Weddingbee Blog

I previously blogged about finding Mr. BOP the perfect gift, only for him to decide to give the same thing to his groomsmen. Well, I found the perfect replacement gift! Sixpence Cufflinks from CuffArt.com.

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What is a sixpence?

The sixpence was a coin used in the British Empire beginning in 1551. One sixpence represented six pennies. The sixpence coin was last used in 1967.

How did the sixpence tradition begin?

In the middle ages, people were very superstitious. They believed that much of their life was controlled by evil spirits, and anything they could do to ward off those spirits was wise. They felt that these spirits were particularly active during rites of passage, such as weddings. A lucky coin was used to keep the bride and groom safe on their wedding day.

During the early 1600’s it was customary for the Lord of the Manor to give his bride a piece of silver as a wedding gift. This was symbolically represented by a sixpence coin. It later became a tradition to include a sixpence in the dowry that was given by the bride’s family to the groom.

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I love that last sentence, not specifically the dowry part, but that the sixpence was given to the groom. Mr. BOP is going to have his very own sixpences. I even got the same date to match the one I will wear in my shoe!!