W is for WEDDING presents

After my granddad died, the lamp appeared on top of the fridge.  I didn't know where it came from (and as a typical child, I didn't care).  I just liked it.  Was my preoccupation because the lamp was up high up out of reach?  Or was it more?

As I became older, I still admired the lamp and dad told me that it had been in my grandfather's shed for years and after granddad died, he rescued it and cleaned it up and obtained new glass for the top of it.

The Christmas before last, Dad gave the lamp to me.  I was overwhelmed.  It was the best Christmas present ever.

Earlier this year I came across a newspaper article about the wedding of my Great Grandparents on Wednesday 21st May 1902.

Transcribed article
Click to enlarge

Great Grandparents
Ambrose and Mary Walker
circa 1902

You can imagine how I felt when I came across this list of the wedding presents received by my Great Grandparents. You will see that the first gift listed is a lamp, given to the newly wed couple by the bride's father, Mr S Mottram snr. (being my Great Great Grandfather).

I rang my father immediately and asked if he could tell me anything more about the lamp.  He seemed to think that it had belonged to his grandmother and his father obtained it when she died, but he wasn't certain.

No one can tell me for sure that the lamp that sat on top of the fridge for years is the wedding present to my Great Grandparents but I "know" that it is.  Gut Feeling? Intuition?  I cannot explain it.

You will remember that I received the lamp as a gift from my father. I also received the crystal jug below about the same time, as a gift from my cousin, who I hardly knew. I will be forever grateful and appreciative of her generosity.

Grandparents
Rita & Gordon Walker
1925

This crystal jug was a wedding present to my grandparents on Wednesday 23rd September 1925.









Before writing this blog, I was unaware of the wedding gifts my parents received on Thursday 26th January 1967.  This prompted a call to mum and she sent through some photos.  I was very surprised to learn that the dinner plates, we ate from every night when I lived at home, were wedding presents.  Mum still uses all of the pictured wedding gifts.

Left:  Mix Master and Saucepans from Mum's mother
Middle: Dinner set from Mum's sister
Right: Dinner set from Dad's sister

Mum and Dad
1967

Now we arrive at Alex & I.  We married Saturday 15th June 1991.  My sister and her boyfriend gave us an urn, which was more of a joke about how much coffee Alex drinks.  It still sits on the top shelf of the pantry.  We primarily received money instead of gifts so we could buy home appliances.  The only one remaining today is the box freezer.

On our wedding day, I wore my grandmother's hand carved cameo as "something old".  Gran told me that she had received it from her grandmother as she was the eldest granddaughter.  I am her eldest granddaughter and I was very surprised and emotional when she gave the cameo to me on my wedding day.  I hope that I have a granddaughter so I may follow tradition. Hopefully she will also want to wear it on her wedding day.

"Something Old"

Alex & I
Painted on our honeymoon
1991

My first overseas trip was our honeymoon to Thailand.  The above oil painting was our wedding gift to ourselves.  It was painted from three photos (a group photo and two individual photos) by a painter in the hotel lobby.

All this talk about weddings and wedding gifts has made me think about what I will give to my children when they marry.

Perhaps I will give my daughter this bangle?  We purchased the stone on our honeymoon in Thailand (as young unsuspecting tourists, we paid double what the stone was worth).  In 2011, our 20th wedding anniversary, I had the stone made into a bangle.  I wanted it to be something I would wear but something that would last several generations and become a family heirloom.

I have no idea what I will give my son but believe I will have many years to think about it!

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