I like doing quizzes… I was doing a bit of research for this post and I came across this: http://uk.quizrocket.com/what-wine-quiz/?srp=1 – try it and it will tell you what kind of wine you are. I was very honest and look what I was told I was: “wine in a box”. I think you should ALL try it!
I am "Wine In A Box"
This got me thinking then, if a quiz can decide that I’m a wine in a box then how can we decide what kind of wine gift to get someone? I mean there are lots of options out there: fine wine, standard ‘cheap’ wines, personalised wine, engraved wine, vintage wines, magnum wines and so many more… so what do you pick and how can you be sure that the choice you make is the correct one? For me I split buying wine into categories:
1) Is it a special occasion or am I buying a wine gift just because?
2) What is the special occasion? – Wedding, milestone birthday, anniversary party (the list goes on)
3) Relationship to the recipient – is it a close relationship or are you just people who know eachother?
4) Budget – how much can you realistically spend?
So this is my train of thought if I was going to buy a wedding gift for a close family friend who I have known for about 12 years. Following the check list above this is how I would determine what kind of wine I would buy:
- It is a special occasion
- The special occasion is a wedding
- They are are close family friend – so not a nobody and someone who has bought me gifts since I was young.
- For people like that you can’t really have a budget. They are a part of your life on a regular basis and something important is about to happen in their life.
The only real choice then is a bottle of personalised wine. Why go for personalised wine? Well quite simply it is the fact that personalisation adds that special touch to any gift. If you take the time to personalise a gift it makes it very thoughtful! BUT I would just go for any old personalised wine gift, I would go for a fine wine; like perhaps a Chianti Classico or a Barolo. Something that would just get better with age, kind of like their marriage. I would also make sure that this wine was anengraved wine gift. Engraving has a more classier touch in my opinion, it also lasts a lifetime (unless the bottle gets broken) but that is the sentiment I would hope to convey with this bride gift and groom gift – I want their marriage to be long and happy!
So when choosing a bottle of wine to give someone take all these factors into consideration and you’ll find the perfect wine gift! I will always advocate a personalised wine gift though, I just think they are special and that is how I want people to feel when they recieve a gift from me. That they are special.
How many times have you gone Christmas shopping and tried to look for an interesting and unique gift for your dad, uncle or granddad and the best that you’ve been able to come up
No one wants SOCKS for Christmas
with a pair of Simpsons socks?
When I was a kid my mum used to take us Christmas shopping in mid November. Her main reason for this was that she did not want to brave the Christmas rush when Decemeber came. Now I’m older and wiser I understand why. People go crazy. I’m one of these people who start mid November too, at least the planning of the presents anyway. I usually know what I want to get people, nowadays however I do the majority of my Christmas gift shopping online; just because it’s easier. With online shopping there is a lot more choice I think at Christmas because I feel you can think outside the box. For example I know some people who instead of buying the standard Christmas Gift of festive candles and scented gift packs (Boots and other places sell those perfume sets – I actually love those) they bought their boyfriend a ‘track day’ with Ferrari. That is certainly better than a pair of socks, but for a gift like that you really need to have the budget to be able to buy them.
I think before you start your Christmas present shopping you need to do a few things:
1) Decide who you are buying gifts for. For me it would be my close family (so we’re talking my mum, dad, sister, grandparents x2, my cousin with whom I spend large amounts of time, my aunt and uncle who spends every Christmas with us and boyfriend) and friends (for my it would be my two best friends – guy and girl). As you can see from my list I have 11 people to buy for. Now I know that I can move onto the next point….
2) Sharing the present burden. Me and my sister have a habit of sharing the Christmas present buying. She’ll buy for my dad and I’ll buy for my mum and both of us will go halves on the presents for our grandparents etc. At Christmas your purse strings are probably stretched to the max so having someone to help you out with the Christmas shopping is a real life saver!
3) Now you know who you are buying for, who you are sharing the gift buying with – you can decide on your budget. My BIGGEST and possibly the most vital piece of information that I can give you is this; decide on a budget and stick to it. You know how much you earn, you know how much you can afford. The amount of people I know who put all their Christmas expenses on their credit card and are then paying for it for the whole of the next year. DON’T DO THIS. A realistic budget will help you buy great gifts rather than good gifts because you’ll take the time and effort to research the kind of gift you want to get someone.
4) DON’T LEAVE IT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. Alot of shops hike the prices up on gifts just before Christmas, when you go back in the January sales and you see the new price of something you’ll be horrified at how much you paid during the festive period.
So those are the most important things to remember before you start your Christmas shopping. Once you’re ready to start and you want to start thinking outside the box so you don’t end up buying ’socks’ (or something similar)…. so here are a couple of suggestions that you might want to consider before you start:
1) Engraved Champagne Flutes – I write about these alot in my posts. I know I do. But there is good reason for this. Recent trends in our own sales show that people love them, they are a unique gift that is perfect for celebration. Alot of people by engraved champagne flutes as wedding gifts, but I think that they although they make great wedding presents they also are fantastic for Christmas. What could be better than getting a set of personalised champagne flutes on Christmas day, especially if you are in a couple. Christmas is a time for celebration, you could wake up on Christmas morning, open your presents and toast in Christmas in your brand new personalised champagne flutes! Celebrate this happy day in style! So yes, I am an advocate of personalised champagne flutes, for a number of reasons – not only are they great for celebration (everyone loves to toast with champagne) but the personalisation makes them even more appealing. Personalised messages give that thoughtful and sentimental touch to any gift.
2) Personalised Champagne – so if you are buying someone a set of champagne flutes then you should really buy them a bottle of personalised champagne to go with it. Just like champagne flutes, personalised champagne has that wow factor. It is a classy gift that is perfect for Christmas. As I mentioned earlier people love to toast Christmas in and what could be better than doing it with a bottle that was given as a Christmas present? Again it’s a simple yet thoughtful gift, and it certainly isn’t a pair of socks.
3) If you are looking for gift for your dad, granddad or uncles (socks is usually the norm), then why not think about the following as a great gift for Christmas? – the following being a pair of engraved cufflinks. Every man wheres cufflinks at some point in their life. So whether they use them at New Years Party or 10 years down the line, a set of engraved cufflinks will last a life time! Personalised lighters, engraved whisky and vodka are also great Christmas Gifts too.
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.
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.
What do we know of the British Summer – usually it’s dull and horrible… but every now and again there is a glimmer of hope and we have a few days of sunshine. On those particular days when you are at work and looking outside your office window to see the summer sun beaming… and you know that you would rather be outside nothing but lazing in the sun… that’s when you know that summer has arrived. When I see weather like that I would much rather be sipping the rose bottle of personalised wine I received recently as a birthday gift for my best friend. Although, I would be quite happy sipping on champagne too rather than sitting in this wood-built office knowing that the warmer it gets outside the hotter I will get inside and not in a nice way either. Sweltering sauna springs to mind – trust me it is like a sauna in here, since the air conditioning unit packed up recently. Anyway, in order to stop myself thinking of Monday morning, work and the impending sweat fest that will shortly be occurring. I’m going to pretend it is still Sunday and think of all the summer parties that I shall be hosting or attending over the coming months, the food that will be served, the wine that will be consumed and the wine gifts (hmmmm) I intend to lavish my guests with.
Tradition Calls
It’s a tradition that every year when summer arrives my friends and I each throw a party, which usually consists of a BBQ or light summery meal along with refreshments including wine, champagne and cocktails, as well as entertainment and of course getting dressed up.
This year, I intend to have my party under a classy Mediterranean theme, which includes Italian cuisine and fine Italian wine, such as Chianti Classico and Barolo for the more cultured wine connoisseurs among us. The wine bottles will be flowing freely, and fruity cocktails made from some of the white Italian wine including Pinot Grigio and Italian Chardonnay will be made later on in the evening.
My entertainment is going to be very light hearted; it came from the personalised wine gift I received from a friend. Basically, everyone who comes will be allocated a bottle of back label wine. They will then have to design a wine label for their wine based on a particular upcoming occasion or event. For example, Father’s Day has just passed, so they would have had to design a wine label related to Father’s Day, the resulting wine gift they could in theory have given to a dad they know as a father’s day wine gift.
There will be a number of different annual themes and occasions for the personalised wine to be created under, including birthday, wedding and anniversary for example. Each participant will have to design a label under each theme and the best wine label design for each particular theme will be put on the winner’s wine bottle and they will then have to present it as a personalised wine gift to someone at that next occasion. It doesn’t end there; when they give the wine gifts photos must be produced for all to see throughout the summer to see the recipients’ faces. I haven’t done it before, but I think it is pretty safe to say that giving a personalised wine bottle as a wedding gift, birthday gift or anniversary gift for example, hand-drawn by thirty something year olds isn’t quite the way forward. So, obviously a back plan is allowed, an official and professional bottle of personalised wine can be given too. I anticipate professional personalised wine gifts to be much more of a hit than the interesting wine gifts that we will be producing after consuming a couple of wine glasses!
If you do end up giving personalised wine gifts this summer as birthday presents, wedding gifts or engagement gifts for example, don’t give a home-made job! Get specialised personalised wine and get a bag or gift box to present them in. If you would like to give a much more special wine gift, then consider combining the personalised wine (or Engraved Wine) with some wine glasses or even better engraved wine glasses to create a classy wine set that can be treasured for years to come.
Well seen as it’s summer and many of us will be outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine! Take a few snaps and keep them ready for winter when you will need to start sorting out christmas presents. What better present than a personalised photo frame with a photo from an enjoyable summers day? – It will light up any cold winters afternoon!
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.
If you have the honour of being asked to be someone’s best man then you should feel really proud. But it is a duty that should be taken seriously as there are many important responsibilities that fall on you as the best man. For example making sure the groom gets to the church on time! The best man is usually someone close to the groom – a brother or very close friend, often a friend since childhood – and as such his involvement with the wedding, and his support of the marriage, is really important to the bride and groom. The groom could be nervous on the day of his wedding, wanting like the bride that everything goes perfect. The best man needs to assure him that that will happen!
During the hectic, often stressful, run up to the wedding, the best man will be helping out in all sorts of ways – running errands, acting as a confidant to the groom, smoothing over family frictions and bolstering the groom’s confidence ready for the big day.
A great best man needs to be cheerful, positive and reliable. He also needs to be pro-marriage and happy relationships – no groom wants a best man who moans about his own girlfriend or wife the whole time! Has anyone seen “Ghost’s of Girlfriends Past” ? – that explains why you shouldn’t have a best man who is anti-marriage!
Best man duties usually include:
Looking after the rings and presenting them at just the right moment during the ceremony. Loved by makers of comedy programmes, this task seems to provide lots of opportunities for mishap. A great best man must be reliable and responsible – no lost rings, please! That would probably end your friendship with the groom.
Making a speech that won’t end in a very quick divorce. The best man’s speech is traditionally a chance to make a bit of fun of the groom’s past, but no bride wants to listen to a litany of sexual exploits – and any mention of ex-girlfriends is a complete no no. How would you like it if your best man starting airing all your dirty linen in public? I’m sure you wouldn’t be best pleased!
Organising the wedding presents as they arrive, finding a room to store the wedding presents and making sure they are safe for the duration of the day. Obviously, this needs to be done by someone who hasn’t been propping up the bar all morning!
Among other things, the best man will need to keep the bridesmaid gifts and usher gift to hand for the groom to give out during the speech, make sure the bride and groom get the wedding presents before they leave the reception, and be supportive and cheerful all day.
As you can see, a great best man is an essential part of the proceedings and can help to make the wedding go smoothly in lots of ways.
Groom Gifts
As best man, one way you can be really great is to buy the groom a fantastic personalised gift. Think about your friend’s likes and dislikes before choosing, so the groom gift is truly special. Engraved groom gifts are a good choice – if he enjoys a cigarette or cigar then how about an engraved Zippo lighter? Or perhaps a personalised hip flask? The groom is bound to have chosen a special personalised gift for you, so don’t be outdone!
As the groom it is your duty to get your best man a great gift for all his help and support, make sure he knows how valuable he is to you and how you probably would not have made it down the aisle without him. A simple gift to give your best man, along with other presents (you’ll see why in a second) – is an engraved pen. Now I know what you are thinking …. why would I get my best man a personalised pen. Well it’s quite simple, everyone needs a pen. You will be giving your best man something that he will always use, therefore reminding him that you really needed him on your special day. So although an engraved pen is a simple gift…. it’s a gift that has real impact!
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!
