Wedding Anniversaries - Gifts by year

 Wedding Anniversary gifts  and what to give when. The 6th of August 2011 is the first anniversary of our store so we thought we would take this opportunity to list the years of marriage and their associated gifts.  Most people can name some  - Silver, Ruby Golden but what about all the other years.  Specific gifts are given for specific years Choose from traditional or modern gifts.

 1 cotton, clocks 

 2 paper, china 

 3 leather, crystal 

 4 fruit ,appliances 

 5 wood, silverware 

 6 sugar, wooden 

 7 wool, copper 

 8 bronze, linen or lace 

 9 pottery, leather 

10 tin, diamond 

11 steel, jewelry 

12 linen, pearl 

13 lace, furs 

14 ivory,  gold 

15 crystal, watches 

20 china, platinum 

25 silver, silver 

30 pearl, diamond 

35 cora,l jade 

40 ruby, ruby 

45 sapphire, sapphire 

50 gold, gold 

55 emerald, emerald 

60 diamond, diamond 

65 blue sapphire, blue sapphire 

70 platinum, platinum 

Photo Credit:  Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Royal Wedding Rings

The Queen Mother back in 1923 began a tradition regarding royal wedding rings.  Clogau St David's mine in Bontddu in North Wales supplied the nugget of gold, from which the royal wedding ring is made.

 
To date the wedding rings of the Queen, Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, The Princess Royal, Diana the Princess of Wales all had the gold for their rings supplied by the mine, it will be interesting to see whether Kate Middleton also has her Royal Wedding ring made from this rare Welsh gold.

Photo Credit:
Image: Paul Martin Eldridge / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Which month is best to be a bride

According to this traditonal rhyme some months are better to be a bride than others:

A January bride will be a prudent housekeeper and very good tempered. 
A February bride will be an affectionate wife and a tender mother.

A March bride will be a frivolous chatterbox, somewhat given to quarreling. 

An April bride will be inconsistent, or forceful but well-meaning.

A May bride will be handsome, agreeable and practical.
A June bride will be impetuous and generous.
A July bride will be handsome, but a trifle quick-tempered. 
An August bride will be agreeable and practical as well. 
A September bride will be discreet, affable and much liked. 
An October bride will be pretty, coquettish, loving but jealous. 
A November bride will be liberal and kind but sometimes cold. 
A December bride will be fond of novelty, entertaining but extravagant. 

See which the best month to get married also


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Your new home!!!!!!!

CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

After the wedding the bride must enter the new marital home through the main entrance. It is traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold when they enter for the first time. The reason for this is uncertain. One explanation is that the bride will be visited by bad luck if she falls when entering. An alternative is that the bride will be unlucky if she steps into the new home with the left foot first. The bride can avoid both mishaps by being carried. A third explanation is that it symbolises the old Anglo-Saxon custom of the groom stealing his bride and carrying her off. Hindu's have a similar tradition. The bride is carried by her new husband so that she does not touch the threshold when entering her new home.

Bouquet.

Bouquet - an arrangement of flowers carried at a ceremony.

After the reception the bride throws her bouquet back over her shoulder where the unmarried female guests and bridesmaids group together. Tradition holds that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next one of those present to marry.
A parallel custom is for the groom to remove the garter worn by the bride and throw it back over his shoulder toward the unmarried male guests. Again the one who catches it will be the next to marry.

Photo Credit:
Image: Sharron Goodyear / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wedding Cake...very nice...........

Wedding Cake or Cupcakes ?

Cutting the wedding cake is now part of the ritual celebrations at the reception. The couple make the first cut together to symbolise their shared future. Cakes have been associated with weddings throughout history. The Romans shared a cake during the wedding ceremony itself. This was not the rich fruit-cake we enjoy today. It was a plain confection made from wheat flour, salt and water. The Fijians and Some Native American tribes still incorporate cake in the wedding ceremonies. In Britain early cakes were flat and round and contained fruit and nuts which symbolise fertility. In the past the custom was to throw many small cakes over the bride in a similar way in which we throw confetti today.(Think of the dress!!!) A modification of this custom was to crumble cake over the brides head and in some versions to break the cake over the Bride's head.(You could knock her out, poor girl) In Scotland Oat Cakes were used for this purpose. This was done to promote fertility. In Yorkshire a plate holding wedding cake was thrown out of the window as the bride returned to her parental home after the wedding. If the plate broke she would enjoy a happy future with her husband but if the plate remained intact her future would be grim. (I never did this!!!) Another old English custom was to place a ring in the wedding cake. The guest who found the ring in their  piece of cake would be ensured happiness for the next year. The shape of the modern three tiered iced cake is believed to have been inspired by the spire of Saint Bride's Church in the City of London. It is said that unmarried guests who place a piece of wedding cake under their pillow before sleeping will increase there prospects of finding a partner and bridesmaids who do likewise will dream of their future husbands. The top tier of the cake is often kept by couples for the christening of their first child. (Not if it's a sponge cake I hope!!!) Photo Credit: Image: Rosen Georgiev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Confetti or sweets.....I know which I would rather have...

Confetti, Candy, Cakes and Sweets

Confetti is Italian for sweets which in Italy are thrown over the couple as they emerge from the Church in that same way we use paper confetti. Raisins and nuts may also be used.

Before the use of paper confetti the married couple were showered with flowers, petals, rice or grains. This was to bestow prosperity and fertility on the couple.

Veil or not................

The Veil :

Traditionally, brides have been thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits and many of the customs and traditions associated with weddings are to provide protection. The veil was originally worn by Roman brides. It was thought that it would disguise the bride and therefore outwit malevolent spirits. The veil became popular in Britain in the eighteen hundreds. In this country it is associated with modesty and chastity. In some Eastern ceremonies the bride is veiled and the groom is not allowed to see the bride's face until after the wedding ceremony. In some Jewish weddings there is a ritual where the groom ensures that the bride is his intended before placing the veil over her face. The choice is yours as to whether you wear a veil or not...

There are many different lengths and styles now that will match your wedding dress and your venue.

Bad Luck - Wedding Dresses

To avoid bad luck take note of these superstitions:
It is thought unlucky for the bride to make her own wedding dress.(I made mine and have been happily married for 27years)
It has long been held that green is unlucky for a wedding dress or any of the bridal party.
It is also unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before she arrives at the ceremony.
The bride should not wear her entire outfit before the wedding day. Some brides leave a final stitch on the dress undone until it is time to leave for the ceremony when the outfit is completed.