A Few Wedding Gift Ideas To Jog Your Mind
June 8, 2010
So you’ve got a wedding coming up…Well aside from picking up a something to wear, you will also be needing a gift. Fortunately, getting a wedding present can be a relatively easy and even fun experience.
Here are a few wedding gift ideas to help jog your mind and memory.
The first option is to see if the couple has set up a ‘wedding gift registry’. These days, the registry may be online and many online retailers offer set up a gift registry for couples to increase transactions. If there is a registry, you could simply pick a gift from here and buy that which is, of course, one of the easiest possible options. This also has an additional advantage that you probably won’t be getting them a gift that someone else has already gotten them, because once you pick a gift from the registry, it is marked off as bought, for the other guests to see.
Another option is cold hard cash. While this may not be the most deeply thoughtful gift, it is damn practical and new couples have to be practical. Keep in mind the newlyweds are probably trying to save up for a mortgage on a home, a car, furnishings, or even to pay off debts and student loans. The bottom line is, cash is very helpful.
If you want to personalize a cash gift, be sure to put some thought into presenting the cash well. Maybe you could spend some time finding a hilarious gift card, with a nice picture and/or picture frame. You could even make your own card with something about the couple if you are close to them. There are many online services for making custom gift cards, and you can probably find funny or romantic quotes on the internet to use to personalize the card.
And lastly, there is the option of choosing your own unique gift. On our 100 gift ideas page you can may find something, but here are a 5 wedding gift ideas that might help:
1. Charter the couple a private sailboat for a day
2. A weekend house rental
3. A membership to monthly or quarterly wine club
4. A hot air ballooning trip
5. Some fancy new computer or electronic equipment for their home.
Getting the couple a unique gift can have its rewards. It stands out in their mind and may help to cement a friendship. Buying them a great experience like a romantic getaway house rental can be a great gift and very thoughtful and classy. Depending on how much you plan to spend, you could even plan for a bottle of wine or champagne to be waiting for them when they arrive.
In my opinion, the only kind of gifts you probably want to avoid are plain old gifts like a cuisinart (unless it is specifically listed in their gift registry). Gifts like a cuisinart are pretty unimaginative, bordering on flat out dull, and young couples will probably have an excess of semi-useless kitchen clutter after their wedding.
If the couple is dear to you, don’t contribute to the pile of semi-useful, not-very-thoughtful gifts that clutter their living area in the months after the wedding. Take a few extra minutes and think up something cool. Even if it isn’t their favorite thing, they’ll probably appreciate your effort at getting something unique.
Bridal Jewelry: Fulfilling a Wedding Tradition
February 14, 2010
‘Something old’ could most often be a piece of bridal jewelry that is a family heirloom. Sometimes the groom would give to his bride a ring or another piece of jewelry that had once been owned by his mother, grandmother, or past brides in his family. Maybe the bride would wear her own mother’s antique jewelry or some other gem that has been handed down to brides in the family from generation to generation. One thing is certain, wearing such bridal jewelry would reinforce a sense of family, tradition and continuity in a wedding ceremony.
‘Something new’ hardly needs any explanation. Thousands upon thousands of bridal jewelry stores, both the Internet e-commerce sites and bricks-and-mortar stores, offer a dazzling array of accessories to make the bride shine on her wedding day.
At first thought, ‘something borrowed’ doesn’t seem applicable to bridal jewelry. After all, a bride would most probably want to wear her own jewels and not have to borrow and then return them. Many establishments rent out antique or estate bridal jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and only the rental fee plus a refundable deposit need to be paid.
Finally, for that ‘something blue’ in a bridal jewelry ensemble, there are several gemstones that fit the bill. Depending on the shade of blue that she wants, a bride can opt for a necklace, bracelet, or earrings that are accented with sapphires, aquamarines or blue pearls. Hair ornaments or tiaras with other blue-tinted stones such as agate and topaz are also beautiful accessories for the bride.
Celtic Wedding Rings and tying the Knot
February 7, 2010
Celtic settlements stretched from Turkey and the Balkans right across Western Europe. Although perhaps the true significance of these patterns has been lost over the millennia, Celtic designs remain increasingly popular in our modern world.
The design of the Claddagh consists of a heart as a symbol of love, a crown as a symbol of fidelity or loyalty and the hands depicted friendship. Tradition states that if you are spoken to you should wear the Claddagh on your left hand facing inward but if you are unattached it should be worn facing outward on the right hand.
Celtic crosses, which predate Christianity, can symbolize the four quarters of the earth and or the four elements – earth wind and fire. Celtic crosses are often worn as jewellery such as rings or on chains around the neck.
Geometric designs have always feature prominently in Celtic artwork with spirals, chevrons, scrolls and knot work. Many of these patterns can be seen decorating stone carvings or ancient manuscripts and religious books.
The Celtic spirals are very symbolic with the single spiral generally thought to signify growth expansion and cosmic energy. The dual centred spiral found often on stone carvings signifies duality and nature and is associated with motifs from other cultures such as the Ying Yang symbol.
Celtic knot work designs remain popular today and can vary from single elegant knot patterns to complex intricate interlaced patterns.
Choosing a Perfect Wedding Ring – Lifetime Of Gold or Silver
January 23, 2010
Do a check list of all your wedding plans and be sure that choosing a perfect wedding ring is one of your top priorities besides turning up on the day?
Choosing a wedding ring is not as simple as you think, much thought is needed behind your chosen design. What you have to remember the wedding band binds the happy couple together forever. Jewelry materials like what is used in wedding rings have evolved over the years. Popular is the 14K/18 yellow gold which you will find more of a favourable option worldwide.
Why not consider platinum, known to be one of the hardest metals and once again a fine choice in a wedding ring. Platinum wedding rings look very similar to rings made of white gold which many can be excused for the mix up but at the end of the day both look stylish and elegant. However, platinum wedding rings are more expensive.
Modern society designs are worth checking out. Why not opt for a two-tone wedding band. Celtic wedding rings are famous these days with couples where they bond their marriage with highly carved and engraved work of a craftsman.
In some cases the bride matches her wedding ring with the design of her engagement ring. It is best to know the ring size if shopping out of a catalogue or online.