Something Borrowed

I didn't think she needed a veil. It seemed old fashioned. Maybe excessive? When I was in second grade preparing for my First Communion, I remembered shopping with my mother for a pretty white dress to adorn the occassion, settling on a lace bodice with sheer long sleeves and a soft pleated skirt. Feminine, but not frilly. It had to feel like me. "Do you really want a veil?" my mother asked. Yes. Yes, I course I wanted a veil. That was 34 years ago.

So on the day of dress rehearsal for her First Communion in our cozy little Catholic church, my girl snuggled up close to me between instructions to whisper in my ear, "I want a veil." Just two days before we made a mad dash to the mall to find a new dress because the hefty splint on her broken arm had rendered the delicate borrowed dress with slim sleeves no longer borrow-able from one of our closest family friends. Now I had less than eight shopping hours to fulfill the veil request. Two baseball games would consume at least five of those hours. And let's just say access to shopping venues offering child-size veils in my small southern town would be... non-existent. Stumped, I unloaded my woes to a friend in the fellowship hall as she waited for her son, clad in a miniature suit and tie to join us.

"Borrow my daughter's veil!" she insisted. "I still have it from her First Communion eight years ago." Relieved and grateful, I drove all of ten minutes to my friend's house to pick up the veil and fulfill my girl's First Communion fashion statement. Was the veil really necessary? No. Would the day have been as special without the veil? Yes. Was it a memorable site to see my girl adorned in her borrowed veil tread softly down the center of the church toward the alter with a shy grin? Yes, indeed.

I shot this image with my Nikon D3s with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens set at 24mm with f/6.3 aperture setting. ISO was set to 400 and I fired my speedlight. I processed it in Sepia Tone set to .41 intensity to give the image a timeless feel.

Show us something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue.

Comments

[Kat Sloma]

Oh, I love this story. I love how the photo captures so much of what you wrote, and with such a cute expression. Your photo and words are a perfect pair today!

All I could come up with is something blue: http://www.kateyeview.com/2011/06/my-latest-obsession-and-last-giveaway.html

[Marcie]

What a precious..priceless image and accompanying story. Yes - the veil was necessary. With it - your daughter felt beautiful and important and proud.
I have for you - not old..not new..not borrowed..but maybe a bit of blue. And - certainly that same priceless precious captured moment:
http://marciescudderstudios.squarespace.com/home/2011/6/11/you-and-me.html

[Naomi]

Something old: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomesthenome/5770075764/in/photostream/

Something new: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomesthenome/5827467285/in/photostream

Something borrowed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomesthenome/5692712462/in/photostream/

Something blue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomesthenome/2786571258/in/set-72157605221741338

[Andrea]

Lovely post, lovely story! That veil was really worth the "trouble"!
Here is something old:
http://www.andreahandl.de/?p=477

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

What a beautiful image, I can imagine what a special day it must have been.

Here's something 'new'.

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/lots-to-share.html

[Marilyn Johnson]

What a beautiful picture and story! I don't have a picture to share but want you to know how much she will cherish this picture. I distinctly remember my first communion. My mother had pasted away a few months before so my grandmother and aunt got my dress and veil, as well as a little purse for me. I remember the veil was very important to have. Great job!

[Jen]

What a lovely post! This should be fun, let me see if I have photos for each category...

Something old: My parents will kill me for this, but how about laughter shared for more than 35 years?
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/06/still-laughing.html

Something blue: The gorgeous blue waters of the Portuguese sea during our vacation several years ago:
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/06/travel-photography-salema.html

Something new: A new set of wooden blocks for a first birthday:
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/06/handmade-wooden-building-blocks.html

Something borrowed: Old, fabric scraps borrowed from my Mom to sew new toys for my daughter:
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/04/sewing-peanut-the-wee-elephant.html

[Carrie]

18th century irish headstones - that's pretty old, right??
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherryblossomtattoo/3189240236/in/set-72157612020511673

[Anna]

What a beautiful story, capture, and memory! From me, something new:

http://vandemarkdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/beautiful-roses.html

[Jennifée]

Thank you for sharing this - being raised atheist in a Protestant country, this made a fascinating read, as well as a touching one.

This image is my grandmother's pearls, which she gave me when I defended my PhD. I wore them proudly at the celebration dinner, and it made the occasion all the more special.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennifee/5450111869/

[Sandee]

What a beautiful story! What a beautiful girl!

[mae]

such a beautiful image. and a sweet story you will remember forever. i love it.

something old: http://flic.kr/p/9zVQ4U
something blue: http://flic.kr/p/9ne5zu

[angelica]

Great post! I'm inspired to write a more personal story like yours to share with my photos.

This is my photo of something new...

http://ayphotodesign.com/2011/05/08/the-wait-is-over/

[Rebecca]

Such a sweet moment beautifully captured :-)
Here's something combining both old and blue....vintage ironstone and pretty blue flowers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplystated/5744773940/in/photostream/

[Doris]

Fun Topic!

Something Old: http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/button-jar/
Something New: http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/week-of-february-13-2011/
Something Borrowed (lens): http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/week-of-january-23-2011/
Something Blue: http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/october-11-2010-2/

[kristin]

Love this brides "borrowed" treasured pearls from a special family member -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kkleinrn/5598674111/in/set-72157626450886382

[p90x]

http://www.p90xdvdorder.com

[christian louboutin shoes]

They are so adorable !
http://www.christian-louboutin-shoes-pumps.com

[Microsoft Office 2007]

Cute girls !
http://windows7sp1.org/

[gucci outlet]

thanks for sharing