Old, New, Borrowed, & Blue x 2

Needless to say, Katie and I did not have a traditional wedding. However, we included many traditions, tweaking them as we saw fit: We both wore engagement rings, and we exchanged rings at our ceremony. Our fathers walked us down the aisle, but we didn't do any sort of "giving away." We wore white (off-white), but I wore a dress and Kate wore a suit, etc.

One tradition we both adhered to was to wear/carry something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue at our wedding. Neither of us really knew where this tradition came from - or what it's supposed to mean - but we liked it, nonetheless. I think we both considered it a special way to honor our grandparents at our wedding. Katie has no living grandparents, and my one living grandmother was not in good enough health to make the trip from Massachusetts, despite desperately wanting to be there. (She loves Katie like her own grandchild, which makes me so happy and so proud.)

Here is what we each chose for the occasion.

Lizz

• Old - I had every intention of stitching bits of lace from my mother's and grandmother's wedding dresses into the lining of my dress, but it just didn't happen. Then, one day before the wedding, a package arrived from my aunt containing 2 handkerchiefs - one from each side of my mother's family. They were perfect for tucking inside my wedding clutch.
• New - Many things I wore were new, but I considered this one to be the hair clip that Mine had designed especially for me. It is beautiful and has special meaning since it was a gift from my maid of honor.
• Borrowed - The earrings I wore were borrowed from Mine. They were a gift to her from her mother for her wedding. I was really touched that she brought them with her for me to wear...and they ended up looking gorgeous.
• Blue - My sister wrapped a blue handkerchief that belonged to our great-grandmother around the stems of my bouquet.

Kate

• Old - Kate wore her grandfather's baby rings on a chain around her neck. They are so tiny!
• New - Just before the wedding, Kate went out and bought herself a new watch. She wanted a small one with a brown leather band to go with her shoes and belt. I thought it was sweet that she treated herself to something nice for our big day.
• Borrowed - The rings she wore were borrowed from her mother, so they served double-duty for the day.
• Blue - Kate determined early on that she wanted a blue printed shirt to wear under her suit. Making the decision was easy...finding the perfect one was not. A lot of stress and many shopping trips went into finding the turquoise gingham shirt that she eventually settled on, and I think it looked great.