11 years have passed since their wedding day, and the couple can safely say that their relationship with each other has become strong and reliable, like steel. Therefore, the anniversary they are about to celebrate is called a steel anniversary. Love, respect, trust, mutual understanding have grown and strengthened.
On the holiday, when friends and relatives of the husband and wife, their children and relatives gather at the table, everyone present will say congratulations on the 11th wedding anniversary, emphasizing that, despite the difficulties, the spouses go through life together, they have become an example for their growing children, role model. Everything on this holiday should be clean and sparkling like steel. It is worth remembering the customs of our ancestors and holding the celebration in accordance with established traditions.
What kind of wedding is this, what is it called?
11 years of marriage is called a steel wedding, but this is not the only name on which the theme of the celebration is based. Some sources also offer another, floral, name for a steel wedding - chamomile. Although there is a certain dissonance in this, because steel is the embodiment of metallic strength and hardness, and chamomile is a wildflower, personifying tenderness and insecurity, the names get along well with each other:
The festive beginning of a new family decade - a steel wedding
- steel shows that the relationship between the spouses has been tempered, established, and acquired steel-like firmness in matters of fundamental importance to the family;
- this metal is not only durable, but also beautiful, mirror-clean, which also reflects relationships in the family - established, strong and clean, often supported by such solid “acquisitions” as children and their own home;
- the chamomile hints at the unfading beauty of the mistress of a hospitable house, her tenderness for her husband, which only increases over the years, and a certain defenselessness in the days of separation from him.
The 11th anniversary of the founding of a family is called the steel and daisy wedding and is celebrated with paraphernalia reflecting both names.
How to mark - script
Steel has always been very popular due to its qualities. This metal has a high degree of strength and endurance. The next wedding anniversary is named in his honor.
The couple lived together for eleven years, solved a huge number of problems, found a way out of seemingly hopeless situations, and strengthened the confidence that the most faithful and devoted person is always nearby.
In the old days, husband and wife began their 11th marriage anniversary with ablution. If they celebrated in the summer, then at dawn the spouses went to a river or lake, where they swam together, washing away from themselves and from their souls the bitterness of grievances, fatigue and all the worst things that had accumulated over the years. In winter, the bathhouse was heated in advance, where the husband and wife went together. After bathing, the couple put on clean white clothes and started a new day from scratch.
Today there is no need to heat a bathhouse or go to the river to bathe. It’s enough to start the day with a bath or an invigorating shower, clean up your apartment or house, and then you can get ready to welcome guests.
On this day, the “young people” will not have to meet a large number of people. 11 years is not an anniversary date, so the closest friends and relatives will gather at the festive table. Spouses need to take care of the treats and choose beautiful outfits for themselves and their children (after all, they will also be the center of attention).
It is the children who will help develop an interesting scenario so that those invited to the gala dinner do not get bored. If the celebration takes place at home, the table is set in such a way that as much steel utensils as possible are used:
- cutting dishes;
- tureen;
- bowls for salads;
- napkin holders;
- salt and pepper shakers;
- forks, spoons and knives.
As a treat, guests are offered meat snacks, fresh vegetable salads, fruits, and sweets. But the main dish of the holiday remains cake. It is most often made to order, but it will be better if children bake the cake (with the help of elders, of course).
Adults will be happy to take part in interesting, fun competitions and games, answer unexpected questions, and sing and dance.
There are competitions that have already become mandatory at holidays dedicated to wedding anniversaries, but cool games will help diversify the entertainment program:
- "Nice memories". The husband and wife are asked to answer questions that will help them go back 11 years to their wedding day. The spouses will have to remember what flowers the groom's boutonniere was made from, and who led the bride's ransom. Having remembered, you need to try to repeat the tasks for a young man who wants to get his beloved as soon as possible and go with her to the registry office.
- A fun quiz - a game for those who can quickly and correctly answer the most unexpected questions concerning the newlyweds: when did they meet, what was the first gift, what flowers did the groom bring on their wedding day.
- The most attentive guests are invited to remember the songs that were played at the wedding 11 years ago. You can use the first notes of the melody as a hint.
What dance was fashionable and popular in those years? Do you remember? It's time to dance! Dance competitions are always the most fun. You can invite guests to compose a congratulation in verse, starting with the words that the spouses will name.
To make the holiday special, it is worth remembering the rites and rituals that were mandatory in the old days.
By choosing one of the proposed items (without consulting each other), a loving husband and wife show others at what stage of development their relationship is:
- The dough is not strong, but very pliable. Spouses can make their family the way they want it most. Like being molded from dough.
- The rope chosen by one of the spouses will become a sign of their affection and the long journey ahead together.
- A blade (or knife) is proof that family ties are strong enough, and each spouse is ready to defend their happiness.
An ancient custom is to ensure the protection of the family hearth with the help of a talisman. To do this, the husband and wife together nail a steel horseshoe above the front door. The woman hands over the necessary tool, and the man fastens the amulet so that it cannot be torn off.
Another ritual is the exchange of gifts. On the day of the 11th anniversary of marriage, it is customary for husband and wife to give each other memorable souvenirs. It is advisable to choose a small thing that your loved one will always carry with them.
What do you give to friends on this day?
Knowing what kind of wedding is celebrated in the 11th year of a family’s existence, it is easy to understand what is given to the spouses on this day. These are any steel products:
- sets of pots;
- tea accessories;
- coffee pots;
- table, wall and other decorations or souvenirs;
- confectionery products in the form of metal objects.
The choice of gifts for this date is huge; for a steel wedding, you can give your good friends a “steel horse”, even a trike.
Since the steel wedding also has a duplicate name, on this day it is customary to give as many daisies or other flowers as the number of years celebrated.
There can never be too many daisies
What to give to your husband or wife
The heroes of the occasion - husband and wife - are recommended to exchange valuable gifts on the day of the steel wedding. The ritual symbolizes absolute trust between spouses, so much so that they can entrust valuable things to each other. What exactly to give to a wife or husband on their 11th anniversary is decided by the spouses themselves, taking into account their financial capabilities and what kind of wedding it is.
The only thing a husband should not forget is to give his wife 11 flowers for a steel wedding; She must try to ensure that her husband’s gift stays in the vase for 11 days.
What kind of wedding to arrange for 11 years of marriage?
As a rule, a magnificent celebration is celebrated on round dates. Just a year ago, the family celebrated a beautiful anniversary - a tin wedding. However, do not ignore the 11th anniversary. Invite only your nearest and dearest to it. There is no need to invite colleagues from work or distant relatives. The holiday scenario can be created by one of the close guests.
Various competitions, games, wedding rituals, gift-giving ceremonies - all this diversifies the celebration.
If you don't want to invite anyone, you can have a good time together. There are a lot of ideas where to go together on a family holiday:
- go out into nature if it’s warm outside;
- book a table at a restaurant. Possibly the one in which the wedding took place. This place will bring back pleasant memories for you;
- go on a trip to another country or an unfamiliar city;
- take a hot air balloon flight;
- take a horse ride.
Or you can just sit at home with a cup of tea and cake, looking at wedding photos or videos, remembering how exciting and, at the same time, good it was on your wedding day.
Wedding ceremony theme and design
On the festive table, regardless of whether you are celebrating a steel wedding in a large company of relatives and friends or just the two of you, be sure to place items made of steel or having a steel shine. Suitable items for this are steel vases, candlesticks, cool dishes, salad bowls, stands for candy, slices, fruit and simply interesting designer items.
Decorate the place where the celebration will take place with balloons and steel-colored ribbons. Arrange flowers in beautiful steel vases - they will create comfort and a festive mood.
If you want to celebrate your 11th anniversary in a fun and noisy way, go outdoors to barbecue. If it's cold outside, host a fondue-style party at home. What could be better: boiling chocolate and slices of fruit in it or boiling cheese with pieces of meat.
11 years of marriage: what a wedding without dresses
On any occasion, a woman wants to look beautiful. A dress would be an ideal option for this. To match the symbolism of the holiday, choose a steel-colored outfit or a dress that is decorated with silver sequins. If the choice is made in favor of a classic outfit, use steel-colored accessories. A tiara, beads, and bracelets will perfectly complement the bride's image.
For the spouse, the optimal solution would be a black classic suit, which will be complemented by a steel tie clip and cufflinks. In warmer months, wear a light gray suit.
What to cook for the holiday
It is not necessary to prepare a lot of dishes for the table. A few cuts, salads and a main course will be enough. As a main course, you can prepare French meat or roast duck with cranberry sauce for your guests. For dessert, offer a cake decorated with steel-colored fondant.
According to tradition, place 11 jugs with different drinks on the table. They can be used to prepare alcoholic and sweet cocktails.
Congratulations on the steel anniversary of your life together
When choosing congratulations for the 11th anniversary, you should also not forget what kind of wedding it is and wedge a steel theme into toasts and wishes.
- We sincerely congratulate you, friends, on your 11th anniversary of marriage. We wish that your family’s health is as strong as steel, and that any endeavors and undertakings are successful, that there are often occasions for celebrations in your home, and that your life is full of happiness, joyful emotions and major achievements. And may our wishes in this congratulations on the steel wedding come true 100 percent!
- Our dears, the countdown to the second decade of your married life has begun. Let it be even more eventful with pleasant events, let everything go well and go well in your family, and let your children delight you with their successes, happiness to you!
- Guys, what more can we wish for or give you on your steel wedding day than what you gave each other - love, tenderness, happiness. Continue to remain the same wonderful couple, make each other happy and give the warmth of your loving hearts!
If you wish, you can compose a poetic congratulation for a steel wedding from these phrases, distribute the poems to the guests, and then read them in chorus or one stanza at a time, it will turn out fun and unusual.
How to congratulate spouses for friends and relatives - tips
Gifts to the heroes of the occasion on the 11th anniversary will be presented not only by those closest to them , but also by good friends of the young people.
What can people with whom they have been close friends over the years give spouses on their 11th wedding anniversary? First of all, memorable gifts and souvenirs:
- lamps;
- floor lamp;
- a set of metal utensils;
- carved steel tray;
- Turk for making coffee;
- samovar.
Gifts are very different, and their choice is based solely on the characteristics of the anniversary itself and the opinion of the giver.
However, there are certain traditions, according to which gifts are chosen for spouses who have been legally married for 11 years.
An anniversary medal has long been a traditional gift for a big wedding, but if desired, it can be replaced with a decorative figurine or even a commemorative plaque, which is attached so that everyone can see that the spouses who celebrated their 11th anniversary of family life live in this house.
The donor, presenting his gift, says that this couple is loved and respected by all friends and acquaintances, but the most sincere and warm feelings are felt for the “young” by those who gathered at the festive table.
Congratulations in prose and poetry
Greeting cards make a beautiful addition to gifts.
They contain text in verse or prose, serious and comic congratulations, wishes for happiness and success, health and love.
Pictures and cards suitable for the event
While at a distance, you can congratulate friends or spouses on their steel wedding with suitable pictures that depict:
- beautiful steel souvenirs in the form of hands intertwined over a heart;
Composition option
- bouquets, rings and rhymed wishes;
Rings against a background of flowers - a win-win option
- cakes decorated with steel-colored cream;
Original cake
- horseshoes for good luck.
Horseshoe for luck
Knowing the taste of those being congratulated, it is not difficult to choose cards with a steel wedding that they will like.
How to celebrate your marriage anniversary
Today, few people observe the steel wedding rituals, which originate from time immemorial. In those days, the 11th anniversary began for spouses in the following order.
- In the morning they underwent a ritual of ablution; in the warm season this took place in an open reservoir, in winter - in a bathhouse.
- Then the guests gave the children three things - a rope, dough and a blade; they hid them behind their backs and invited parents to choose what the new decade of their family would be like (a blade - for quarrels, a rope - for a measured life, dough - for the growth of the family).
- After this, the couple exchanged valuables and accepted gifts from guests.
- The ceremony ended with a feast, songs and dances.
Today it is not necessary to strictly observe the ritual actions associated with the anniversary. It’s enough just to congratulate the spouses and have a lot of fun.
11 year wedding anniversary: traditions, ceremonies, rituals and signs
Intriguing folk rituals associated with wedding anniversaries are also interesting.
Every tradition, every ritual carries a certain meaning and was not born out of nowhere, but based on the centuries-old practice of the people.
Therefore, it is not necessary to look for hidden meaning in ritual actions, but you can simply believe in miracles and perform traditional rituals that promise a married couple happiness for many years and protection from unkind people.
Moreover, the traditions of a steel wedding fit perfectly into the crazy life of residents of big cities and do not require searching for outlandish objects or performing eccentric rituals.
11 year anniversary: updating your home
Preparations for the steel anniversary begin early.
The family has to shine. Of course, you won’t be able to polish your relationship in a couple of days, but it already shines well for the steel wedding. But it’s worth taking care of your own home. According to custom, by the 11th wedding anniversary it is necessary to update the interior, or even better, make repairs.
The last renovation of the family nest was several years ago; according to tradition, the house was equipped for a wooden wedding.
Over the years we lived together, the housing became dilapidated. It's time to make things right.
Definitely, repairs are problematic, requiring time and financial costs. Therefore, the couple will have to decide for themselves how to implement this tradition.
You can update just the living room or buy new furniture for the bedroom. And some will like the idea of rearranging or purchasing new items to decorate the interior. After all, even by swapping the wardrobe with the sofa, or by hanging new curtains, you can create a feeling of novelty and an atmosphere of comfort.
But if you still decide to make drastic changes and are ready to carry out renovations, do not forget about one more tradition.
Before a steel wedding, it is customary to install a fireplace in the home.
This piece of furniture fits perfectly into any room, regardless of design decisions.
In addition, a fireplace is another symbol of home comfort, warmth and family unity.
Happy 11th wedding day: water treatments
The “young people” are supposed to wash away all the negativity on their wedding day in order to go into a new life after the steel anniversary with pure and transparent thoughts, not clouded by grievances and misunderstandings, illnesses and other troubles.
To do this, the “newlyweds” went at dawn to the nearest body of water, where they plunged into clean waters, which carried away all the negativity.
You need to spend at least 10 minutes in such water. Every minute will take with it the troubles that the family has encountered over the years they have lived together.
For the sake of a happy future, the couple dived into the quiet waters of lakes, and into the stormy streams of mountain rivers, and into the icy holes of winter reservoirs.
But in very severe frosts, for the ceremony, cauldrons with river or well water were heated all night in the courtyard, where the couple dived in the morning.
You can, of course, get by with a simple dousing. And since the desire to join folk traditions is strong, and the conditions of a city apartment are in no way conducive to vigorous ablutions, an ordinary bath will do. The main thing is to perform the ritual together, holding hands, and believing in miracles and a happy future.
Steel wedding - a new status: a rite of passage into a “real spouse”
A beautiful and intriguing rite was the ritual of initiation into “real spouses”, which is carried out precisely on the 11th anniversary of marriage.
Just in time for the steel anniversary, the couple, having gone through all the hardships and trials, becomes “real”, and the family is considered “true”. After all, the first year the young people were just getting acquainted with family life, getting to know each other, and the first decade, in honor of which the pink wedding was celebrated, was the “grinding in” of different, and sometimes difficult, characters.
And only by the eleventh anniversary the marriage became united and strong, unencumbered by any conventions and intrigues, which allows us to begin counting down a new life for a “real family.”
In the old days, the ritual of ablution did not end with diving or dousing. To carry out the ritual of initiation into “real spouses,” the couple invited a priest or the oldest resident of the village.
The ritual began, of course, with dipping. The procedure itself took place under ritual songs or sayings, which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day. You can choose original poems that glorify the strength of the family and promise happiness and health to the young. After staying in the water for at least 10 minutes, the couple put on white clothes, symbolizing the purity of relationships and thoughts.
A clergyman or an elder was already waiting for the couple, who invited the young people to make a choice. They were asked to take a symbolic object that would indicate whether the couple was ready for initiation. For this, dough, rope and a steel dagger were prepared.
Each spouse made their own choice. If someone took the dough, it means that the relationship is still completely vague, and the family is not ready to enter a new status. They have yet to create a joint masterpiece.
And in order to quickly strengthen their feelings, the “young” had to bake a loaf from the selected dough.
When the choice fell on a rope, they made an unambiguous conclusion about the strength of family ties.
But even such a symbol did not allow the family to move to a new stage of relations.
The rope was folded in half and placed under the porch, so that within a year the family ties would become even stronger and the couple would be ready for the ceremony.
But the chosen steel blade clearly spoke of the strength of the family, of the readiness to go through life hand in hand.
Once the blade has been chosen, the spouses have survived all the hardships, they are not afraid of getting “stabbed” by their significant other.
They got to know each other so much that they are ready to enter a new phase of life as a single whole.
And the rite of passage into “real spouses” began.
To do this, the “young” knelt as close to each other as possible, and the elder began to move the blade along their forearms, checking whether the spouses would be afraid of the cold and the danger of steel. Afterwards, their heads were covered with a single white cloth, which symbolized that the thoughts, and indeed the whole life, of the spouses became united and inseparable, and the family finally acquired the status of “true”, “real”.
So that the future path would be happy and not overshadowed by adversity, so that other people’s bad thoughts or deeds would not become an obstacle on the path together, the “newlyweds” carried out a steel horseshoe together.
According to tradition, they asked the rising sun for help and God for blessings.
And to protect against the evil eye, a steel horseshoe was hung over the door. The symbol had to be positioned with its horns facing up, and it was nailed down by the spouses together.
Of course, the wife did not wield a hammer, but she took a direct part in the ritual, giving her beloved steel nails.
If the couple had previously hung a horseshoe above the door, which, according to tradition, was attached at a cast-iron wedding, the cast-iron symbol of happiness was replaced with a stronger, polished steel one.
