Old-Fashioned Symbols that Honour Families Made by Love, not just DNA.

We've been talking about being together/apart for so long, it is lovely to start thinking about being together/forever again. When we think about
weddings and commitment ceremonies, we remember the traditions that have developed around them. Ceremonies are full of special observances; the exchange of rings, the bride’s quest to find ‘something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’, the
bridesmaid’s gifts and the garter and bouquet toss, among them.

Traditions are incredibly important (and we’re big proponents of tradition here at OMGA HQ!). But we also know that traditions are only as meaningful as the sentiment behind them.
Today many couples are uniting differently. Couples can marry whomever they choose to love, some couples are eschewing traditional wedding ceremonies completely and second marriages mean that families are being blended together to form a bigger whole.
In these situations, couples often wonder, how do you make sure that the day is truly special for everyone involved?
Make Wedding Keepsakes Meaningful… to You

No matter how your new family will be made up, you will be a family, and recognising and honouring that is wonderful. The day is for everyone, not just one person. One of the best ways to make the day truly special for everyone is to incorporate symbols that are meaningful to those making the commitment. When it comes to blended families, this certainly includes the beautiful children.
Puzzle Link Pendants

Each member of your family is unique – they have their own talents, hopes and personalities – but each contributes to the whole. They’re each a different piece of the family puzzle, and no matter how small, is just important as the others.
Sometimes puzzle pieces need to be worked a little to fit into place, but when they are the whole is more beautiful and strong than any single piece on its own.
Puzzle link pendants and charms are lovely ways to show your loved ones that, ‘One way or another we all fit together. We are a part of the puzzle, a piece of the whole’. Present one to each member of the entire family and wear them on the day to show your love and commitment to each other, or make them part of a ceremony!
Crane Charms and Pendants

The lovely long-legged crane symbolises long life, prosperity, good health and peace. Origami cranes have traditionally been given as wedding gifts to wish a thousand years of happiness and prosperity. This is certainly a beautiful sentiment and a wonderful wish for a new family, however it’s comprised.
Giving the gift of an
origami crane pendant or charm is a unique approach to wedding symbolism here in Australia, but one that we personally believe should be utilised more often. And when it comes to unique weddings, a unique gift is certainly called for. Our crane charms and pendants are made in Australia and beautifully presented in a gift box resting on an origami paper crane. They will certainly bring a hundred years of happiness to the recipient, if not a thousand.
Engraved Compass

New families are forging new paths in life. And whenever you’re on a new path, you can do with a guide. A
personalised compass is a beautiful representation of that guiding light. Engraved with words of love, such as ‘We’ll find our way, together’, or ‘Our love will guide us’, there’s no more meaningful sentiment to demonstrate your desire to merge your life with someone else’s (or more than one someone else) and your commitment to travel life’s path with another.
With a compass you’ll never be lost, or stray from the path, whether in life or in love.
Engraved Bangles

Jewellery has been part of the traditional wedding ceremony for hundreds of years. In fact, the giving of rings dates back to the 1500s when couples would get engaged and purchase Gimmel interlocking rings. The couple would split these, with the bride wearing one and the groom wearing the other throughout their engagement. During the wedding ceremony, the groom would remove his half of the Gimmel ring and place it on his bride’s finger as a symbol of unity.
Today, symbols of unity are just as important, but they certainly don’t have to be limited to rings or limited to the couple themselves.
Beautifully engraved bangles can be given to new daughters and new mother in-laws, as well as to the bride. The circular shape represents wholeness and completeness, while precious gold and silver means that it will stand the test of time – just as your new family will.
Rings to Tell Your Story

Signet rings have been used by powerful families since as far back as ancient Egypt, when Pharaohs wore them to show their position. They retained their importance through history, and by the Middle Ages anyone with any influence wore an engraved metal rings, and used it to create official legal documents and letters.
Today signet rings aren’t used for legal purposes, but they are certainly a well-loved part of Australian tradition and would be a wonderful addition to a marriage or commitment ceremony. Particularly if you and your partner have older children to blend together, having a single set of
engraved signet rings created and engraved for each is a particularly special and unique way to commemorate the coming together of your new family. Personalised with a monogram consisting of an initial for each family member, or a crest or design that is meaningful to you.
A 'signature' ring doesn't just have to be a traditional shape. These days,
Puzzle Rings and Bands can also be personalised to tell your story, your way.
Family Rings Set with Birthstones

A family ring is another beautiful way to commemorate your loved ones. Choose a style to suit your personality, from traditional and antique designs to contemporary styles, or our unique Honeycomb Rings! Family rings can be set with up to 10 (or more!) birthstones to represent the coming together of your new family members. Additionally, Birthstone Rings such as our Honeycomb rings are made to stack together. So, while each family member could receive their own ring, when stacked together they would create an even more stunning single piece of jewellery. Just like a marriage and a family, it’s truly a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts.
Laser Engraved Rings and bangles can also be engraved with family names and stacked together to create a story with chapters!

However you choose to make up your family – whether it’s by marriage or commitment ceremony, whether you exchange vows in a church or words of love under the poinciana in your own backyard, or whether you come into it as a single person or with beloved children in tow – your chosen symbols and traditions should represent who you are and who your new family will be.
Family signet rings for the entire family, or puzzle links for growing children, bangles for mums and mums-in-laws, or compasses for teen boys who worry about their place in the blended family – as long as you choose something that honours the love you have for your new partner and your new family, that’s all that matters.
At the end of the day, families are made with love, not with DNA.