Wedding Gifts

The wedding is also the time to receive gifts from friends and family. It is therefore a common practice for the guests to carry gifts to the wedding party. The concept of the wedding gifts is to help the bride and the groom to help them start their new life. The wedding gifts are therefore considered as a part of wedding for many centuries now. There is an old English poem that says about wedding gifts,

“Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.”

The poem is associated with the gifts that the bride receives on her wedding. Each of the items in the poem is said to bring good luck for the bride and therefore are gifted to her.

The sixpence was a silver coin that was minted in England during 1550-1967 and was worth six pennies. The origination of the custom can be traced back to the Victorian era when the brides used to wear the sixpence in their shoes. The sixpence was recognized as a symbol of wealth and stability.

Something old signifies something from her previous life to make her remember her old life.Something new is gifted to the bride to mark the beginning of a new life for her. It is to symbolize the future and its prospects.Something borrowed is an item given by a family member who is already happily married. This is said to signify that the bride can always depend upon her family at the time of need.

Blue is the color that has a long association with marriages. It is said that ‘marry in blue, love is true’. Before white became the favorite color of wedding dress-blue was the popular color choice since it is said to symbolize love and fidelity. Hence, the bride would carry something blue on her wedding which would ensure her the faithfulness of her husband.

Wedding Gift Ideas

Every time the guests receive a wedding invitation they are faced with the dilemma as to what to gift to the bride and the groom. In the western culture giving cash as a gift on the wedding is often considered as apropos or rude and therefore you must avoid gifting cash. Anyway, following are some of the great wedding gift ideas to make the decision making process easy for you.

A honeymoon package: After the marriage the couple is likely to set off on their honeymoon and you can gift them a honeymoon package to a great location. If you can afford you may buy them a honeymoon package to any of their favorite honeymoon destinations.

Digital camera: You can help the couple capture the memories of their honeymoon on their newly obtained digital camera by gifting them one. Digital camera can make excellent wedding gift since it will add value to the couple’s asset as well.

A bottle of wine: The appeal of a bottle of good wine is timeless and no couple can fail to appreciate the value of a good, matured wine. A bottle of scotch or champagne therefore makes excellent wedding gift choice.

Homemade gifts: Nothing can compare the feelings associated with homemade wedding gifts. You can make perfumed candles, soaps, scrubs or lotions and make a gift pack to gift the couple. You can also experiment with gift wrap ideas, such as- putting all the items in a cane basket and decorate it with laces and ribbons, to make your gift more personalized.

Cookies and cakes: If you are good at baking you can even make the wedding cake and gift it to the couple. This will save them the money as well as worries regarding the wedding cake. Needless to say that it will also make a great wedding gift.

Money: Although at some cultures gifting cash is considered as rude many of the young couples are now saving for their future and for them cash as gift would make a perfect choice. There is also a trend amongst the couples to raise money to make the down payment for their new home. You too can help them in raising fund for their new home. This will also make a great wedding gift.

Things to remember during buying wedding gifts
Things can be really stressful during the wedding seasons when you might have to attend several wedding parties. Hence, a little homework about buying wedding gifts can save you a great deal of worries. Keep the following factors in mind while shopping for wedding gifts.

• Registry: Ask the friends and family of the couple to know if they are registered with any particular store.
• Background: Knowing a little more about the couple can save you a great deal. Find out if they are considering buying a new house or looking for home improvement, or what their hobbies are. You can then plan for the wedding gift accordingly.
• Budget: Find out what you can afford. Your wedding gift doesn’t always have to be expensive but it should be the reflection of your true feelings.
• Gifting etiquettes: While gifting you must remember the gifting dos and don’ts to avoid embarrassments on both sides.

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