5 Ways to Go Blue on the Big Day
It’s rooted in history, but here’s are some modern takes on how to add a little azure to your wedding wardrobe
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
So goes the famous rhyme that instructs brides what “lucky charms” to incorporate into their wedding-day attire. The first three items make sense – something that honors your past, something that signifies hope and optimism for the future and something that reminds you that you are surrounded by friends and family who you can depend on as you and your spouse create your new life together.
But then there is this blue thing. Why blue? Isn’t red or yellow a cheerier color? In order to fully understand why you, too, might want to go blue, it helps to know a little of the history behind the good-luck-charm hype.
“We think we know the whole rhyme, but there is actually a fifth line,” says Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor at TheKnot.com. “The last line is, ‘And a sixpence in your shoe.’”
The word “sixpence,” a silver coin worth six pennies that was minted in Great Britain from 1551 to 1967, reveals the rhyme’s origins as an old English custom. Not surprisingly, placing a sixpence in the shoe was meant to ensure future wealth, but what of something blue?
Rather than sadness, the color blue has long stood for modesty, love and fidelity, says Dolgin. Christianity has commonly dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, thereby linking the pigment to purity, a matter of great concern in weddings of the past. In olden times, couples often wore blue bands on the border of their wedding attire to pledge their love, faithfulness and loyalty. In what seems like a rather sexy counterpoint to the intention of the charm, this custom has evolved into brides wearing blue garters. There are also, of course, the more traditional pieces, such as handkerchiefs or heirloom pins.
Etiquette certainly doesn’t require that you incorporate the color into your attire, but if you’d like to have a little fun with the ritual on your wedding day, don’t feel you need be limited. The blue sky’s the limit, but here are five creative ways to do the azure hue.
Pretty Plumage
“I love feathers for brides,” says Anna Joyce, a freelance designer whose own work can be found at Seaplane and Olio United in Portland, Ore. “A nice way to incorporate blue could be to tuck a single blue feather in a 1920s inspired headpiece worn instead of a veil, or to have some plumes of blue tucked into the bridal bouquet.”
Fun Fasteners
Brides can pick any blue fabric that they like, suggests Joyce, and easily make covered buttons with a kit from a fabric store. These buttons can replace any plain white buttons on a dress, or even adorn shoes or the stem of the bouquet.
Sapphire Stunners
Taking part in the tradition of wearing blue is a chance to really show your personality, says Dolgin. “I know a bride in Texas who wore blue cowboy boots with her wedding dress!”
A creative bride could even wear a blue-tinted wedding dress. Before the late 19th century, blue was actually a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced by another old rhyme, “Married in blue, your love will always be true.”
“For an adventurous city bride, a bright Tiffany blue cape or wrist-length gloves would look very chic coming down the steps of the court house,” says Joyce.
Cobalt Classics
“Vintage broaches come in beautiful colors, says Joyce. “A bride could find one in a blue she likes and secure it to the bodice of her dress or her bouquet. Costume jewelry also could be made into an elegant piece for her hair, or a pair of clip-on earrings could decorate a pair of otherwise plain shoes.”
If you are getting married somewhere tropical, Joyce thinks a thick rope of turquoise beads around the neck or wrist is very stylish and appropriate.
Brides who are more traditional might wear a piece of jewelry with a blue stone, such as a sapphire or a topaz, adds Dolgin.
Aqua Accents
Temporary tattoos, such as a small heart or flower, which are hidden away, are a fun secret for brides, says Dolgin, while braver ladies can wear navy blue eyeliner or mascara, or paint their toenails blue.
 |
