Wedding Gifts: Christmas & Birthday all at once?

Weddings are a special occasion and at special occasions we receive gifts.  Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Easter and so on are all times to give a gift to a loved one, and weddings are no exception.


Couples who said their vows in the eighties & nineties received blenders & washing machines, and if they were lucky they got crockery and crystal.


Nowadays couples spend their weekends trailing around department stores choosing and adding items to their wedding wish list.  This is essentially the biggest Christmas & Birthday list you can imagine, and with a typical wedding now consisting of 100-120 guests it is clear that the Bride can look forward to going back to a newly furnished flat.  Aunty Fran would have bought the new sofa they wanted, Granny has done the honour of purchasing new televisions, all flat screen HD of course, and all the other guests followed the list, kitting out their new house with the latest mod-cons.


I am in two minds over this one;


Firstly, maybe it is a brilliant idea in ensuring that the happy couple receive gifts they actually want instead of duplicate presents.  There is only so much you can do with five toasters & three kettles...


But secondly, I wonder whether it is extremely greedy and presumptuous in picking out items knowing the price, and therefore knowing exactly how much that person has spent on you!


I then got thinking again, when you start adding up the cost of the average wedding day (£20,000) you are giving your guests a pretty good party.  A typical wedding would usually consist of champagne on arrival, canapés, 3 course meal with wine, evening buffet, wedding cake, free-ish bar, and a party that takes you into the early hours in the morning and usually in a stunning location. 


So if you are a bride planning your day and planning your gift list, remember that you are the party host and you are putting on quite a bash, so it is only right you get something return.  After all we live in a society that believes in fairness and equality, so surely it is only right?

Champagne, canapés, and free bar? Forget the Debenhams gift list...I suggest you head to Harvey Nichols now...

The Next Big Thing

We have had sweetie tables, photobooths and singing waiters throughout the matrinomy of 2011 and it makes me wonder what will be the next big thing for 2012.

Vintage inspired weddings were also a big theme for the brides of the past year with the unveiling of classic cream roses and traditional lace.  We also saw a take on vintage accessories for the big day with decorative bird cages and traditional high afternoon tea appearing at many weddings of the summer.  It seems that the vintage look is popular and therefore here to stay, but as always there is going to be a twist on this classic theme for next year.

With a theme like vintage you cannot really go wrong, as you can make it your own.  You may be a classic vintage chick with a love for all things lace.  Or you may be a vintage glamour girl taking on the look of the 50's.  But, whatever your take on this classic look is, you are sure onto a winner.

It is clear that vintage is the look for 2012 but the twist of this timeless classic for next year will be:  Victorian Vintage.

This trend is being predicated as one of the most popular to be seen up next years aisle. There is going to be an overload of lace for next year featured in the bridal gowns, as well as accessories including cameo brooches and headdresses all to be detailed with pearls.

2011 brides that were ahead of the prediction were of course the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton and singer, Lily Allen who both wore Victorian inspired lace dresses on their wedding days.

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a look that will stay; it is a classic, classy and contemporary and a perfect way to say 'I do'.