When the man of your dreams asks you to marry him you hope that it will be with a beautiful diamond ring - that kind of wedding gift with be appreciated by any newly engaged woman! But when you get married the wedding ring has a lot more significance then just looking pretty on your finger. What does the wedding ring symbolise?
Traditional the wedding ring is seen as the last in a line of wedding gifts that are given to the bride. The first of course being the engagement ring. A European tradition encourages the engraving of the name of one’s intended spouse and the date of one’s intended marriage on the inside surface of wedding rings, thus strengthening the symbolism and sentimentality of the rings as they become family heirlooms. The wedding ring is a symbol that someone is married – it is widely believed that wedding rings are an external symbol of love and commitment between a bride and groom that all the world can see.
King Edward VI-in the 16th century-ruled that wedding rings were to be worn on the left hand because it coincided with the “heart side” of the body and was thus to be worn closest to the heart. This was also in keeping with the Greek and Egyptian tradition of wearing rings on the third finger of the left hand because it was believed that the “vein of love”-also called the “vena amoris”-ran through the third finger on the left hand and was directly connected to the heart.
Nowadays it is possible to commission the engagement ring and the two wedding bands to come in a matching set.
Wedding rings have come to be a symbol of enduring and everlasting-or never-ending-love, much like the circle is a never-ending shape that has no beginning and no end. Couples spend a lot of time and effort selecting or designing the perfect rings that represent their love for one another. These rings are also a public and outward sign of their commitment and promised fidelity to each other. But most importantly, they are personal symbols most significant to the man and woman who have promised to share the rest of their lives and love together.
Like any gift exchanged between men and women the wedding rings are no different. They are wedding gifts to one another that symbolise the eternal love that they share for one another.
In this post “Signing the marriage register” there is a lovely discussion about how an engraved pen transforms the legal signing of the wedding register into a sentimental occasion between the father of the bride and the happy couple. This got me thinking about how easy it is to give a small yet thoughtful gift and it means so much to someone. On that note I am going to stick with the theme of engraved pens…
Why would an engraved pen make a good gift? I think if you are going to buy a gift like that for someone then it should be for someone that you know loves to write. Either they are a writer, they keep a journal or they work in an office and are in constant need of a pen! My aunt is a lawyer, she is constantly working on briefs and is in and out of meetings! There have been plenty of times that I have telephoned her with a legal question and she has been left stuck looking for a pen so she can write a memo to herself that I called her. So what better gift for her than an engraved pen. Rather than give it to her on her birthday or at christmas present I think giving it to her as a ‘just because’ gift is better. That means that she wouldn’t be expecting and so it would have more value! Personalising any gift adds extra value to it, perhaps not in terms of cost, but more in terms of sentimentality and thoughtfulness.
If you think about wedding gifts alot of couples ask for ‘no boxed gifts’ on the wedding invitation or they register at certain shops and ask for only gifts from there. Alot of people when couples have registered for wedding gifts buy them vouchers for particular shops, that way the couple can buy the gifts that they really want. I know someone who rather than getting gifts from the registered list or buying vouchers, bought the couple two gifts. The first was a set of cuflinks that were engraved for the groom and the second was a compact mirror that was engraved for the bride. She told me that when a couple gets married people buy them “couple” gifts, however she felt that they were still two individuals who although were getting married they still deserved to be recognised as two people and thus she bought them wedding gifts reflecting that. Those two gifts probably made a nice change from the endless vouches that the couple recieved and also as small gifts they seemed to fit the -’no boxed gift’ rule.
The groom at a wedding is just as important as the bride. I know everyone goes on about the brides big day – but there wouldn’t be a big day if it wasn’t for the groom. He is sometimes a little forgotten at times. Now I don’t think that should be the case. So when thinking about the type of gifts you are going to get for the happy couple you should think about groom gifts too.
In Muslim weddings – the wedding is more to do with the groom. There is a whole ceremony called Nikah where the groom and the father of the bride enter into a contract to ensure that the bride will be well cared for and looked after in the groom’s family. This is usually a public event where all the family and friends witness this agreement. It is at this point that the groom also pay the dowry requested by the bride. This whole ceremony just involves the groom. I like it you know. The groom gets his show and the bride gets her’s with her big entrance and gorgeous dress.
Usually the groom gifts are left to the best man to sort out. Afterall the bridesmaids will get a gift for the bride therefore it is seems fair that the bestman and the groomsmen sort out a nice groom gift – when you think about the kind of gift to get the groom; REMEMBER he will be married, so it needs to meet the approval of his new wife! You don’t want him sleeping on the couch on his wedding night.
1) I mentioned in a previous post about engraved champagne flutes and how they are a perfect bride gift, they are the same for the groom too. The two champagne flutes can be engraved with a personalised message. Each flutes could have different messages on them – one for the groom and one for the bride. Give them as a set and you’ve got not only a great wedding gift but also a great groom gift too.
2) If you do want to get a wedding gift that is groom specific then I think you should think about an engraved wedding gift and with that I mean “engraved cuflinks“. They would make a really special gift for the groom on his wedding day. He could wear them with his tux – also if in all the panic he has forgotten his cufflinks, then by presenting him with the cufflinks on the morning of his wedding will sure help him out!!
3) If you are the best man and you fear that after marriage you are going to lose your best buddy to the domestic life, then what could be better then to get your best friend and engraved photo frame with a picture of you two at some crazy event where you pretty much laughed all night! I know to a guy that may seem like a really soppy gift. But if you think about it in terms of the bride – she is less likely to display a beer keg in her house than a beautifully engraved photo frame that is a touching gift from the best man….
Whatever you get as a groom gift, remember when you buy this that he is just as important as the bride on ‘his’ special day – afterall I’m sure he only plans to get married once!
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So your partner has got down on one knee and proposed to you! It’s the best feeling in the world… but then comes the hard part – ‘Planning the Wedding’.
When you plan your wedding, where do you start? Here are few tips that will hopefully get you started:
After the engagement party everyone knows the main things that you need to think about to get the wedding ball rolling:
- style of the wedding: is it going to be formal, casual, a day or night affair?
- Wedding colours and theme: this will give you the basis of the venue and also help when coordinating outfits for the wedding party.
Decide on whether you are getting married in a church or whether you are having a registry wedding. GET THIS BOOKED WELL IN ADVANCE. AS SOON AS YOU HAVE DECIDED ON THE DATE. There is no point in having a reception if there is no official wedding.
- Set the date: it would help if you set the date first. That way you know what your availability is in terms of venues.
- Guest list: You should really think about how many people that you want to invite to your wedding. When thinking of venues it would be helpful if you have a rough idea of the number of people that you want at your wedding.
- Throw your budget out the window. It’s your wedding, hopefully you’re only going to get married the once so make it as special as you can. If you have to have a budget, then make sure it is realistic and know that on some things you are going to have to compromise.
- Knowing those three things you can find the right venue for your wedding. Make sure you get a letter of confirmation from the venue to make sure that it is your’s for that day. I’ll tell you a little story, I know someone who didn’t. They wrote the date in the diary, apparently so did the hotel that they were planning to have the wedding at. However when it came to paying the deposit two weeks later, the venue had been booked up by someone else. You don’t want that to happen to you – I couldn’t imagine anything worse. Make sure you have a back up venue and date just incase things don’t go to plan.
Example Seating Plan
Once you’ve got the venue, you can then start to think about the seating arrangement. Most places have tables that you can hire with chairs – for me I think you should be hiring the round tables. They look elegant and people all feel included on a round table, no one will be sat on the end of a round table by themselves. With the number of guests already know you can plan your tables into the hall and imagine how you are going to seat everyone. Some people liked seating plans. I don’t – people like to sit with people that they know. I have been to a number of weddings and just be plonked next to random people and been told to enjoy myself. I do not like that at all. There could be nothing worse. But the seating plan does help when you are thinking numbers.
So now let’s just do a check list, so far we’ve got:
- date
- guest list
- venue…
So what comes next? Well for me it would be the invitations – you need people to attend your wedding and the sooner you get those out the better. People can put the date into the diary and then they will forget about it until a couple of weeks before when they remember that they need to buy and outfit. Alongside the invite writing you should also consider what kind of entertainment you want. Some people like a live band while other’s like a DJ. Personally I’d have both. A jazz/blues band and a DJ to play the most popular tunes around. Split the time between the two… maybe have the band play while food is being served and the DJ to play when the everyone is ready to get their dance flex on.
For me, I would have the band play the first dance and the father/daughter dance. But that’s just because I like live music.
Next onto the caterers. What kind of food would like at your wedding? Will there be welcome drinks, appetisers, starters, a main course and then dessert? What kind of menu do you want? Make sure that the food is good though, there is nothing worse then attending a wedding with rubbish food. It makes me angry, people travel a long way to attend the wedding to then be greeting with mediocre food. ugh. Nothing worse. TASTE THE FOOD. Get the caterer to present the whole wedding meal to you. That way you can decide what you like and don’t like. Make sure they show you how everything will be presented too. You should find out if they provide all the crockery as well, some don’t and so you’d need to hire that in. Make sure it goes with the table clothes.
- The cake – there are looooooads of companies out there that do wedding cakes, you just need to find one that you are happy with. It may take a bit of time but when you find the right cake, you’ll know. I want a chocolate cake at my wedding… mmmm….do make sure you taste the cake though.
- Decide on your wedding photographer at this point (and videographer is you are having one).
With the caterers, florists, DJ’s, bands, venues, cake company, photographers i’d make sure that you got signed contracts with all of them. That way you have proof you booked them!
- So now you’ve sorted: the date, venue, guestlist, seating arrangements, invites, music, food and the cake. What next?
Well i’d move onto the outfits at this point. But for this you need to know a few things – who is the best man and the groomsmen and who is the maid of honour and the bridesmaids? That way you can work out how many dresses and suits you will need to have tailored. I personally like it if the bridesmaids and the groomsmen match. It looks pretty. But also when thinking of outfits you also need to consider the clothes of the fathers of the bride and groom and the mothers. I like the idea of them matching respectively. Brothers and sisters can wear what they want (as long as it is appropriate for a wedding) as with the rest of the extended family. But I think you should certainly be able to tell who is part of the wedding party.
The wedding dress is a whole category in itself. But like with the cake, when you find it… you’ll know.
When you’ve sorted the outfits I’d go onto the flowers… you can colour coordinate that way.
I mentioned earlier about round tables. What about table decorations? – the florist could probably do those too. Keep them simple. What is also good is to have a copy of the menu and the outlined agenda of the reception on the table. People like to know what is going to happen. Make sure that the table decorations are in keeping with the plate settings and the linen you have chosen.
Wedding favours are a big hit at weddings. If you are going to get these made then order them well in advance and make sure you get samples of them too so you can see what they are going to look like.
I’d actually get the whole table laid out so I could see how it was going to look. That way if there is something you don’t like then you can work on it. The finish of a table is very important. It makes the guests feel special.
Appoint someone in the family that you trust to take care of everything when it gets closer to the wedding. Make it easy for them and don’t leave things till the last minute. As long as they know what they are doing they can organise people so that they get everything done on time!
Remember that although your wedding day is going to be one of the most important days of your life you can’t plan every detail. So do the best you can and then just enjoy yourself!
If you have the budget then you can hire a wedding consultant. They will worry about all these things for you. But if you don’t this will hopefully help you out.
http://www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk is a great place to find all your wedding gift ideas. We have wedding gifts for not only the bride and groom but also wedding presents that the bride and groom can give as thank you presents to all those people who helped out at the wedding and who were an important part of it!
If you’re feeling nervous about being a best man, don’t. Wedding etiquette can be tricky, but with our guide you can navigate your way through the minefield with ease. Read on for our special best man dos and don’ts…
Best Man Dos:
Do offer to buy or hire your own wedding suit, tie, shoes, or any other accessories. But do remember that even if you are paying, you don’t get the final say in the style or colour!
Do offer to help with any errands or tasks during the run-up to the big day. Make a specific offer, not a vague ‘if I can help with anything…’
Do offer to go shopping with the groom for special wedding gifts. Wedding gifts can be difficult for the groom, especially choosing something special for the bride. Be helpful and make suggestions (how about an engraved compact mirror?), but most of all, be patient.
Do plan the stag party, and get the other stags to club together to buy a great personalised groom gift, such as an engraved hip flask, engraved photo frame or personalised glasses.
Do be as supportive as possible, particularly during those last few stressful weeks before the wedding.
Do be prepared to smooth over any family tiffs or problems. Often these can get out of control with everyone suffering from last-minute stress.
Do help the groom get ready on the morning of the wedding if he needs you. Bolster his confidence – but not with too much alcohol.
Do have the rings ready and pass them over at the appropriate moment.
Best Man Don’ts:
Don’t ever be late – especially for the wedding!
Don’t drink too much at the reception, or worse, before the ceremony.
Don’t criticise the bride, bridesmaids or any of the guests. Remember they are all friends and family of the groom.
Don’t moan about your own partner – you must be as positive about weddings and relationships as possible.
Don’t forget to buy the groom a special gift to show your regard for him. Groom gifts are easy to find, but make yours stand out by opting for a personalised groom gift, such as personalised whisky or an engraved lighter.
Don’t expect the bride and groom to arrange for your transportation to and from the wedding ceremony and reception – or to pay for your room.
If you need to find a gift for your best man then take a look at www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk and you’ll be sure to find what you need.
Choosing the right wedding music is a difficult task – not least because there are so many pieces to choose from! With our help, however, you will soon navigate your way through the wedding music mine-field…
On Arrival/Signing Of Register
Whether you are having a church or a civil ceremony it is important to have music playing in the background as the guests arrive at the wedding venue, and during the signing of the register. Otherwise these times can be too quiet or a little awkward. At church, the bride and groom often opt for the traditional organ music, but if this doesn’t suit you could engage the services of a vocalist, a harpist or a string quartet to provide background music. Any of these alternatives are great for a civil ceremony too – you may also be able to simply give the organisers at the venue a CD of chosen music to be played to your guests.
Popular music choices for the arrival of the guests and signing of the register include:
Ave Maria by F Schubert
Laudate Dominum by WA Mozart
Jesu, joy of man’s desiring by JS Bach
Ave verum corpus by WA Mozart
Cantique de Jean Racine by G Fauré
Dome épais by L Delibes
Champagne Greeting
As well as musical entertainment, it’s a good idea to have some wedding champagne on tap to greet the guests as they arrive. Personalised wedding champagne is a great way to make your wedding special – this can also be used for the toasts. As an extra-special touch, why not buy some engraved personalised toasting glasses for the bride and groom?
The Arrival Of The Bride
The big moment for the choice of wedding music is, of course, the arrival of the bride. You will want to choose a piece of wedding music that is appropriate to the wedding venue – walking down the aisle of a church has a different ‘vibe’ to walking down the much shorter aisle at a civil venue. Popular choices include:
The Prince of Denmark’s March by J Clarke
Wedding March from ‘Lohengrin’ by R Wagner
If ye love me by T Tallis
Gloria in excelsis Deo by A Vivaldi
Eternal source of light divine by GF Handel
Trumpet Tune in D by H Purcell
The Personal Touch
Remember that this is your wedding, and the music needs to mean something to you. It is a nice idea to choose a favourite song that is meaningful to the bride and groom which can be played after the ceremony – a lighter touch to signal the end of the ‘formal’ part of the day.
If you want to add that personal touch to your wedding then along side the music you could also decorate the reception tables with a bottles of personalised champagne that has been designed specifically for the wedding. It’s a simple idea, but it is the finishing touches that make a wedding wonderful and personalised champagne will probably add that extra special touch to every table! Rather than drinking standard champagne when they toast the happy couple they will be drinking your special personalised champagne.
When people are invited to a wedding the thing they think about most (before the happy couple and the wedding gifts that they will have to buy) is the wedding dress that the bride will be wearing … who cares about engraved champagne gifts when the bride might be wearing black instead of the traditional white (I stress, that this is highly unlikely!).
Although most people think white is the traditional colour of wedding dresses – to symbolise virginal qualities – this hasn’t always been so. Queen Victoria is credited with setting the trend for white wedding dresses in motion, but for hundreds of years wedding dresses were a colourful affair, as this poem shows:
“Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in grey , you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen, Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.”
By the late eighteenth century, white was firmly established as the most popular colour, but many brides still chose their dresses on more practical grounds. The bride and groom often appeared quite stern on their wedding photos! Some brides, particularly frontier brides, chose dresses that could be worn after the wedding. As wedding dresses usually followed the fashions of the time, they required only a little alteration to be perfect to wear again and again.
By the time of World War I, wedding dress styles reflected the role of women in society. The hems got shorter and brides got rid of tight corsets. Coco Chanel is renowned for her influence on women’s fashions, and it was she who introduced the short wedding dress in the 1920s. The wedding dress was knee length and was worn with a long train.
During the Depression, a bride and groom could rarely afford the luxury of new wedding attire, and the bride would make do with her best dress. If a bride did buy a new wedding dress, after the ceremony she would often dye it a more practical colour. By World War II, weddings became hurried affairs, with the bride and groom often marrying after an engagement of only a couple of weeks. The wedding dress would usually be a smart suit – practical and stylish. If the bride and groom both happened to be in the armed forces, they would marry in their uniforms.
After the war, Royal weddings once again began to influence the choices of wedding dress. Grace Kelly’s fairy-tale wedding to Prince Monaco, in a lavish silk and lace gown, inspired many a bride-to-be. Our own Princess Diana may have had an even greater sway over wedding dresses to come, but these days the focus is on individuality, with brides being more likely to choose from an overwhelming number of styles and designs. Personalised wedding gifts are also popular today, with the art of celebration as important as ever.
If you need to find a great gift for the bride why not consider a bottle of personalised champagne? It’s a simple gift, that the bride will love. It’ll also be great while she is getting ready with all her bridesmaids! – engraved rose champagne would probably be perfect.
Take a look at our range of wedding gifts to see if you can find something that the bride will love
It’s an unfortunate fallacy that brides don’t want their bridesmaids to look too good – few brides are this insecure – at the end of the day if they were then they probably wouldn’t be getting married, or are likely to not have bridesmaids for fears the groom might try and run off with one of them. A bridesmaid is an integral part of the wedding celebrations, and choosing a bridesmaid dress which both compliments the wedding dress and suits the bridesmaid is key.
Before you head to the shops, take some time to think about the kind of dress that’s right for your bridesmaid or bridesmaids. Bridal shops are packed to the brim with bridesmaid dresses of all shapes and styles, and it can be daunting to be presented with all that choice if you don’t know where to start. Begin by looking through bridal magazines at pictures of bridesmaids and cut out any styles that appeal to you. Discuss any preferences with your bridesmaids too – do they have a particular body part they are desperate to cover up, such as arms or ankles? Take their wishes into consideration – you don’t want a glum-looking bridesmaid on the wedding photos! Your Wedding Theme
Make sure you have chosen the wedding dress, and the groom has chosen his suit and cravat or waistcoat colours, before choosing the bridesmaid dresses. You can even take into account the flowers and colour-way of the wedding venue. This way you can give your wedding a unified theme – although remember, not everything has to match. Sometimes contrasting bridesmaid dresses can look just as good as coordinating ones. Just know what look you are trying to achieve before you start.
Remember also to choose bridesmaid dresses that compliment the style of your wedding dress. If you have chosen a short-skirted summer style, it’s no good dressing your bridesmaid in a traditional bridesmaid gown with a full skirt and sleeves. Likewise, if you have opted for a winter wedding and are planning to wear a warm shrug or wedding coat over your dress, the bridesmaid will look a little silly in a strapless number – not to mention cold! It’s traditional to buy your bridesmaid a personalised gift to say thank you – why not buy her a stylish engraved compact mirror to remember the special day? Flower Girl
Don’t forget to consider an outfit for the flower girl, if you are having one. A flower girl rarely looks right in a smaller version of the grown-up bridesmaid dress; it is often better to put the flower girl in something more suitable for her age. There is a growing trend for the flower girl to appear in a cute tutu style dress at celebrity weddings – a style you could consider for your own flower girl. Don’t forget to buy your flower girl a cute personalised teddy bear to say thank you.
Finally remember that along with the dress it is now custom and practice to get your bridesmaids a unique gift to show them your appreciation. They probably helped you out more than you realise on your wedding day! Personally I would get my bridesmaids a personalised photo frame each. I would put in a picture that meant something to all of us and I would have them engraved with a special message so that each one of them knew how much they meant to me! The reason I would choose a personalised photo frame is because firstly I could get each bridesmaid the same gift and not feel guilty about who was getting a better gift than the other. Each engraved frame would be personal to each of the individual bridesmaids, so it would not be like I was fobbing them off with the same gift. Finally personalised photo frame could be displayed on their mantlepieces for years to come and remind them of special they were in you important day.
Wedding gifts and wedding favours can be overrated at times, especially on the wedding day when there is so much going on! There are so many great ideas for wedding entertainment you’ll be spoiled for choice…
Arrival Of The Bride
At the point when the bride’s big day begins, it is great to have some wedding entertainment to greet you as you step out of the wedding car. Some ideas of lavish entertainment includes a Highland Piper, a Spanish Guitarist or Minstrels.
As The Guests Arrive
For a great atmosphere, it’s a good idea to have some form of music during the arrival of the guests and also during the signing of the register (if you have chosen to make this a formal event). You could simply choose some suitable music and arrange for it to be played on a CD player or the venue’s sound system. Or you could make the wedding entertainment extra special by having a Harpist, a Vocalist, a Cello Duo or even a String Quartet to entertain the guests if you have the budget. This can work in either a church or civil ceremony. Remember that for a civil ceremony the music cannot usually be religious in nature and the registrar will want to see and approve your music choices in advance.
Champagne Greeting
As well as musical entertainment, it’s a good idea to have some wedding champagne on tap to greet the guests as they arrive. Personalised wedding champagne is a great way to make your wedding special – this can also be used for the toasts. Why not buy some engraved flutes for the bride and groom as their gift, which will help them remember their special day long after the guests have gone home?
The Wedding Breakfast
During the wedding breakfast it is important that any musical entertainment is low-key and provides simply a background atmosphere – no one wants to have to shout above a energetic jazz band, especially first thing in the morning! Save the lively entertainment for the evening festivities where everyone can enjoy it. You could, however, engage the services of a magician or a caricaturist to wander among the tables and keep the guests amused. If possible, have a toastmaster present – many civil ceremony venues provide one if the numbers are large enough. He will give you advice on wedding etiquette and keep everything running smoothly.
Children’s Entertainment
If there are a fair number of children at your wedding you should organise some children’s entertainment. Things like magicians, clowns and face painters are popular, or if you have room and weather for it, you could hire a bouncy castle too.
The Evening Reception
The kind of wedding entertainment you organise for your evening reception will depend upon the atmosphere you are trying to create. For a lively party, go for a recommended DJ, or a combination of a DJ and a band. If you are after something more refined you could opt for a jazz band, a classical vocalist or a folk group.
Whatever entertainment you end up going with, make sure you as the bride and groom enjoy your special day and make plenty of toasts with champagne!
