Christian Wedding Traditions

Have you ever wondered where a lot of our Christian wedding traditions came from?

How about:

Something old,

Something new,

Something borrowed,

Something blue.

Why? What does this mean? This poem, one of the most familiar of all bridal traditions here in the United States, has meaning.

Do you have a great wedding tradition that you or someone in your family used in your or their wedding? Do you have a funny wedding story that you would love to share? We would love to hear it!

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Pass The Wedding Veil 
In our family we have a wedding tradition called pass the wedding veil. I wore my mother's wedding veil on my wedding day. My two sisters also wore our ...

Sex Before Marriage Is Sin 
Dear Juanita,
I found your site while searching for current Christian views on wedding symbols. It is easy to navigate & informative. Well done.

However,...

Couples Gift Registry 
A tradition is couples gift registry. The bride and groom to be go to one or more stores, either in person or online, and choose the things they would ...

Gift Registry For Men 
A tradition that many couples use is that of registering for gifts. Do you know there is now a gift registry for men? I saw it this morning on Good Morning ...

Silver Heart Necklace--Something Old 
When I got married three years ago, my mother let me wear a silver heart neckace for my something old. She wore it on her wedding day 26 years before. Her ...

White Wedding Bible 
When my mother got married back in 1958, she carried a bouquet of flowers on top of a brand new white wedding Bible. She loved carrying it and still has ...

The bride wears something old to symbolize her ties to her single life and childhood family.

Something new refers to the bride's hopes for the future.

Something borrowed is an item that is meaningful to a close family member of a dear friend. It must be returned to the owner after the wedding for good luck. (I don't believe in luck but it is still a fun Christian wedding tradition.)

The something blue was an old tradition practiced in Israel, when brides wore blue ribbons. The blue ribbons symbolized their fidelity.

But did you know that the poem has another line? I did not. I only discovered the next line while researching this poem. It goes like this:

Something old,

Something new,

Something borrowed,

Something blue,

And a lucky sixpence in my shoe.

On my wedding day, I had the something old, the something new, the something borrowed, and the something blue, but no coin in my shoe for luck. Of course, the coin would feel uncomfortable in a shoe to me.

By the way, a dime is the preferred coin in the United States. I would imagine that is because it is the smallest coin we have. Again, there is no such thing as luck--things turn out according to God's plan, not luck.

There are many other traditions used by people around the world. Please feel free to share the traditions used by your family and friends on the above form. Thank you!

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