When a person turns 21, they are said to have entered full adulthood, which opens up expanded legal opportunities and rights. When a family comes of age, it is spoken of as a strong, reliable family union.
This is a good reason to get together with the whole family (including children who have gone to study) and celebrate the family's birthday - the 21st wedding anniversary. Even if the children do not come, the spouses should still remember the date of creation of the family and ask what kind of wedding is celebrated in the 21st year of marriage according to the folk calendar.
Where and with whom to celebrate?
If the twentieth wedding anniversary is celebrated noisily and cheerfully, then this anniversary is more like a cozy family holiday for those closest to you. The witnesses and parents of the spouses will be the guests of honor. To adequately celebrate an opal wedding, you can have a family dinner in the restaurant’s banquet hall. A professional toastmaster will offer you an entertainment program and help create a festive atmosphere. If the weather permits or you just need to add a little romance to your family life, you can safely go on a picnic to a picturesque place.
You can organize a holiday at home with fun games and competitions. You just need to create a holiday menu and decorate the house. Perhaps on this day the spouses will want to retire. In this case, a candlelit dinner in a romantic setting would be a great idea.
What kind of wedding is this, what is it called?
Regardless of what the wedding on 21 years of marriage is called, most couples do not celebrate this date. Meanwhile, it has such a romantic name - opal wedding, which means that popular beliefs attribute high qualities to this age of the family:
- beauty;
- reliability;
- energetic force.
These are the characteristics of opal, a semi-precious mineral very popular in jewelry. Remembering how many years they have been living together, many couples are happy to celebrate their opal wedding with their family.
21 years of marriage is an important date for spouses
Opal wedding traditions
When celebrating their twenty-first wedding anniversary, spouses often immerse themselves in memories. They can dedicate this day to each other, remembering their wedding day or first date. If you wish, you can arrange a walk to places with pleasant memories.
In European countries, mature couples, celebrating their wedding anniversary, renew their vows of fidelity and love. You can solemnly perform this beautiful ritual in the open air in a picturesque place in the presence of guests.
On the eve of their twenty-first anniversary, spouses can give themselves an unusual gift. To do this, they must collect old or broken jewelry without a pair and give it to a jeweler for melting. As a result, they receive new paired jewelry, for example, rings, which will become a real talisman and symbol of their family life.
What to give for an opal wedding?
Traditional gifts for this wedding anniversary are considered to be any accessories, souvenirs, decorative items and opal jewelry. These can be candlesticks, jewelry boxes, figurines, clocks, photo frames, panels with a romantic plot and various lamps. A wishing tree made of natural stones or a board game with inlay will decorate any interior.
When choosing a gift, you can focus on different shades of opal and present the spouses with a beautiful set of bed linen, a set of towels, a tablecloth with napkins, a tea or coffee set. Fans of practical gifts can opt for household appliances, for example, a coffee machine or air conditioner.
Since opal is a rather rare stone, guests can present all sorts of useful household items as gifts. In this case, they should be packaged in paper that imitates the colors of opal stones, for example, blue with yellow streaks.
Considering the significant length of time they have lived together, a handmade photo album or a special book that will reflect the family history in the form of memorable photographs can be an excellent gift. Among symbolic gifts, videos dedicated to spouses are also popular. You can also present the spouses with a painting made from their photograph, or a collage of family photos.
If an opal wedding is celebrated, this means that the couple managed to overcome difficult situations with honor and preserve their love, and this should be commemorated by the presentation of a special medal, for example, the “For Love” medal. For an opal wedding, it is worth giving a bottle of champagne or good wine, and at the same time a couple of glasses with the symbols of the anniversary.
To diversify the life of a married couple, you can give the spouses tickets to the theater or to a concert of your favorite performer. All kinds of master classes can not only interest spouses, but also serve as the beginning of a new hobby. When choosing a gift, you can resort to various gift certificates to stores or spas. And if you want to give your spouses a truly luxurious gift, give them a vacation on the seashore.
Pictures and cards suitable for the event
Pictures or postcards on the theme “21 years together” will serve as a beautiful addition to congratulations on your opal wedding day. The images used on them are traditional:
- wedding rings lying on an open white rose flower;
greeting card
- a pair of snow-white swans gliding across the blue surface of the water;
Pair of swans
- a handful of uncut opal stones;
Or jewelry with them
- bouquets, beads, glasses of champagne, cakes.
Glasses of champagne and a festive bouquet
There are ready-made wishes on cards; they can serve as a hint with what words to congratulate the spouses on their opal wedding.
Congratulations card
What to give to husband and wife?
When congratulating each other on their wedding anniversary, spouses can exchange beautiful souvenirs, such as a box or key chain. Opals are ideal for jewelry and look good in a bracelet, pendant or necklace. Opal earrings will especially highlight a woman's natural beauty if you match them to your eye color. A wonderful gift for your wife on this day would be a ring with opal, as a symbol of sincere feelings and a long union.
It will be very impressive if, as an additional gift, the spouse presents a bouquet of blue or yellow flowers, for example, daffodils or forget-me-nots. You can simply give your wife a bouquet of her favorite flowers, such as a bouquet of twenty-one roses, to celebrate your anniversary.
You can also give opal products to your beloved husband; in this case, you should pay attention to stones of dark green or black color. These could be cufflinks, a ring, a tie clip, a bill holder, a paperweight or various inlaid stationery. If your husband smokes, you can give him an ashtray, a lighter or a cigarette case, decorated with natural stone inserts.
Successful wedding anniversary gifts can also include ties, home clothing, scarves, purses and wallets. A truly luxurious gift would be a wristwatch decorated with opal stones.
If your husband is passionate about some hobby, it is not difficult to give him a pleasant surprise by giving him, for example, a guitar, a spinning rod or a navigator. If the most important thing for him is home comfort, you can please him with spectacular culinary creations. Considering the considerable number of years of family life, it would be appropriate to give a bottle of aged cognac.
If the couple loves to travel, you can surprise them with an original gift - a tour to an underground opal mine museum in Australia.
What to note?
Since the symbol of the celebration is opal, known for its beauty, the holiday should be decorated in the colors of this unique mineral. Its rich color palette opens up incredibly wide horizons for imagination in choosing a festive outfit. Any shade you like - blue, green or purple - can be chosen as a base, and yellow, pink, pearl or lilac can perfectly complement it. All of these colors work well together to embody the color of opal.
For a wife going out, a discreet classic suit in light pastel colors is perfect. The best addition to it would be any jewelry with opal - beads, earrings, necklaces or bracelets, playing with all the colors of the rainbow. Pastel shades can be safely combined together. This mix will look harmonious and very feminine.
A gray or silver outfit will look great in combination with bright blue or green accessories. A black pantsuit can be styled with sparkly accessories, such as a shimmering handbag or chameleon-effect shoes.
For a formal appearance, the spouse can wear a dark blue suit combined with a light blue shirt or choose a light gray suit, complementing it with cufflinks or a light blue tie.
What to cook for an opal wedding?
If you intend to welcome guests at home, cover the table with a white tablecloth and decorate it with flowers in light colors. The dishes can combine any shades of opal. You can prepare a festive treat yourself or order it to your home.
There may be several snacks on the table: salads and pickles, aspic and all kinds of rolls. You can delight your guests with homemade pies, such as a cabbage and mushroom pie or a fish pie in the shape of a fish with smoked salmon. As a main course, you should prepare a roast according to the original recipe.
With all the variety of dishes, guests always look forward to sweets. For dessert, an original decorated cake is perfect, for example, a chocolate sponge cake with butter cream or a light mousse cake covered with multi-colored glaze.
An opal wedding or a family coming of age is not only the result of the most difficult and happiest period in life, but at the same time the beginning of a new stage when marriage acquires unbreakable bonds. The very fact that the opal wedding took place is a reason to thank each other for the experience and happiness of being together. Thank fate for this happiness with your little holiday, and it will give you many more years of happy family life.
Options for congratulations on the opal anniversary of marriage
Since it is not customary to invite guests to an opal wedding, friends and relatives make do with congratulations on the family’s 21st anniversary by telephone or other means. Adult children can also join in the congratulations.
Cool
It is not necessary to remind the spouses what wedding is being celebrated in the 21st year of marriage; you can make your congratulations quite cool:
“Congratulations to you guys on your 21st wedding, and we must admit that we are simply in awe. In the morning - get up, breakfast, children to school, you - to work, in the evening - clubs, sections, dinner, lessons. Weekends and vacations - only together. And so 21 years! And you, unlike the majority, over the years have not gotten tired of flashing before each other’s eyes, not tired of listening and hearing each other, not tired of loving! It’s worth opening the champagne right now, which we wish you from the bottom of our hearts, and also all the best to you.”
Beautiful
An adult child may well prepare a beautiful congratulations to his parents on their 21st wedding anniversary:
“Dear mom and dad, I will soon turn 21, as will our family. For me this is a whole life, so it’s hard for me to imagine that you, my beloved parents, were once not together. After all, as far as I can remember, you have always been one, you are for me irreplaceable helpers, advisers and defenders, without whom I cannot imagine myself. I don’t know if I can find my soul mate as successfully as you, dad, but at least you and mom showed me an example of true love, loyalty and mutual understanding, which is what I will strive for in search of my destiny.”
Congratulations in prose
In verse
A reminder of the opal wedding is well woven into the congratulations in verse:
A glorious pebble - opal, a multi-colored mineral, today in your life it has become a new milestone of happiness. Congratulations, friends, May your family live in love, I wish you and your children happiness from the bottom of my heart.
Try to compose a short poem. Don’t worry if you don’t get a “masterpiece”, the main thing is that the verse will be personal.
In verse
