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Personalised Gifts and Engraved
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I realise that alot of the posts that I have written over the past few weeks have been about weddings, but alot of the reason for that is that I know alot of people who are getting married this year. So if I know alot of people who are getting married then I am almost certain that so do you as well. I just thought you might like some tips on all things wedding related. Don’t worry Christmas is coming soon and I certainly have alot to write about that particular theme. I’m excited already!!
I’ve spoken alot about the different traditions that people have when they plan a wedding, but I don’t think I’ve looked at it from the perspective of a western wedding.
North America has many cultures and many different wedding traditions influenced by countries all over the world. Mexican wedding traditions, for example, have been influenced by Spain and France, and by their own ancient cultural traditions stretching back to the Aztecs. Wedding traditions in the United States have been influenced by virtually every country at some point or other, making for a rich and varied combination of traditions. Canadian traditions are strongly influenced by both the English and the French.
Mexico
In Mexico, it is usual for a white ribbon or a rosary, called a lasso, to be draped around the necks of the bride and groom during the vows. This is to symbolize the joining together of the couple. Another tradition is for the groom to give his bride thirteen gold coins during the ceremony, symbolizing his commitment to support his new wife financially. As the bride and groom leave the church, red beads are thrown at them for good luck. And at Mexican wedding receptions, the guests form a heart-shaped circle around the bride and groom as they have their first dance as husband and wife.
United States of America
One unusual American tradition is for brides to wear white gloves. This comes from Victorian times, when American brides wore white gloves as symbols of modesty and romance. Even today, many American brides wear white gloves as a romantic gesture. In the United States today, it is very common for the bride and groom to write their own wedding vows, making promises and commitments that are individual and personal to them as a couple. Today’s wedding ceremony in the United States is often very grand and elaborate, especially among the well off, but small ‘backyard’ weddings are also common. If the climate allows, many wedding ceremonies are held outdoors.
Wedding ceremonies in North America traditionally conclude with the bride and groom exchanging wedding rings, and then, of course, with the traditional wedding kiss, which seals their union in front of their friends and family. As the newly married couple leave the wedding ceremony, rice is thrown at the couple as a symbol of fertility.
North American Wedding Gifts
Wedding gifts are traditionally given to help the new couple set up home together. They can range from the practical to the highly decorative. For more affluent weddings, personalised gifts of champagne, crystal and silver are ever popular. Those in poorer areas often make the bride and groom a personalised present symbolising their friendship.
Personalised gifts are a great way to show the happy couple what you want for their lives together. If you gave them a personalised photo gift. For example a personalised photo frame with a photo of the two of them in it and a message that you have had engraved into the frame then that is a very sentimental gift. Not only are you giving them something that they can display in their home. But the engraving shows that you want their marriage to last… that is the sentiment anyway.
Weddings Through The Ages
So when did the first wedding take place and why? It’s unlikely we’ll ever know the answers to these questions, although it’s widely believed that the first weddings were tribal weddings during prehistoric times, used to cement ties between tribes to aid survival. Other experts believe that marriage was used to guard against incest – which would often produce children with serious health problems. Life was all about survival in those days – romance probably played a very small part!
Like An Egyptian
It was the Egyptians who first legalised marriage, with wives having more legally enforceable rights than they had for a long time afterwards. The dowry was also payable in reverse in ancient marriages, with grooms paying the parents of the bride to compensate for taking her away.
The groom would also buy a personalised gift for his bride, often a piece of jewellery with a gem stone – this may later have become the engagement ring. The civilised Egyptians also invented the engagement as a way of getting to know if you were compatible with your potential spouse.
A Form Of Control
Like so many things in society, marriage was often seen as a way to control people and therefore encouraged. Men were considered to be better behaved and more productive if they were married, and women were thought to be less trouble if they had a husband to keep an eye on them. Children with two parents generally became better members of society.
Wedding and marriage were also a great way of making alliances between powerful families and clans. The bride and groom would bind together families who could otherwise have been enemies, joining land and resources in a useful way.
Across The World
Many cultures devised similar ceremonies and traditions for marriage, seemingly in isolation. In Japan the giving of gifts between families was considered of prime importance, with the bride only being allowed to live with her husband after the birth of the first child. The Vikings favoured rowdy wedding festivals, often continuing for up to a month! In Mexico the strong catholic links produced a wedding ceremony where the bride and groom were literally tied together, usually with a huge rosary.
Gifted
Gifts feature prominently across all cultures and all types of wedding ceremonies, from the earliest to the most recent. Gifts were traditionally personalised and useful, to show generosity and commitment between families, and also to show wealth and good intentions. Today, wedding gifts are all about stressing the personal commitment between the bride and groom, with personalised gifts being increasingly popular.
Nowadays gifts are common place at any wedding. Many couple register before the wedding and then the guests attending the wedding can choose from the list and get the gift they want to buy. Me, I personally find that a little insulting. Do they not think I am capable of buying a decent wedding gift. If I was going to buy a couple a wedding gift I would get them something that they could use for years to come. Something like a personalised champagne gift set. In this gift set I would give the couple a bottle of engraved champagne, with the date of their wedding and their names engraved onto the bottle. With this they have two choices, either they can drink the bottle and then save it as a display piece on their cabinet or they could not drink the bottle and save the champagne for say, their 50th Wedding Anniversary. That would be pretty awesome if they did that. Alongside that I would also give them a set of personalised champagne flutes, again with their names on. His and hers afterall! So yes, if you are buying a gift for the happy couple, sack of the register and go for something unique like a champagne gift, their remember it in the long run! If you don’t have the budget you could give them a bottle of personalised champagne with a personalised label on it. This is just as good! You just need to design the label and voila you have a personalised gift!
The Perfect Bridegroom Speech
The groom speech is a chance for him to express his love and admiration for his new wife. This will be the first time he has talked about her as her husband, and can be a very emotional task for many a groom. If you are the groom-to-be, and are uncomfortable with the whole idea of speeches, read on for our easy guide to the perfect bridegroom speech…
Tip #1 – Write the speech as early as you can
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is surprising how many times the groom is still struggling to jot down his speech ideas just before – or worse, just after – the wedding ceremony! Start thinking of ideas as early as you can. If you start early enough you’re sure to have more than you need.
Tip #2 – Get the balance right
The perfect groom speech is a combination of warmth, humour and sensitivity. Yes, you want to entertain the wedding guests, but you also need to show respect for your new wife, and for your family and friends. Safe themes for the perfect groom speech include: how you and your new wife met, your regard for her family, and the qualities you admire in her. Try to pace your speech – speak slowly and try not to rush through it just to get it over with. This is also an emotional time for your new wife – she will be watching her new husband with pride and love. Make lots of eye-contact if possible.
Tip #3 – Don’t neglect your duties
The groom speech is traditionally expected to contain certain elements, such as thanks to the bridesmaids and the best man and ushers. You may choose to use this speech to give gifts to the bridesmaids, best man and ushers; build this moment in so you don’t forget.
Tip #4 – Practice, practice, practice
If you want to give the perfect groom speech you can’t practice too much. Nerves may be a problem on the day, but if you have given yourself enough time to practice your speech beforehand, you will feel more confident and give a better performance.
Tip #5 – Great Bride Gifts
Don’t forget to buy your new wife a fantastic personalised wedding gift as a way to say thank you for marrying you! Think about your bride’s likes and dislikes before choosing, so she will know the gift is truly special. Engraved bride gifts are a good choice – why not buy her an engraved compact mirror and tell her it is so she can see how beautiful she is every day? Or give her a set of engraved champagne flutes - they do after all come in a pair…Also remember the home at the end of the day will be the way that your darling wife wants it. So it’s quite probable that a pair of personalised champagne flutes is all you can get away with!
Many Caribbean weddings borrow ideas from the customs and traditions of the United States in their wedding ceremonies. This, combined with the blend of African and European cultures which is found nowhere else in all the world, give Caribbean wedding traditions a unique and exciting flavour.
Dressing Up The Bride And Groom
In Caribbean weddings, it is traditional for the bride and groom to dress in their finest clothes and to walk from the bride or the groom’s house to the church, listening to the sound of the church bells ringing. Typically, everyone from the village will line the streets on the way to the church to watch the bride and groom as they walk by. It is not unusual for people on the street to make comments on the bride and groom’s clothes!
Invited Guests
Traditionally, guests are invited to Caribbean weddings by word-of-mouth, with only a few honoured guests receiving hand-written invitations. However, most Caribbean weddings are fairly informal events, and anyone from the village who turns up at the wedding, invited or uninvited, is welcome to come in and enjoy the festivities.
No Best Man
There is no need for a best man at a Caribbean wedding – the bride’s father, or sometimes both of her parents, will escort the bride down the aisle, and a best man is considered unnecessary. The bride’s face is traditionally hidden by a veil as she walks down the aisle. At the end of the ceremony, the groom lifts the veil and kisses his new wife, while their family and friends cheer their support.
Caribbean Wedding Receptions
A Caribbean wedding reception can easily go on all night long. The music is usually traditional steel-drums, and there will be lots of rum punch and dancing. The food at a Caribbean wedding reception reflects the unique flavour of the Islands. Combinations can include curried goat, spicy chicken jerky, fried plantains and conch fritters . The traditional Caribbean wedding cake is called ‘Black Cake’, with the recipe usually handed down from mother to daughter for generations.
Caribbean Wedding Gifts
It is traditional with Caribbean weddings for the guests to give the bride and groom hand-made gifts. These often include hand-made quilts and furniture. Caribbean weddings have an abundance of alcohol, which is another popular wedding gift, and many, many toasts to the happy couple. A great personalised gift for a Caribbean wedding would be engraved champagne flutes for the bride and groom, this fits the requirement for a personalised hand made gift and also will be great for all that alcohol be consumed!
Weddings are not only a time for celebrations and vows, they are also a time for speeches and toasts, with many members of the wedding party being expected to give a speech or toast at some point during the day. The father of the bride will give a toast at the beginning of the wedding breakfast, the best man will give a fairly lengthy speech, the groom will also give a speech – and many brides are opting to give a speech these days too. Keep the atmosphere receptive with plenty of champagne for the toasts – why not buy a box of personalised champagne to give a talking point to the speeches?
Read on for our guide to the best speeches and toasts…
Groom Speech
The groom speech is a chance for him to express his love and admiration for his new wife. This will be the first time he has talked about her as her husband, and can be a very emotional task for many a groom. The perfect groom speech is a combination of warmth, humour and sensitivity. Safe themes for the perfect groom speech include: how you and your new wife met, your regard for her family, and the qualities you most admire in her.
Best Man Speech
The perfect best man speech is a combination of humour and sensitivity, witty anecdotes next to warm memories. Yes, you want to entertain the wedding guests, but you also need to show respect for the bride and groom, and for their families and friends. However hysterical you might find that story about your last lads’ holiday in Ibiza, the best man speech is not the time to roll it out. Safe themes for the best man speech include: the happy couple’s unique attraction and how well they are suited, the groom’s funny childhood stories, and perhaps how nervous you are about giving a speech! Try to pace your speech – a funny story followed by praise for the bride and groom, followed by another witty comment, and so on. Start thinking of ideas as soon as you are asked to perform the best man duties. Ask around the groom’s family and friends for anecdotes you can use in your best man speech – if you start early enough you’re sure to have more than you need.
Father Of The Bride
Traditionally, the father of the bride gives the first toast or short speech of the wedding breakfast. As there are many more speeches to come, it is best to keep this short, just a few words about how proud and happy you are, followed by a toast to the bride and groom.
Bride Speech
Not to be outdone, many brides like to make a speech of their own. If you are nervous about making a bride speech, remember to prepare well and practice, practice, practice. This advice applies to all speeches of course!
Remember if you are going to make a toast with all your guest then make sure you do it with champagne! On each table have a bottle of personalised champagne as the centre peice… make sure that the bottle is either designed with engraving or a personalised label. I do feel that engraved champagne gifts have the wow factor and would definately stand out more than a personalised labelled champagne. But that’s just my opinion.
Oh and before I forget, if you are looking for a great gift to give to the happy couple on their wedding day then you should most certainly have a browse through http://www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk, we are sure that we will have something to suit your requirement!
The Perfect Wedding Seating Plan
There are two main areas to consider when putting together a seating plan for the perfect wedding – the ceremony and the wedding breakfast. The wedding breakfast (also called the wedding dinner or lunch, but usually taking place after the ceremony and during the reception) is the one which requires the most thought, but the ceremony itself should not be ignored. Read on for our guide to the perfect wedding seating plan…
The Ceremony Seating Plan
Some couples will want to keep this as simple as possible, with a straight forward directive such as ‘sit where you like’, or a more traditional one side for the friends and family of the bride and one for the friends and family of the groom. (Traditionally the bride’s family are on the left, the groom’s on the right.)
For a smaller, civil ceremony, or one where they is the potential for family conflict, it is safer to arrange the seating for the ceremony beforehand. Remember to leave spare seats at the front for the bridesmaids (on the left) and for the best man and ushers (on the right). The bride and groom will usually have a couple of chairs to one side so they can sit while the official business is taken care of, such as signing of the registers.
The Wedding Breakfast Seating Plan – First Steps
There are a number of possible table configurations for the perfect wedding breakfast, from long tables to round tables, from lots of smaller tables to one huge free-for-all. First you will need to decide on your guest list for the wedding breakfast and then wait for numbers to be confirmed. Once you have this you can and start creating your plan – it is best for the bride and groom to do this together. You will also need to think about the venue, the available size and style of tables, and whether or not you plan to have a top table.
Top Table Etiquette
The traditional top table layout seats eight people as follows: The bride and groom sit in the middle, with the bride on the groom’s left. Next to the groom is the bride’s mother, then the groom’s father, then the chief bridesmaid or maid of honour. On the bride’s left is the bride’s father, then the groom’s mother, then the best man. This mixes things up a little, but can be adapted if the bride and groom wish for their parents to sit together.
Other Tips
Keep the wedding wine flowing – this will smooth over any disharmony and liven up a potentially quiet table. Why not buy your guests personalised wedding wine to make the day really special? Or go to town with personalised champagne for the toasts.
While seating all your guests, maybe your could adorn your tables with a personalised champagne gift…. and instead of having your standard types of wedding favours you could surprise your guests with engraved champagne flutes for each of your guests. I know that they will probably cost alot of money but I’m sure that they will be worth the investment as personalised champagne flutes are such a beautiful gift to give anyone!
As it usually falls to the best man to organise the stag party, this fun event can sometimes cause a lot of stress – how can the best man arrange a fantastic party within everyone’s budget and keep the groom happy at the same time? Nobody seems satisfied with a simple night out on the town anymore, so where can you get more original ideas from?
Right here. If you are the best man tasked with organising a hot stag party, read on for our definitive guide to the current hottest stag party ideas in the UK…
Themed Stag Party Ideas
A theme is essential for the modern stag party – without one the event could be just another lads’ night out. Our theme suggestions are:
Pimp theme – there is a lot of mileage in a pimp costume, with jewellery, canes and facial hair guaranteed to prove hilarious.
Police theme – this is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Costumes are cheap to buy or hire, and this theme is guaranteed to attract a lot of attention!
Convict theme – you guessed it; everyone dresses up as a prison convict. This is a classic favourite, and can either be extended to the whole group or just the unsuspecting stag.
Whisky theme – more low-key but just as much fun; a night devoted to whisky. Why not order in some personalised whisky, whisky drinking games, and club together to buy an engraved hip flask for the groom?
Unusual Day Activity Ideas
Dumper Truck Driving – a stag party not to be forgotten, learning to drive, then race, 1-ton dumper trucks!
Human Table Football – hysterical life-size version of the game, where you are strapped in and on an equal footing. As you don’t have to be super-fit (just up for a laugh), it’s perfect for the stag party with different age groups combined.
JCB Racing – does exactly what it says on the tin!
Night Activity Ideas
Medieval Banquet – An opportunity to dress up and act silly, the medieval banquet is a popular way to let your hair down, with flagons of ale, silly hats and a unique atmosphere.
Night At The Dogs (or The Races) – A great stag activity, lots of male-bonding and a chance for a flutter – or two.
Casino Night – Do the James Bond thing for a night at the casino. Just make sure as best man you don’t let the groom gamble the honeymoon budget away.
If you need some help finding gifts for the stag then why not check out http://www.weddinggifts2u.co.uk!
For us mere mortals who have to do the best we can for the wedding of our dreams…. it’s sometimes nice to look at the weddings of celebrities. I can’t tel you the number of weddings I have seen featured in magazines and on the television. They are a great way to get inspiration.
Whenever a celebrity wedding grabs the headlines it is always the bride photo images that we look to first. Celebrity brides are expected to be perfect in every way – the most beautiful dress, the most glowing skin, the cutest flower girl and the smartest page boy. The groom may get a cursory glance, but it is dresses we’re really interested in – all the way.
These days, when a celebrity gets married we watch their progress from the moment of engagement. Engagement rings are big news, but don’t capture our interest as much as the fairytale pictures of the bride in That Dress. So how do celebrities get it so right? Read on for our definitive guide…
The Designer Touch
No off-the-peg wedding dresses for celebrities – if it’s not designer they don’t want to know. Top designers of the moment include Vera Wang, Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier and Alfred Angelo. Of course, price isn’t always an issue. Often top celebrities get their wedding dresses gratis – it’s great advertising for an up-and-coming designer to be ‘worn’ by a celebrity bride.
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<b>Top Celebrity Styles</b>
Recent brides have favoured the strapless, corseted wedding dress, often with a layered, flowing tiered skirt – reminiscent of Grace Kelly and the Hollywood era. The advent of the ‘size zero’ celebrity has, however, caused more than one skinny celeb to cover up – nobody likes an unhealthy-looking bride!
Bridesmaids, Flower Girls and Page Boys
Celebrity weddings would not be complete without an entourage of bridesmaids, and the flower girl remains as popular as ever. A flower girl is usually a niece or young daughter of a family friend, but with more and more weddings taking place after the arrival of children, the flower girl is just as likely to be the bride’s own offspring. When Milla Jovovich got married last year, she dressed her 20 month daughter in a ballerina’s tutu for her flower girl outfit. Not to be outdone, page boys feature strongly in celebrity weddings too. Often, page boys are older than the flower girl, and are dressed in cute little outfit to match the celebrity groom!
Watch Out For The Paparazzi
One thing we don’t envy celebrity weddings is the lengths they must go to to avoid errant photographers. Not all celebrities are camera-shy, however, and many sell their wedding photo rights to magazines such as Hello and OK!
Celebrity Gifts
Celebrity brides will often be very competitive over their wedding presents, trying to out-do other celebs in the wedding present stakes. Popular ideas for splashing out include: giving all the guests personalised wine glasses, having engraved flutes for the bride and groom – with personalised champagne to go with it – and having all the guests buy wedding presents in one colour. If also heard of the guest being given goodie bags – containing personalised engraved champgne flutes as perfumes from famous designers. It’s all very extravagent.
Paaaaarty!
I don’t think there is a week that goes by that I don’t have something to say about champagne flutes. Last night I was at a friends birthday party (I know on a school night – I’m a bit tired this morning), she likes to do her birthday parties on her actual birthday rather than at the weekend when people don’t mind being hungover or tired or sleepy on the Sunday morning! It’s fine though because it was good to see people that I hadn’t seen for a while.
Any way this friend mine is a bit eclectic and instead of having your standard cheapo champagne party flutes! She had ordered in especially a whole bunch of engraved champagne flutes and created a flute for every person that had attended her party. It was kind of like a wedding favour or party bag for grown ups. She had chosen to have these black champagne flutes engraved. Mine – had my name on it and a message from her to me. They must have cost her a fortune because each one was slightly different. It wasn’t a huge party – say about 50 or so guests, but to create a champagne flute for everyone… that is pretty awesome! When I asked her why she ordered everyone a personalised champagne flute, she just told me that people had taken the time to come an help her celebrate and she wanted to tell them that she appreciated them all coming along and joining in the party. Fair enough it was her 30th Birthday and she did want to mark it with the people she loved, but all my friend thought was that these people that came to her party did so because she meant something to them and she wanted to show them all that they meant something to her. And what a lovely way to do it! To give everyone a personalised champagne flute, so not only do they get a gift from a birthdat party that they attended, they also have a reminder of the “friend’s” birthday party they went to, and what a great girl she is!
Everyone loved them, well I know I did – I left a little bit early last night. I’m getting old and I was tired plus I had an early start. But that part of the story is irrelevant. I washed out the flute when I got home and put it on my mantle piece. It looks beautiful and it’s really unique! A gift/party bag that I certainly recommend 
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http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/Give-Engraved-Flutes-as-Personalised-Wedding-Gifts-article.php
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