UK Wedding Traditions
Today we look at one of our favourite wedding traditions: the giving of horseshoes at weddings.
Traditionally horseshoes were given, usually by children, to the bride after her wedding ceremony. She carried them with her bouquet, depositing all by the side of the cake for the duration of the wedding breakfast.
Horseshoes were believed to be a symbol of fertility and were given for good luck. The idea was that, given its shape, the horseshoe ‘held’ good luck, provided of course it wasn’t turned upside down!
We recently came across these gorgeous modern day horseshoe gifts and, wanting to know more, we spoke to Luke Waterhouse who owns E L Equine and creates them. Over to you Luke…
Gold horseshoe gift
‘We started off with the horseshoes; having seen previous horseshoe gifts with different designs we wanted to offer something real and authentic….. a luxury gift, not a gimmick.
We use real steel horseshoes, straight from a farrier, which is very important as it gives the uniqueness, making a genuine, rustic item into a beautiful piece of art. Not only is it an amazing gift, but it’s enjoyable for us to produce such an item.
We then wanted to produce something that no one does, something so unique and beautiful it stuns anyone who views them. That’s when we decided to add spurs and stirrups, including Swarovski Crystals. Anyone, of any age, loves sparkle.
I have such a passion for plating, I enjoy it so much and I want to convey that in our products. We currently have sponsor riders who wear our items and the feedback has been incredible.
One of our current customers, a very nervous groom, is getting married soon. We have customised a platinum horseshoe with ribbon which matches the Tiffany jewellery he has for her, also 2 plaques of personalised engraving to make the horseshoe extra special.
Whenever we show people the horseshoes, be they 24ct Gold, Rose Gold or Platinum, their reaction is priceless and their eyes light up.
We do everything from our local factory, onsite, which we think is important. Every item is personally crafted.’
Thank you so much Luke. We love to talk to people who have such passion for their work, just as we do and we hope to see many of your horseshoes at weddings.