Gifts with Purpose: Create a Wedding Registry Rich with Cultural Heritage

According to the wedding experts at The Knot, creating a gift registry is one of the first things you should do when you get engaged. Doing so allows you to start planning, and gives your guests and friends the same chance, as well.

A registry helps avoid repeat gifts, too, and makes it easier to do returns should you need to. You can also post a link (or links to multiple stores) on your wedding website, along with the rest of the pertinent information your guests might need.

It’s thought that the first wedding registries started in 1924, when Marshall Field’s department stores started offering them to brides for their guests. Your registry doesn’t have to seem dated, however. These days couples are requesting experiences like trips or the money to fund them rather than china and silver sets, and if it’s not possible to travel, it’s nice to bring culture back into the home. It’s even better, too, if the wedding gifts can support communities and give back.

Verve Culture is now offering a wedding registry service and app to make your planning easy. You can select handmade products rich with heritage, and which support the cultures that created them. It’s buying local — yet supporting those around the globe.

Enjoying cultural experiences at home infuses experiences with human stories. It’s like creating and enjoying a shared history.

You can include all Verve Culture products on your registry, or select from the cultural collection ideas below. 

Thai Chef's Knives 

The right chef's knives can make cooking so much faster, easier—and enjoyable. These are especially beautiful—hand-forged by Thai blacksmiths in traditional styles to allow for precise and creative cuts.

These knives also come with history. About 200 years ago, Thai blacksmiths forged swords to outfit soldiers for the Thai-Burma war. The techniques have been passed down through family history, and come to you in the form of perfect knives.

What’s extra special to note is that entire communities come together to produce these knives. Families form co-operatives with workers dedicated to specific skills in the creation process: forging, grinding, stamping, woodwork and finishing.

This Thai Moon Knife Set pictured here is made from lightweight, carbon steel and comes packaged in a bamboo box.

The ‘Moon Knife’ is named for its shape, and is excellent for slicing hard-skinned items such as watermelon and coconut, as well as all types of meat. The ‘Slice Knife’ delivers precise cutting, and is perfect for mincing and fine slicing. 

Moroccan Ceramics 

A beautiful bowl might seem like a traditional wedding gift, but these are rich with Moroccan tradition and perfect for shared experiences, whether it’s serving warm couscous at the dinner table, and holding popcorn for a splashy movie night.

These Terracotta Serving Bowls are hand-thrown by Moroccan artisans and families and then dried in the sun as per tradition. They feature bright, glazed interiors perfect for creating interest at the table.

Mexican Handblown Glassware

Bright, colorful glassware can make any party or meal feel fresh and lively. What’s wonderful about handblown items, too, is that each piece is unique.

All of our Artisan Mexican Glassware items are made from recycled glass (including old coke bottles), making them not just culturally significant, but good for the environment, too.

Our partner Javier Gutierrez Esponsa has perfected the art of glassblowing for more than 20 years in Tonala, Mexico, and employs a team of artisans who learn from one another and share techniques.

Gifting with Purpose 

When you add items rich with cultural heritage and communal effort to your wedding registry, you’re doing more than just filling your home with beautiful objects. You’re supporting families and bringing history and human stories to your home—which can enrich your own shared experiences.