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Planning a wedding can be a mix of stressful and fun. More often than not, it involves being bombarded with decorating ideas that are specific to the day of the wedding—which means that all your planning and work might be over before your honeymoon.

But what if wedding planning weren't just about the day itself? What if it also meant starting traditions that you and your sweetheart can cherish for the rest of your lives —so that all your work will pay off for a lifetime?

At Danforth, we pride ourselves in creating beautiful, heirloom-quality objects that will last for generations, while being used and handled daily. In short, it's our mission to handcraft items that will make your wedding day extra special, and then go on to become part of your daily life together. In short, we want to give you the gift of practicality as well as beauty and sentiment, so that you can enjoy the fruits of your wedding-planning labor for decades, not just a day.

By intentionally choosing handmade, heirloom-quality items to be a part of your wedding, you can also start to create traditions that will keep your romance alive for years to come.

With that in mind, here are eight ways to make your day—and the life you build together—extra special.

1. Illuminate the Wedding Ceremony with Oil Lamps

Some couples like to create a special ritual within (or in lieu of) a traditional wedding ceremony. Others simply want to create a beautiful ambience. One easy way to accomplish one or both those things is to use oil lamps for lighting.

Like globe lights, oil lamps cast a bright yet warm glow, making any space feel more intimate and romantic—yes, even a large space! Whether you're tying the knot in a traditional church, a barn, or a backyard, oil lamps will add magic to the event.

One of our customers, Maylene, told us,
"We used [the Lodge Oil Lamp] at our wedding to replace the traditional unity candle. It worked out great and now we can light it on every anniversary!"

Oil lamps make especially great wedding lighting because they'll bring magic to the many evenings ahead that you'll spend together on the porch, in your living room, and in the kitchen. They'll illuminate the board game nights around the dining table with your kids. They'll bring you light, warmth, and a sense of peace during power outages. They'll be there to illuminate your wedding vows as well as your best moments ahead.

2. Make a Toast with Engraved Barware

The wedding toast is often the most personal part of the reception. Whether yours is long or short, silly or tear-jerking, there's one way to make those moments feel extra special, and that's using engraved champagne flutes.

You can get two flutes with your and your sweetie's names engraved on them, or you can spread the love to the whole wedding party and get all the bridesmaids and groomsmen personalized barware, too.

(For that, consider not only our champagne flutes, but also our Wine Goblet, Abbey Cup, Pint Tumbler, and more. Imagine the looks on their faces as they open their special gift and find a cup chosen just for them!)

Needless to say, any drinkware you choose for your wedding reception will go on to be a core part of your home bar. On anniversaries, at dinner parties, even for outdoor summer barbecues, your engraved barware will serve practical purpose as well as holding your favorite memories.

3. Start a Tradition of Anniversary Ornaments

One benefit to planning your wedding day with lifelong traditions in mind is that it makes gift-giving much easier down the road!

Many couples love to gift each other traditional ornaments such as an Annual Ornament or Snowflake Bentley. Others like to choose a different bird ornament every year. With over a hundred ornaments to choose from, all crafted by hand right here in Vermont, it can be fun to choose an ornament that speaks to a certain event from that year, whether it's the wedding itself, a really memorable camping trip, or maybe even the birth of a child.

Another idea, one that builds on the ornament-gifting tradition, is to display the growing collection in a special way. Some families keep their Christmas trees all-pewter. Others dedicate a separate, smaller tree to hold their anniversary collection.

4. Thank your Wedding Party with Gifts they Won't Find Anywhere Else

Sure, your wedding is about you and your sweetie. But it's also about the friends and family you love most, the ones you ask to stand up with you during one of the biggest moments of your life.

That means this is also a prime opportunity to show them how much they mean to you.

At Danforth, we make several pieces that make for especially meaningful wedding party gifts. Cufflinks, earrings, money clips—all these will bring smiles to their faces and become a regular part of their wardrobe. Our favorite wedding party gifts, though, are our oil lamps. These gorgeous works of art can be a crucial part of the wedding's ambience, so when you tell your wedding attendants that they're theirs to take home, you know they'll hold a special place in their homes for years to come.

5. Surprise your Spouse with your Engagement Photo

Take a step back from all the action outside for a romantic moment with your beloved. One way to show them your love privately is with a framed photo from your engagement shoot, if you had one. With many handmade pewter frames to choose from at Danforth, you can make this extra personal with a themed frame related to your engagement. If you popped the question in the snow, check out the Snowflake / Blue Frame; if it was on a hike on the Bald Mountain Trail during leaf-peeper season, then then Maple Leaf / Autumn Frame (pictured) will do the trick! If your furry friends were there to witness the moment, then the  Best Friends Frame will be a sweet way to remember their role in it.

Some of our frames can be personalized with an engraving. That can be your names, the time and place, or a special saying that means something to you both, on permanent display on your mantle or coffee table. Shop all our picture frames here.

6. Light the Wedding Party's Table with Timeless Style

Nothing quite makes a table setting stand out like adding some dimension. Taper candlesticks of different heights add visual texture and interest by playing with a table's dimensions and adding light at different levels. Pewter is a fantastic part of any sophisticated table setting, especially when paired with contrasting textures like plants and flowers, stone, pottery, wood, and linens.

The wedding party's table can stand out from the rest with our handspun tapered candlesticks such as the Woodstock (taller) and Lincoln. (Of course, oil lamps fit in perfectly with this idea, too.) And now, whenever you have a romantic dinner for two or an intimate cocktail party, you can break out your wedding candlesticks to set the tone.

7. Display your Bouquet in an Elegant Vase

Just as multi-tiered lighting brings an enchanting effect to tables, so do multi-tiered flower arrangements!

Of course, the simplest way to do this is simply to have a vase for each bouquet waiting at the reception tables. If you want to get fancy, consider using vases of different sizes with sprigs or stems that complement the wedding party's bouquets.

A handspun vase will not only provide an extra "pop" at the wedding reception; it will also become a beautiful part of your new home decor. On top of that, it's an extra reminder to surprise your spouse with flowers, whether they're wildflowers you picked on a walk or a bouquet from the local florist—no matter the occasion!

8. Delight your Guests with Wedding Favors They'll Love

Wedding favors can sometimes be an afterthought, something that didn't get as much attention as the rest of the ceremony. And often, that's because the selection of wedding favors you might be looking at just aren't that inspired.

One way to make sure that wedding favors are as inspired as the day itself is to think about how they'll fit into the theme, and to find favors that can be integrated into the wedding decor. We suggest choosing charms that fit your theme. Hearts are always a good idea, though summer-themed charms like seashells or sand dollars may strike your particular fancy. There are also clovers, crosses, inspirational pocket stones, and many more to choose from!

Most pocket-sized beauties create a stunning ambience when they're scattered across the reception tables. Some are available in both pewter and gold, such as the angel and heart charms.

It can be easy to get lost in all the uncertainty as well as excitement of choosing vendors, looking at photography, and tasting wedding cakes. But in the midst of all the decision-making, we hope you can take time to enjoy the process and pick out some details that will make you smile on your wedding day and for years to come.

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Thank you for considering small businesses like Danforth when planning your special day. May it bring a profound sense of peace, love, and warmth to you and all those celebrating with you.