Years ago, engagement and wedding gifts were a mixture of practical items and gifts for the bottom drawer, the latter being objects that would last for decades. The ‘bottom drawer’ gifts might only have been used on special occasions but always made the hostess feel proud when guests visited.
More recently, couples have set up wedding lists, often within their favourite department store, to ensure that they get exactly what they want and need rather than risking getting half a dozen toasters and nineteen table lamps. With more couples setting up home and living together before tying the knot, they often have all the practical items needed for the house so there’s now a move to gifts that are special and yes, will last them for years. Here are eight ideas for wedding gifts to last a lifetime.
1. A Canteen of Cutlery
Cutlery of good quality, all fitted in a presentation case, is a gift that will be used on special occasions and when visitors come for dinner. Dressing a table with stylish cutlery just makes the occasion all the more memorable and distinctive. The presentation case means that it is kept safe from damage and loss too.
2. Beautiful Tablecloths
A beautifully embroidered or linen tablecloth or a gift of a table runner and matching napkins are items that won’t be used on a daily basis but will be put away in a bottom drawer of a dresser in the dining room. They will be used frequently in the pre-children stage and again when the children grow up a little, and will also be appreciated. The nice thing about a gift like this is the recipients always think of the person who gave it to them when they use it.
We have recently designed and created embroidered designs for tablecloths, runners and napkins with our Clover, Old Rose and Fuchsia patterns. At this stage they are only available in our Irish Country Shop and not on-line.
3. Seasonal
It might seem strange to give a couple seasonal items for a wedding gift but a seasonal dinner service or exquisite Christmas decorations are not necessarily items that a young couple will buy themselves. A dinner service that is used at Christmas will bring joy every year when it is brought out to be used. Our Nicholas Mosse Christmas designs are dishwasher proof so they don’t add to the washing up at this busy time and will bring joy year after year. Remember that most homes are decorated for at least a month at Christmas now so it will get plenty of use during December.
4. Selection of Wooden Chopping Boards
Good quality wooden chopping boards will last a lifetime if they receive good care. They’ll even gain more character as they age. To give chopping boards that have a sense of history and provenance, check out Bunbury boards where every board tells the story of the tree it was created from. The boards can also be engraved with a personal message or their names and wedding date.
5. A Kitchen Mixer
If you have an item in your own kitchen that you know you couldn’t live without, that looks splendid when out on the worktop and is of such good quality that it will last for years, you know it will be appreciated for years. Everyone seems to love them so you won’t go wrong.
6. A Dinner Set
A dinner set that is practical enough to use every day and yet looks impressive to visitors is a gift that will be valued for many years. Better still if it is in a design that you know will last (so it can be added to as the family grows or if there is an occasional breakage) or that can be co-ordinated with other designs. At Nicholas Mosse, we can gift wrap full or partial dinner sets or tea sets within a hamper to make it look really special.
7. Saucepans or Casserole Dishes
For these to be a special wedding present, you will need to buy ones of such good quality that they will last a lifetime, that are more expensive than a bride or groom would ever spend on themselves and yet, in twenty years time, they are still using them and occasionally as they stir a sauce in the saucepan and stop for a moment, they remember that it was a wedding gift and they remember you too. I’m still using saucepans that I received as a wedding gift 24 years ago and yes, I remember those who gave them to us.
8. Crystal
Crystal is a traditional wedding gift and again, it is something that a couple will never go out and buy themselves. A crystal bowl will look beautiful on a sideboard and will show off a dessert such as a sherry trifle or fruit salad beautifully. Crystal decanters add a sophisticated touch to a dinner party.
I hope these have given you some good ideas for purchasing wedding gifts for a bride and groom who are special to you and after receiving one of these wonderful presents, you’ll always be special to them too.