The Royal Mint’s Wedding Gold and Silver Set – a wedding tradition dating from 1549

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‘With this ring I thee wed, this gold and silver I thee give: with my body I thee worship: and with all my worldly goods I thee endow...’.

A wedding day tradition that was first formalized over 450 years ago is the giving of gold and silver on the wedding day. If you are getting married and think that you haven’t spent enough on your nuptials, you can now spend an extra £450 on the Royal Mint’s Wedding Gold and Silver Set – a gift said to symbolize love, unity and prosperity (certainly the last of these!), which combines The Royal Mint’s Britannia and Sovereign coins together for the first time.

Coins have long been associated with the wedding day ceremony, and are thought to bring luck and prosperity to the happy couple. The Book of Common Prayer, which first formalized the wedding ceremony in the reign of Edward VI in 1549, included the exchange of gold and silver, just as the bride and groom give rings on their wedding day, saying, ‘Then shall they again loosen their hands, and the man shall give unto the woman a ring, and other tokens of spousage, as gold and silver, laying the same upon the book’.

Philip Nathan’s elegant and feminine Britannia portrayed in .999 fine silver is combined with the gallant and masculine figure of Pistrucci’s St George on the 22 carat gold Sovereign. Presented in Brilliant Uncirculated finish, the familiar portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS features on the obverse of both coins. The set is presented in a highly polished wooden veneer case with a specially designed outer wrap, and a card to personalize with a special message.

Director of Commemorative Coin and Bullion, Shane Bissett said: ‘Tradition plays such an important role in the wedding ceremony, and coins have long been thought to bring luck and prosperity to the happy couple. The coins presented together symbolize unity and prosperity for the married life ahead, whilst the date on both coins records the special wedding year.’

If you feel that your prosperity might be somewhat dented by the outlay, however, there is always the limited edition £20 silver coin that costs, yes, £20. You can see it on the Royal Mint's website.

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