One of the more pesky traditions that the Lord had come up with was that to celebrate his eldest daughter’s marriage, every tenant had to give the bride a gift of money. One can just imagine, with their level of earnings, how much the tenants looked forward to this event.

Today, while no longer needing to do so, people do like to shower the more powerful people with wedding gifts. But what do you give to a person who has everything? Or if they haven’t, it’s only because they choose to do without it?

One royal couple, newly married, received at least five cars as wedding gifts. Another gift, which was more practical but which would be used almost as much as the cars, was a lawn mower beautifully monogrammed with the couple’s initials. In gold leaf?

In the reign of good Queen Bess, one of the most popular gifts for a wedding couple was a pair of scissors which used to be known as a pair of knives. This gift was often signed with a ditty such as, “Fortune doth give these pair of knives to you, to cut the thread of love if it be untrue.” From this comes the superstition that scissors as a wedding gift is unlucky, symbolizing as it does, the separation of the two lovers.

It is believed that Prince Charles, on his marriage to Diana, received in all something like 6,000 gifts. No wonder he asked guests at his second wedding to please don’t send me any more gifts, I’ve just managed to get rid of the first lot.

Like Prince Charles who either burned, returned or gave away his unwanted wedding gifts, most couples don’t scruple to get rid of the gifts they don’t like or are unlikely to ever use. This is very much unlike the Victorians who were great believers of waste not, want not. Being very duty minded, it was their fervent hope that they would leave the world a richer place than the one they entered. A man who didn’t add to that which he had inherited, let alone squandered what he did inherit, was considered a disgrace to the world of good husbandry.

Today, we want to live a lot, and leave as little as possible when we go. In Victorian times couples were so conscientious, that in some cases the anniversary gifts that they’ve left behind them, are as complete as on the day that they received them.

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorized to perform marriages in Australia. She also performs general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about Vlady, visit her at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com

Toasters, bed linen, TVs, pots, pans and all the rest of the boring household necessities are fine but… let’s face it, they aren’t fun to buy, they aren’t fun to receive and they certainly aren’t going to increase in value! So, why not think of the unconventional?

I’ve been involved in various businesses in Scotland over the years: weddings, restaurants, photography, writing, letting property are just a few. And this modern, multi-streaming lifestyle led me eventually to the simple world of buying and selling.

We had a problem. We owned a small Highlands restaurant which could not possibly bring in enough money even if we worked every hour available and filled the place to bursting point night after night. So we thought: let’s sell things as well. We already had a good customer base, and so the challenge was to sell things to them in addition to the good quality food. We needed to ‘add value’ to their dining experience, and charge them for it.

These were the criteria we set:

1 We refused to load profit onto the wine. We knew the profit margins on wine and knew that it was a common tactic of restaurants to charge customers through the nose for drink. And we knew how customers felt about this. They simply don’t like being ripped off! Neither do we.

2 The retail items would need to add to and improve the general ambience of the restaurant so ‘tat’ was out.

3 The items would have to sell themselves. We wouldn’t have the time to give customers the ‘hard sell’ while preparing and serving food and, besides, hard sell is not our style. We don’t feel comfortable with it.

4 The things would have to look good, feel good and be intrinsically interesting.

5 They would have to be accessible to customers, not locked away in drawers or cupboards.

6 They would be the type of thing that would encourage a dinner party atmosphere between diners rather than put up communication barriers. In short, they would encourage conversation.

7 There would need to be a range of items, from the cheap to the expensive so we could not rely on one supplier.

8 We needed a regular and reliable supply of these items.

9 They needed to be cheap to buy and yet give us a healthy profit margin.

10 And finally, they needed to be things that we liked. How could we live with things we hated and how could we sell them to others? Unthinkable!

And the answer to our problem after weeks and months of thinking? Second-hand books, antiques and collectables!

We lined the restaurant with bookshelves and filled them with hard back literature. We filled every nook and cranny with curios. We hung things from walls and from beams and from every spare vertical surface. We even cleared out an old shed and packed it to the gunnels with interesting things. And all of them carried a price tag.

And the result? Success beyond our wildest dreams! The customers loved it, they bought it by the barrowload (we sold barrows as well!) and we made handsome profits. And it was great fun.

So, where did we buy all these items? At local auctions, that’s where. And we still go to them. They are addictive. And we still deal now and again even though we sold our restaurant last year. It’s on a smaller scale than before, admittedly, but that means we can be more selective. Silver and glassware, jewellery and genuine antiques - they are all there to be had as potential wedding presents. Monart glass, silver napkin rings, antique silver-topped wine and vinegar bottles are much more fun than a toaster and, if you buy wisely, you will be giving the lucky couple something that is both beautiful and a sound financial investment.

Think valuable, think collectable! Don’t think toaster!

Charlie Taylor is one of the founders of Highland Country Weddings Ltd, a Scottish weddings agency with an international dimension. Visit http://www.highlandcountryweddings.co.uk/gifts.htm for a free discussion about your wedding in no-obligation quote.

Who Should Receive Wedding Gifts?

The obvious answer is anyone who helps out to the extent that the bride and groom feel that they deserve special wedding gifts. Typical individuals who should be considered for such wedding gifts include bridesmaids, best men, ushers and the parents of the bride and groom.

Wedding gifts are also often given to the professionals that help make the day happen, such as your hairdresser or the wedding planner, although these gifts are more token gifts and can be as simple as a nice card or a small bouquet of flowers.

With larger weddings, it is also common practice to offer a small gift to every guest in the form of a favor, placed at each place setting. Due to the large quantity of these wedding gifts that you are required to purchase, they tend to be much smaller and cheaper such as sugared almonds or small chocolates.

Choosing Wedding Gifts

Of course, your choice of wedding gifts depends largely on the known likes and dislikes of the people whom you have invited to attend your wedding party. If you have a small number of people involved you may be able to purchase individually chosen, more expensive wedding gifts such as a special ornament or piece of jewelry. But remember that it is the thought which counts, and token wedding gifts such as cufflinks, teddy bears and mugs can be just as effective.

As part of the wedding speeches, bouquets of flowers are often given to the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom; this is particularly the case with more traditional wedding ceremonies.

A great cheap way to please the wedding party guests is to offer them pictures of the day as well as any attire that you have purchased especially for them. It is very difficult to think of anything else to do with the bridesmaid dresses and jewelry, so why not use them as unique wedding gifts?

By giving the critical members of the wedding party wedding gifts you will ensure that your important helpers feel that their efforts have been noticed and they will feel that they have truly been a vital part of your big day.

Giving wedding gifts to guests may seem a little odd, but why not share the good fortune of your day and spread a little happiness?

Elsie Gilbert offers great insights to all different types of wedding ceremonies, wedding styles, wedding accessories. From traditional to the exotic she makes it easy for the bride and groom to review and choose. For more details on all types of wedding ideas visit this site now http://www.weddingfinery.com

Creating a well thought out list of potential wedding gifts is actually an art form and requires a great deal of attention to detail if you want to make sure that you get what you want - without upsetting any guests!

Perfect Wedding Gifts

Choosing your ideal wedding gifts should be done with your guests in mind. For example, if you have a large number of young or student guests you may want to ask for wedding gifts that can be bought cheaply. A great way of doing this is to have options such as wineglasses, where guests can buy just 2 glasses or they can buy a set of 8 or more, if they choose.

The more flexibility that you offer your guests when it comes to wedding gifts, the less likely they are to ‘go it alone’ and potentially choose something that you do not like.

Wedding Gifts Lists

It may seem a little presumptuous to send a wedding list out with your invitations but it can save a lot of bother in the long run. Many of the large department stores now offer wedding gifts’ service where individuals can visit the store and make any purchases that they desire. The list is kept updated and therefore minimizes the risks of duplication.

By choosing a company to run your wedding gifts’ list, you do not need to send out an actual list with every invitation, but simply make people aware of the existence of the list and any relevant reference numbers. When choosing the best company, be aware of where your guests live, ensure that there is a branch or shop that is convenient for at least most of your guests. Better still choose a company that offers an online service, so that anyone in the world can make use of the wedding gifts directory.

Novel Wedding Gifts

With so many people waiting until they are a lot older to marry, the tradition of receiving wedding gifts to ‘set up home’ has largely disappeared. As a result, many couples now look for novel and interesting wedding gifts. For example, there is a growing trend, recently, for suggesting charitable donations to a chosen organization, as an alternative to more traditional wedding gifts.

When it comes to selecting a choice of wedding gifts, it pays to be open-minded, whilst you may not always get exactly what you want, do remember that they are gifts, so smile nicely, and thank your guests.

Elsie Gilbert offers great insights to all different types of wedding ceremonies, wedding styles, wedding accessories. From traditional to the exotic she makes it easy for the bride and groom to review and choose. For more details on all types of wedding ideas visit this site now http://www.weddingfinery.com