ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601230026
SECTION: YOUR WEDDING PAGE: YW-18 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX
With all the details a bride and groom are faced with during wedding preparations, there is one that shouldn't be forgotten, if just for sentiment's sake.
Giving your attendants and your new spouse a gift that reflects the significance of the day, said Peggy McLaughlin of Brenn Jewelers in Roanoke, is an old-fashioned yet special way to convey how you feel.
Long ago, it was traditional for the bridegroom to give his new bride a piece of family jewelry, McLaughlin said. But sadly the divorce rate has discouraged that tradition.
"Now that marriages break up more often, families tend to give the jewelry to female children,'' said McLaughlin. But it's still a lovely way to say, welcome," and can be done with a ring or other piece that needs to be cleaned or resized.
Pearls, she suggested, are another traditional gift that symbolize beauty, endurance and purity.
"Of course, every woman needs a strand of pearls,'' McLaughlin said. An alternative is a locket that's been hand-engraved with the bride's new initials (if she changes her name). This requires some forethought, of course, especially if the bridegroom includes a picture of himself and his bride in the locket.
Sarah Floyd of Frank L. Moose Jeweler in Roanoke said it's also very traditional for the bride and bridegroom to give each other something engravable. For instance, the clasp on a pearl necklace or bracelet can be engraved, and so can the backs of watches.
For the bridegroom, a crest ring or watch often are the choices. Cufflinks and studs also are popular gifts.
McLaughlin, whose husband Brenny McLaughlin is a metal craftsman and jeweler specializing in custom jewelry and repairs, said they often receive requests for custom-designed wedding rings for second marriages. With first marriages, people are often younger, don't have as much spendable income and are less sophisticated and sure of their tastes.
The older couples know what they want, and often want that ring to be unique. Roanoke, she said, is rather conservative, and it took her husband a few years to adjust his style to this area's preferences. He has been an artist for 25 years, but the couple opened their jewelry store business -one store at Towers Mall, one at the Forum - about five years ago.
McLaughlin said the bride usually wants to give her husband something that symbolizes the marriage. Like the pearl necklace, a simple pearl and gold tie tac can be worn everyday, and symbolizes integrity and purity. An alternative to the pearl tie tac is an understated diamond one.
The wedding party often poses another challenge. What can a bride and bridegroom give their attendants that has endurance and quality, but can be affordable?
McLaughlin suggested a piece of jewelry that can be worn by bridesmaids during the wedding - for instance, a little necklace with a single pearl. For the men, cuff links are nice, especially if they have to wear tuxedos.
"You want it to live up to what you expect of your wedding, and you can have things of quality that aren't necessarily expensive,'' said McLaughlin.
Alternatives to jewelry are hand-blown vases (about $25), by an artist in upstate New York; jewelry carriers that range in price from $16 to $25 and are available in three sizes; or, for the groomsmen, wooden boxes with hidden ways to open up and come in a variety of woods.
Ann Blevins, bridal manager at Amrheins Brides, Formals and Fine Jewelry in Salem, suggested monogrammable travel razor kits, which are $18 to $25.
Floyd said she's has seen a huge change in wedding-party presents over years. It's been very traditional - and still is - to give pewter Jefferson or Virginia cups or Cross pens, all of which can be monogrammed.
A new twist is a pewter cold-can keeper with an insulated liner, about $27 plus engraving.
For the bridesmaids, Frank L. Moose has pewter pin trays or round jewelry boxes. At second weddings where often there is one attendant, Floyd suggested a sterling silver belt buckle, key ring or money clip. Often these items are engraved afterward, but the fee for this is taken care of ahead of time.
As McLaughlin pointed out, the bride and groom are asking a lot of their attendants - they often travel to the wedding site, and the bridesmaids purchase dresses they may never wear again. "You want the gift to live up to what you expect of your wedding,'' she said.
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: TIM TREVILIAN. 1. Nanette Watson shows off giftsby CNBselection at Frank L. Moose Jeweler in downtown Roanoke. 2. Tina
Vandergrift models a perfect gift for the bride: pearl earrings and
necklace from R.M. Johnson & Sons of Salem. 3. Gift suggestions for
the wedding party include cuff links, money clips and key chains
from R.M. Johnson & Sons of Salem.