Wedding tradition: a silver sixpence in the bride’s shoePosted by Kim Rix on August 20th, 2010

 Dear Bride & Groom,

You’ve no doubt heard of the old English wedding tradition – Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. And a silver sixpence in her shoe.”

This is an old English wedding tradition and began in the Victorian era. Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

“Something old” symbolizes continuity with the bride’s family and the past.

“Something new” means optimism and hope for the bride’s new life ahead.

“Something borrowed” is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.

The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

Wearing something blue dates back to biblical times when the colour blue was considered to represent purity and fidelity. Over time this has evolved from wearing blue clothing to wearing a blue band around the bottom of the bride’s dress and to modern times where the bride wears a blue or blue-trimmed garter.

And finally, a sixpence in the bride’s shoe represents wealth and financial security. This is not just to bring the bride financial wealth but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout her married life.

So where does this take us? Well, I was recently searching for ideas for unique gifts for a bride to give to her Groom, or the Groom to his bestman.  One bride I recently worked with gave her betrothed handmade silver cufflinks, engraved with the date of their wedding. A lovely romantic gesture no less, but when I came across this particular website, I felt inspired – wedding cufflinks made out of old coins – including the English sixpences which are used in the old traditional wedding poem. Check it out: http://www.worldcoincufflinks.com/category/englishcufflinks

I’m all for tradition (as well as breaking the rules), but I’d love to hear from a bride who actually limped around with a coin in her shoe on her wedding day.  Go on, hands up

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner

Giving Wedding Gifts: Expectations?Posted by Kim Rix on April 20th, 2010

Dear Bride and Groom,

As your big day draws ever closer both you and your guests will be thinking about wedding gifts. Even 6 – 8 months in advance you might find people asking if you have any idea what you would like.

I was recently asked when giving a bridal consultation about what happens when guests are only invited to the reception and not the full day. Are they expected to bring a gift? Should you send them information of any registered lists that you have?

Being honest, there are no particular rules on gift giving. Generally speaking I would not send my evening invite guests information of any gift registers. But there are a few exceptions eg:

- the wedding ceremony itself is a very small affair (perhaps due to venue restrictions) and the majority of guests are only invited to the wedding reception

- the wedding itself is abroad and this is a 2^nd celebration which all guests are invited to.

In most cases I would expect no more than a card from evening guests although you will find that many will give you a small gift or cash to go alongside it. If I was attending an evening wedding reception then I suppose I would make my choice based on how well I know the couple. For example, if I am invited as a friend of the parents of the bride or groom then a card is probably adequate. If I am invited as a long-term acquaintance then I would most likely give a monetary token, gift voucher or a small but thoughtful gift.

As the Bride and Groom, you can let guests know simply if you would not like to receive any gifts. Just add a little line to your invite stating that you only need the gift of their presence.

As guests, you probably have an idea of the couple’s personality and what they might expect from you. With this you just have to go with your gut!

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner

“Freeing up your time“

British Weddings Vs American WeddingsPosted by Kim Rix on March 23rd, 2010

Dear Bride and Groom,

Britain and the USA have a great relationship. Both countries are heavily influenced by each other. As Brits we love the American confidence, glamour, sunshine and positivity. Americans love the British accent, the romance, history and tradition.

Much like in the UK the USA is seeing a decline in marriage rates. The couples that do get married are also marrying much older.

In the UK the average age of the first time bride is 29 and in the US it is 26. These have been slowly rising over the past few decades. For most men in the UK they would expect to be in their early thirties before getting married and in the US they wouldn’t be too far off at 28. Only a few decades ago your mother would have been giving you worried glances if you were unmarried in your late twenties, now you will be seen as a young bride or groom!

We are both equally extravagant in the amount we spend on our weddings too. The average bill in the USA comes to around $30k (just over £19k at the current exchange) and in the UK we spend a little more at around £22k ($33k). The Brits are also eager to marry with the average engagement being 18 months to America’s 19.

There are no huge differences in the wedding ceremonies and celebrations themselves. Many of our traditions have been amalgamated and mixed in with other cultures and country’s traditions. Indeed what is legal and expected in England is different to that in Scotland and so on. As long as the legal vows are said and the certificate is signed, all is well!

One thing I did enjoy at a recent American wedding was a rather extravagant ‘Groom’s Cake’. Although I didn’t much care for them stuffing it into each other’s mouths…can’t comment if that is necessarily traditional though!

Happy planning!

Kind regards,

Kim Rix

Your London Wedding Planner