up, swap one out, or skip the ones that don’t speak to them. It’s about carrying a little meaning down the aisle, not checking boxes.
So pick the pieces that mean something to you, get as sentimental or as silly as you like, and let the rest go. Our Smart Wedding Planner can keep track of all the little day-of details. And if your something blue ends up being the planet Earth, well, you’re in good company.
