| |
| |
|
Marriage & Wedding Information |
|
Requesting the Presence of Your Presents
For better or worse, in people's minds weddings and wedding gifts go together like a horse and carriage. Social reformers in the guise of religious reverends and ministers might rail against the excesses practiced by bridal couples, but their words fall on unheeding ears. Even governments, from time to time, try to curb the tendency by passing laws against luxury and extravagance. Invariably their influence is as transient as their own existence. Weddings without gifts is a contradiction in terms. Go back to the early days of carefree village life and you'll see wedding guests entering the room, diffidently or bashfully, making their offering to the bride and groom. Perhaps it might be a cup cunningly wrought out of a piece of wood found in the garden patch. Or a brand new pillow, fat with the down of their own flock of geese. After carefully examining the offering, the bride and groom would nod their approval at the party organiser standing close beside them, and also known as the keeper of beer or ale or mead or whatever the popular drink of the time. A much appreciated gift would result in a giant tankard of liquid refreshment for the giver. Less appreciated one would generate a smaller container. No gift at all - and then, as now, there's always a few of those sort of guests - and no liquid refreshment at all. You could always tell apart the liberal giver from the scrooge by the way they left the wedding. The former would reel from side to side, almost missing the door on his way out. The latter might pretend that he was almost as under the weather, but no one was likely to be fooled by the act. As industrialism and time-keeping came into existence, this hit and miss method of gift-giving was deemed inefficient. Enter the gift register. Now the worry of what to give the couple was taken entirely out of the inexperienced hands of the guest. As long as they could read the couple's stated preferences, they could stop worrying about the wedding gift entirely. It seemed so easy. It should have been easy. But some people insist on creating problems where none exist. There seems to be a human need to express freedom of choice and at least one quarter of all wedding guests simply ignore all efforts to get them to buy what they couple want and instead buy them something that they'll never use. Oh, sure, they'll go to the department store where the couple have registered. But instead of the coffee-maker or water purifier indicated on the list, they will immediately go to that wasteland of wedding presents. That place of luxurious magnificent items whose sight will knock your eyes out, whose price will put you in hock, but whose utility is non-existent. The bride and groom will spend the rest of their life wondering what to do with that half a ton of crystal. Perhaps they might use it for a salad bowl, if ever 30 guests drop in unexpectedly for lunch. Or a vase, if ever they start their own market flower garden and can afford the couple of hundred dollars of flowers which it needs to fill it. It seems no matter how hard the bride and groom try to make gift-giving simple and easy, guests insists on going their separate intractable way. "What would you like as a wedding gift, dear?" they'll ask sweetly. "We really want you to have what you need." "We could do with some money, gran. This wedding is costing us a fortune." "I'll get you a tea-set, then, shall I? I saw a really nice one at David Jones the other day." "Weddings are pretty expensive, gran. Money would be nice." "Then there's that hall-runner I saw advertised. Very reasonably priced." "Money is what we'd really like!" "What about a damask table cloth, and eight napkins to go with it." "Money, gran!" "You're absolutely, right, dear. Way too expensive. The tea-set was half the price." The contemporary couple, marrying for the second, or third, or even fourth time, have a real dilemma on their hands. They need another casserole dish like they need another recipe book, but how can you get that through to people? Of course, where there's a way, and where there's so many wedding specialists around, a solution was bound to surface sooner or later. Here's the latest gift-register list. "Tim and I are going to the Antarctic for our honeymoon and have registered with our bank. For your convenience we've made arrangements for you to select your choice of gifts by using any of the following options - credit card, cheque, money order or electronic money transfer. Our most desired item is $50 Desired - $20 Less desired - $10 Least desired - $5" What will those "doing our own thing" guests do now? Give $100? A $1,000? Bring it on! Vlady is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant. She is also an author of "Complete Book of Australian Weddings" and "The Small Organisation Handbook". Vlady is a member of Queensland Civil Marriage Celebrants Association and Celebrants Training Association. She is also a member of Australian Authors and Romance Writers of Australia. You can visit Vlady at her website: http://www.vlady-celebrant.com
MORE RESOURCES:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Design Your Own Beautiful Wedding Ring It used to be that if you wanted to buy a nice custom-made wedding ring, you'd have to visit some fancy high-end jewelry store and be willing to part with a large portion of your wedding budget.Well that's still the case for some people, but thanks to our modern times it's now possible for you and anyone else who wants a custom wedding ring to create a unique diamond wedding ring from the comfort of your own home. Weddings Las Vegas: Popular Ceremonies Are you looking for a las Vegas chapel to make your wedding dreams come true? Chances are you will find it here with Weddings Las Vegas and its many exciting options and packages to choose from. From a simple ceremony in your hotel room to a lavish affair at one of these dynamic locations, your exchange of vows will become permanently etched in the memories of everyone present as a thing of beauty that lasts forever. Restore Your Marriage - 5 Ways to Feel Connected to Your Spouse Even on Opposite Schedules We've all been through times in our lives when it was so busy we would rarely have time to ourselves let alone time to contact our family and friends. With every day life moving as quickly as it is, there just seems to be no time to do everything in one day and get a decent amount of sleep so you can do it all over again the next day. Bora Bora Honeymoon Vacations Poets, sailors, honeymooners and other romantics have officially declared this island to be the most enchanting, breath-taking, romantic and unique place on earth. This is because Bora Bora honeymoon vacations are all about relaxing and enjoying secluded moments with a loved one on a utopian island with its warm waters, gentle climate and dramatic beauty. Wedding Anniversary Signature Frame - The Perfect Anniversary Gift! So you're having a wedding anniversary. Congratulations! It's quite a remarkable achievement in this day and age and whether you're celebrating a 10th, 25th, or 50yr anniversary each year marks a memorable milestone and deserves a special celebration. Organising your Wedding Stationery Of all the things you need to do, buy and organize in preparation for your wedding, wedding stationery is something that must be planned ahead. After all, you need to let your guests know well in advance of your forthcoming big day. How Optimism can Help - or Hurt - Your Marriage Beth and Tom were happily married for over 25 years - no small feat in today's world. At first, their friends could not understand how their marriage succeeded, due to numerous perceived shortcomings. Maui: A Prime Wedding Destination Most visitors to Hawaii would agree that Maui is the most beautiful of all the settled islands there. For your wedding ceremony, for that special day you'll remember for the rest of your lives, there's no better location than Maui. Indian Astrology and Marriages Astrology is considered to be the oldest of all sciences, which studies the effects of the planetary positions and movements on our lives. Indian Astrology is an integral aspect of the Vedic literature (Vedic Astrology) and was practiced over the years by Indian sages and passed on to their disciples. Bridesmaids Gifts: a Token of Love, Appreciation and Affection No one has as much fun as the bride to be on her wedding day, except, perhaps, her bridesmaids. Bridesmaids enjoy all of the fun of a wedding without the stress and headaches of planning the blessed affair. All that Glitters-Something Old, Something New... Brides through the ages have accessorized with wedding jewelry to add a finishing touch to their bridal attire; however, many brides who don't wear jewelry in everyday life jump at the chance to wear it on their wedding day. Is it the special occasion or the chance to play dress-up that prompts these brides to don the unthinkable-jewelry?Those brides too practical to care about jewelry in real life use it on their wedding day to check off all the "somethings" that bring good luck-something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Relationship Advice: A Map for Your Marriage Have you ever been lost?My favorite line about being lost comes from an old "M*A*S*H" episode where Hawkeye says, "We're not lost. I've been lost before, and this is not what it looks like. Unique Beach Wedding Receptions The most unique beach wedding reception ideas are sparked by imagination not tradition.Never mind etiquette, tradition and timelines. Who Should Get A Gift At Your Wedding? Planning a wedding is hard enough without having to think about who you should be giving gifts to. After all, you've a ceremony to plan, a reception hall to decorate and the perfect dress to find!But, it's important that you tell each of the special members of your wedding party just how much their presence means to you. Capture Your Perfect Moment with a Wedding Website Not so many years ago, the proposition of a wedding website would be a thing of humor. For decades, wedding invitations created from custom stationary and mailed via snail mail has been the standard way of inviting guests to your ceremony and reception. Do-It-Yourself Wedding Invitation Guide Think creatively and add a personal touch to your special event with do-it-yourself wedding invitations. When your friends inquire about the invitation designer, you can proudly say you did them yourself, just don't tell them it was easy. The Engagement Ring Bling How much should you spend on a diamond engagement ring?$100?$1000?How about a whopping $1 million?That's what Donald Trump just spent on an engagement ring for his lovely wife to be, Melania Knauss. Can you imagine what it must be like to wear any ring worth that much on a daily basis?The Donald must hire beefy security guards with names like Wolfgang and Spike just to watch over Melania every time her and her delicate ring finger step out the door. Atlanta Wedding Receptions The beginning of the journey of two souls begins with their vows on their wedding day and thus a wedding should be perfect, flawless and blissful. Everything right from the table linen to the food, the venue and especially the wedding gown has to be perfectly arranged with meticulous effort. Enhancing Communication in Marriage In marriages, many arguments and hurt feelings can be traced back to communication problems. It's not unusual for spouses to stay in a continual state of frustration, feeling misunderstood and unappreciated. Marriage and the Election Dear Friends of Marriage,There is a lot of talk on both sides in this election that this is the most important election this century. Most of this is exaggeration to try and motivate people to vote for one candidate or the other.
|
| home | site map | contact us |
