by Wendy Hirst-Greenham

Good Morning Readers,

We hope you enjoyed our last instalment and are eager to read more. This month brings the start of the festivities associated with the ‘C’ word … that’s right we said it CHRISTMAS!

Now I know it’s only November, but in 10 short days it will be … you’ve guessed it December and BAM before you know it Christmas. We thought this was a great opportunity to showcase our fabulous gift section. While our gifts are not solely dedicated to one time of year, we do have some cute and rather whimsical gift ideas for the festive period. Baubles commemorating a first Christmas as newlyweds and mugs to hold Christmas morning hot chocolate (with or without rum – that’s your choice and we do not judge … we always go with!)

The complexities of gift giving

Bridal party gifts pose a very similar predicament to the politics of seasonal gift giving. Firstly what do you buy? Do you get a keepsake or a gift with a comedy meaning that only you and the person receiving it will understand? Who do you actually buy for and where do you draw the line? We thought long and hard about these questions, and the truth is you can buy as many or as few as you like. If you’re sticking with tradition here is our list to guide you:

• Mother of the bride/groom – traditionally flowers are given but if you look through our gift pages, there are some lovely alternatives that will last longer than a floral tribute.

• Father of the bride/groom – cufflinks are always a popular option. We are sure you will find exactly the right ones for the first man in your life from our selection. My personal favourites are the secret message cufflinks because they are so personal and no one else will have the same message.

• Bestman and ushers – there are so many options. We have beer glasses, hip flasks and more for you to choose from.

• Bridesmaids (big and small) – we have the most adorable wedding day mascots for our young bridal party members, a little friend to walk with them down the aisle and accompany them for their big part in your special day. Their cute and cuddly +1! For the adults, what woman doesn’t love a bit of bling?

What about gifts for the bride and groom?

Now we can’t overlook the bride and/or groom. While they are busy purchasing gifts for the people who will make their special day go without a hitch, we here at Bridalise are spreading the love. I could list so many items from our store that we wish we had at our own weddings. Whether you’re a parent or relative of the bride and groom or a friend looking to buy something for the soon to be married couple, we think we have the gift for you!

Going back to weddings past, ring cushions have always been a lovely tradition. Untying that white ribbon, removing the ring and placing it on the finger of the one you love, sounds like something from a romantic book or film. It is a great way to involve younger family members and guests will oooh and aaahh as the little one walks down the aisle proudly holding their cushion adorned with ‘the special package’. More recently it has been a way for couples to involve pets, mainly dogs or as they more fondly known ‘Fur Babies’.

This however, is not where our journey ends, a traditional cushion is not the only way to deliver the rings. We have sourced beautiful personalised ring boxes, easy for the best man to carry in his pocket and produce at just the right time.

We’ve thought about the other traditions as well. How about a lucky six pence’s for the bride to place in her shoe? A pin for her ‘old, new, borrowed and blue’? For the more modern and practical gifts we have notebooks, wedding fund keepsake boxes and aprons for the new Mr or Mrs.

We know you will find just what you need to make your pre and post nuptial gifts something that everyone will love and cherish. Make fabulous memories buying and receiving a one of a kind gift, selected with originality as your inspiration.

Keep an eye out for more inspiration on our social pages through December with our advent calendar and from all of us here at Bridalise we wish you season’s greetings and happy shopping.

“We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun”

A .A. Milne