“Something old, something new” refers to the traditional rhyme originating in Victorian-era England stating that, for good luck and a happy marriage, a bride must have on her wedding day: "Something old, something new / Something borrowed, something blue / And a sixpence in her shoe."
Bride Good Luck Gifts
From horseshoes to spoons and shamrocks to blue ribbons, the traditions around bringing luck to a bride are many and varied.
Horseshoes. Horseshoes have long been seen as a symbol of good luck in everyday life. For your wedding day, if the bride carries a horseshoe with ribbons tied on it during the ceremony, it collects all the good luck from the day.
When thinking of a gift that will give the couple luck, think of historically and spiritually lucky symbols, like the horseshoe, which is the universal symbol for good luck. This item is especially popular in Irish weddings, where brides are given a charm or bracelet with the horseshoe to wear down the aisle.
The tradition is based on an Old English rhyme that dates back to 19th-century Lancashire. It describes the items a bride should have on her wedding day: "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, a sixpence in your shoe."
If you do buy a wedding shower gift, you might wonder if you have to bring one on the wedding day too. This choice is up to you and your budget. While getting two gifts isn't necessary, it is a nice gesture to bring something on the actual wedding day, or to ship an item to the address listed on their registry.
A sentimental piece of jewelry like a locket or charm bracelet is a wonderful bride-to-be gift. For a personal touch, have it engraved with her wedding date, initials or a special message from the heart.
Those thinking about how much money to give at a wedding will likely take their own financial situation into account. An easy rule of thumb is to stay within the average range of $75 to $200, but you can adjust the exact amount based on your personal finances, as well as your relationship with the couple.
Instead, you're supposed to tell the bride "best wishes" and reserve your "congrats" for the groom, who presumably played the role of hunter and succeeded at his goal of convincing his bride to say yes.
Usually, the page boy or flower girl presents the horseshoe to the bride with the horseshoe facing upwards in its U shape to contain the luck. The use of horseshoes goes all the way back to the time of the Greeks. Their association of the horseshoe with the crescent moon was thought to symbolize fertility.
While you'll see different colors all around, yellow and red are considered the luckiest colors. Yellow signifies purity and red signifies fertility and prosperity.
A wedding blessing acts as a declaration of approval of the union, especially in cultures where family and community are important. Religious wedding blessings typically appeal to a higher power to watch over the couple and lead them to a long and prosperous marriage.
The Food. This is probably not too surprising—62 percent of wedding guests said that food is one of the most important things they pay attention to at weddings. That's why you'll probably spend about half of your budget on your catering and venue—because the last thing you want is hangry guests.
Today, when women do include the sixpence tradition in their special day, they'll commonly substitute a penny or another small coin. While wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” is a pretty outdated tradition, many brides still have fun with it today.
Exchanging gifts is completely optional, so our best tip is to talk the idea out with your future spouse.
“Saying congratulations to a bride implies that she has won something – her groom. The groom is to be congratulated for getting the lady to accept his marriage proposal. To avoid controversy, many people just extend their best wishes to the bride and the groom!”
Traditionally, the order of wedding reception toasts goes like this: The best man toasts the bride. The maid/matron of honor toasts the groom. The wedding host/financier (traditionally the father of the bride) toasts the couple.
The average wedding gift amount hovers right around $100, which is a great place to start, and you can increase or decrease that based on how close you are.
While the amount you should gift a couple depends on a number of factors, data from The Knot reveals that U.S. wedding guests spend an average of $160 on cash gifts. "It's common to give anywhere from $100 to $1,000.
A typical cash wedding gift could range from $50 to $500, depending on the same factors listed above. Even then, aiming for the $100 mark is generally sufficient and will be comparable to the average cost of a physical wedding gift.
While in some families and cultures, the parents do give a tangible gift to the bridal couple, other families and cultures feel the wedding itself is enough. This means it is completely your choice.
Anything that is gifted solely to the bride before, during, or after marriage, or even during child birth, will only be her property and is considered streedhan. The main differentiatior is that while streedhan is given voluntarily, dowry is given under coercion or made conditional to marriage.
In many traditional weddings, the father still gives away the bride. In modern weddings, however, it can be anybody. The most important consideration is that the person is someone with whom the couple trusts and feels comfortable. “I think couples should ultimately do what works for them and their family,” said Mahler.