The eightieth wedding anniversary is a rare and valuable occurrence these days, possible only among centenarians. If such a day comes in the life of a married couple, then they can really be proud of their union, because their relationship is strong as an oak tree, and love can rightfully be considered eternal.
Such a huge number of years lived shoulder to shoulder is worthy of pride and great respect from loved ones. The couple went through many difficulties together, supported each other and deserved the best holiday in their honor and good wedding gifts, which read on.
Interesting traditions and signs in honor of the holiday
An oak wedding has several generally accepted traditions that must be performed in honor of the anniversary. On this day, all close people gather together to help elderly spouses feel happy. It is customary to give surprises and wedding gifts made of oak, especially furniture and interior items used to furnish the house. The custom of changing the furnishings in the spouses’ home to a more expensive one, made of natural wood, will contribute to prosperity and longevity for the whole family.
A touching tradition is to plant a young oak tree or even a small oak alley if space allows. The small tree will take root and become a memorable sign for future generations, who will definitely get acquainted with the story of a long love. The grown oak will become the memory that will perpetuate family ties in the hearts of descendants.
There is also a sign that if one of the spouses or relatives sees an oak tree in a dream on the eve of the holiday, then prosperity, success, longevity and good health await them. If you dream about acorns, then you will experience financial wealth and increased finances.
What can you give to spouses?
Usually, spouses who have lived together for so many years know the tastes of their spouse and can easily please each other with worthwhile gifts. 80 years since your wedding is not a reason to necessarily give symbolic gifts. Despite this recommendation, it is advisable for the spouse to present a bouquet of his wife’s favorite flowers on this day. Any lady will be delighted with such a gift. If, due to his age, a man himself cannot go for a gift, he has the right to ask his children or grandchildren for a favor, saying which flowers should be included in the overall composition.
Advice for grandchildren and children of celebrants
Usually, over such a long period of time, a couple living under the same roof acquires everything they need. Including in terms of everyday life. Therefore, in order to give a truly worthwhile gift, the younger generation will have to work hard.
Family tree in original design. A handmade gift will be especially valuable. If you don’t have the time or skills, you can order a gift from a workshop with various special effects. All interested friends and relatives can take part in creating such a gift. Next to your relatives you can place photographs of your closest friends who have gone through this journey with the couple. Such a memorable gift may well also become a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation after a significant date.
Wooden gifts
More banal gifts associated with the symbolism of the date may well be made from solid wood. Ideal if you can make a gift with your own hands. You can easily make items such as:
- you can make any figurine from solid oak. The choice of composition options is huge, but the most common are paired figures. For example, swans or totem animals of spouses. Spouses who believe in pagan culture will especially like this kind of gifts;
- a portrait of the spouses or any other picture that will be framed in an original oak frame. It is worth remembering that when choosing a painting, you don’t have to stick to the theme of the event, but choose the one that is closest to the spouses aesthetically;
- You can give a symbolic bag filled with acorns and coins. In ancient times, such a gift symbolized abundance and family strength;
- The ideal gift would be a tree in a pot. You can present a symbolic fruit-bearing tree, the fruits of which in the future will remind the spouses of several generations in their large and already established family;
- A family tree made with your own hands is an ideal memorable gift from children and grandchildren. It is with its help that relatives can feel the true value and continuity of generations;
- You can also give religious items. For example, pagans will love a wooden figurine of their deity. And for the Orthodox - icons in oak frames;
- If the spouses by nature love sweets, you can present them with an originally designed dessert. For example, make sure there is a symbolic cake. And it should be packed in a wooden box with an engraved wedding date and the symbolic number 80. By the way, 8 itself can be designed in the form of an infinity sign, which symbolizes a truly long and sincere union;
- high-quality furniture made from natural solid oak will always come in handy both for a country house and for a city apartment.
If a bag is given as a gift, it must be made of natural fabric. Otherwise, the sacred meaning of the gift may be lost. Ancestors did not understand the meaning of artificial fabrics; natural fabrics were valued most of all due to pure energy.
If you look at things straight, then any gift will come in handy for such a significant wedding anniversary. Be it symbolic or practical. The main thing is to surround the couple who have lived side by side for 80 years with the warmth, attention and sincere respect that they definitely deserve. It is important for children and grandchildren to give all the warmth and love as a gift, and material value at this age fades into the background, giving way to spiritual value.
How to celebrate your 80th wedding anniversary
An oak anniversary is a special day that cannot be ignored. Considering that the heroes of the occasion are no longer young, as many years ago, it is better to entrust the organization of the banquet to relatives. If the health of the spouses allows, you can book a table at a restaurant. But in this case, it is best to even book a banquet hall to create a calm atmosphere. You will definitely need to make sure that the husband and wife feel comfortable sitting, eating, listening to congratulations, and also getting back home.
To decorate a festive feast at home, you can sit in the largest room, set the table with festive dishes, and decorate the premises with appropriate symbols. You should choose calm, beautiful music that will not tire those present. You can invite live performers to play your favorite old compositions. Throughout the anniversary, guests are shown memorable photographs, shared memories of the past and told the story of the wedding.
Features of a disco style wedding
A wedding in the disco style of the 80s is associated with fun, adventurism, and music of a special style. To convey the spirit of that era, young people need to listen to the advice of their parents and other older relatives, because they are well familiar with all the features of the incendiary parties of the 80s.
Location
You should start preparing for a disco wedding by choosing a suitable room where you can equip a real disco club. For a wedding celebration, you can rent a cafe or disco bar of sufficient capacity with a spacious dance floor and a separate area for setting up banquet tables.
Disco wedding scenario
The scenario for a disco wedding in the style of the 80s includes music battles, competitions, the game “Guess the melody” and other exciting entertainment related to dance and music. An experienced presenter and relatives of the older generation will help you draw up a plan for the event.
How to decorate a festive interior for 80 years of marriage
For the celebration, you should decorate the banquet premises beautifully, try to introduce symbolic decor in order to create pleasant impressions and pleasant memories for the guests. To do this, you can use the following recommendations:
- You can hang a beautiful poster on the wall with a picture of spouses against a background of acorns or a spreading oak tree, and decorate it with ribbons and sparkles.
- A collage of past photographs or a family tree on a sheet of paper with photos of all relatives will be interesting for all guests of the holiday.
- In the center of the table you can place original dishes, decorated with oak branches with leaves, as well as acorns. Such decorations can also be used to decorate candlesticks. You can put a bouquet of fresh twigs in a vase on the table.
- The color design is best done in the brown and green tones inherent in the symbol. On textiles, curtains, napkins, tablecloths, you can choose appropriate embroidery or patterns in the form of an acorn or tree leaves.
What gifts are customary to give for an oak wedding?
Gifts for 80th wedding anniversary should symbolize a strong and unshakable tree. It can be anything, the main thing is that it pleases the married couple. Birthday celebrants can give each other oak rosaries, which will be kept as a relic for posterity. As a gift from guests, you can choose the following options:
- Pieces of furniture made of oak, for example, shelves on the wall, a table, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, classic chairs, antiques, will decorate the house and will be remembered for a long time.
- Interior decorations, wooden decorative elements in the form of boxes, mirror frames, figurines, paintings, carvings
- Textiles with the image of a wedding symbol, towels, wall panels, terry robes.
- The grandchildren can make handmade cards by gluing live oak leaves or acorn caps to them.
- Any other useful things, household appliances, a cozy carpet for the wall, slippers, that is, everything that will definitely be useful in the household and will be preserved for a long time.
It doesn't matter how expensive your surprise is. When presenting a gift, be sure to try to choose warm words, say them with love and care, and express your respect and respect.
How to celebrate an anniversary. Celebration traditions
This anniversary is shrouded in many mystical mysteries. There is a belief that on the night before the celebration, relatives and celebrants may have prophetic dreams. An oak grove seen in a dream is a symbol of good health, acorns are a symbol of profit.
There are a number of traditions regarding the celebration. In honor of such an important event, descendants plant an oak alley as a symbol of their relatives having lived happily for 80 years. After all, every year is of great value to them. Such a significant date should be celebrated on a grand scale. But we should not forget about the age of the heroes of the occasion.
Often such an anniversary is celebrated with family and friends. During the feast, all attention is focused on the happy spouses. Set a rich table. It is important that several dishes are prepared by the hostess.
Think about the course of the event in advance, draw up a small script. You can agree with the invitees and make a real performance for the celebrants, where the “actors” describe the history of a couple in love, starting from the moment of their first meeting.
Don’t lose the opportunity to congratulate your loved ones or friends on their anniversary.
Colorful congratulations in verse
An oak anniversary is a wonderful event in the history of a family and clan. For the children of the family, grandchildren, and possibly great-grandchildren, this is an excellent reason to be proud of their relatives and an example to follow. That is why it is so important to choose sincere wishes and words of congratulations for the celebration in order to express your feelings and admiration to the celebrants. The following poems in honor of the celebration will definitely prove useful.
Symbolic meaning
The symbol of the anniversary is a perennial tree - oak. Its roots penetrate deep into the ground, the powerful trunk houses the hollow of a small rodent, and birds and insects live on its spreading branches. In addition to longevity, the plant symbolizes fertility. Like the main symbol of the date, the couple has acquired considerable accumulated experience and family ties. The spouses have more than one child, adult grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so the powerful tree has become a symbol of such a significant anniversary.
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Another reason why the oak tree has become a symbol is its longevity. Eighty is far from the limit for this breed; mature and healthy trees can live about one and a half hundred years. This means that the anniversary is not the last; there may still be many holidays celebrated together.
