Back when I was growing up in Ireland it was customary to give crystal as a wedding gift. This was before wedding registries came about; still today in Ireland not many people will register for wedding gifts. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable doing this; they leave picking the gifts to individuals attending their wedding to decide. So back then whenever people were shopping for a wedding gifts it would be a piece of Crystal. This could be any kind from Waterford Crystal to Tipperary Crystal. Personally I always thought you could not go wrong with wine glasses, a set of four wine glasses always went down well. It was the kind of gift that even if they got another set they would eventually use you because; they are for wine and will be broken.

Today I see this tradition totally changing, people are going for all types of different Irish wedding gifts. This ranges from Pewter to Pottery; pottery in particular has become very popular. To find out why this tradition has changed I went on a fact-finding mission by asking every Irish/ Irish American why they stopped purchasing Crystal as wedding gifts. The main reason was that they believed Crystal was an older tradition and younger couples getting married these days didn’t feel the same connection to Crystal and were less inclined to proudly display it.

Being that I am an unmarried guy I looked at the types of crystal out there and thought when I get married what would I display if I had a choice of gift. I find myself somewhat agreeing with this. Some of the traditional Old Cut Irish Crystal is very heavy and outdated. In a modern home it would look out of place if it were in a display cabinet. That said it is some nice crystal and I can see why some people would like it.

Still not convinced I looked a little more into the types of Irish Crystal out there available for sale and found some real modern cuts. Tipperary Crystal has some new collections out there that are light and have a modern flare. One of their collections that I really feel would appeal to the modern couple is the Louise Kennedy Collection. Louise Kennedy is one of Irelands top designers and she joined forces with Tipperary Crystal and brought out her own Crystal collection. One excellent piece of work that I feel would fit into any modern home and make a great wedding gift is the Louise Kennedy Aurora Picture Frame and Two T Lights. This picture frame and Two T lights would look amazing on any locker. The other recommendation I could make and a favorite of mine is the Spindle Tree White Wine Glass set, this is a modern wine glass that looks amazing.

So it the tradition of buying Crystal for wedding gifts dead? I would say no and I know what I will purchase for my next wedding gift.