A wedding is a ceremony to celebrate the union of two hearts in
an eternal bond of love. The words marriage and wedding are synonymous,
and signify the fusion of two souls. The word wedding, however, radiates
a different feeling. A marriage becomes a wedding when, along with the
emotional and sacred overtones, the occasion is commemorated by
merrymaking and the environment is charged with revelry. Weddings are
therefore occasions where the invited parties (mainly the near and dear
ones) come together to express their love and joy for the bride and the
groom.
Wedding
gifts are given as a token of that love and support. The purpose of
wedding gifts is to communicate happiness at the union in a perceptible
physical form to newlyweds, and delight in their exhilaration.
Traditionally, gift giving was a way to help the newlyweds set up their
new household.
The value of a gift should never be judged in
monetary terms. A wedding gift should reflect the thought behind it. The
belief that the value of a wedding gift should at least be equivalent
to the money expended per person at a party is a gross misnomer. In a
monetary sense, the kind of relation a guest shares with the couple is a
determinant of the gift value. All the same, a handmade gift like a
scrapbook ranks high in personal value, although it has little monetary
value.
There are various rules of wedding gift-giving etiquette
which should be followed. All invited guests who attend the wedding
should bring gifts. While giving gifts, one should ideally keep the
couple's individual taste in mind. Giving away a golf set to one
interested only in active sports is a thoughtless gift and erodes the
very purpose of the tradition.
A gift should always be packed
carefully and tastefully, and labeled with a handwritten note bearing
the giver's name. A gift can be also sent to the couple's new house or
to the parents who are hosting the wedding beforehand. This is
convenient for the couple, as they don't have to keep track of the gifts
during the function, or worry about the transportation of gifts after
the function. In some cultures, a guest is supposed to carry the gift to
the wedding reception. More recently, invitees have the option of
getting gifts from the bridal registries that a lot of couples register
for.
There are different categories of gift giving. Gift exchanges
among the newlyweds, gifts given by parents to the bride and
bridegroom, and thank-you gifts for guests are the other categories of
gift giving. Personalized gifts, handmade and creative gifts, classic
gifts, gift certificates and wedding mementos are all suitable gifts,
and the gift market, both online and offline, is full of ideas.
0 comments:
Post a Comment