German Bride’s Christmas Ornaments- Symbols of Love and Blessings

While hunting for a gift for a friend who recently married, I stumbled across the German Bridal Christmas Ornaments. Now, I really enjoy sharing German Christmas Traditions with all of you, but this was a new one to me. So I did some digging. Turns out, the German Bridal Ornaments are a newer “old Bavarian tradition”. That said, it is a sweet and thoughtful gift for any newlywed couple just starting out on their lives together. These beautiful starter ornaments are enough to decorate a small tree… and each is loaded with the kind of symbolism that will remind them of what their lives together are all about. 12 Ornaments (One for each month of the year? Another symbol?) are made from blown glass, and come in a lined wooden box to insure that they last a lifetime.

History of Glass Ornaments

In the 1820s, Hans Greiner, a distant relative of mine, and a descendant of the Hans Greiner who established the first glass works in Lauscha, Germany, (along with Christoph Muller) began producing Glass Ornaments in the shape of fruits and nuts. (Legend has it, he could not afford real fruits and nuts for his family Christmas tree, so he blew them from glass instead. These became quite popular, and the process was improved by  combining blown glass with special molds. Later, they added mercury or silver nitrate to the inside of the glass which gave them a beautiful silvery sheen. Today, the 14th generation of the family operates  Inge Glas… and they still produce ornaments in much the same way. Their collection has over 6000 molds, many of which are antique, dating back to the 1850s.

Still, extra care is taken in the production of the German Brides Christmas Ornaments.

German Bridal Christmas Ornaments

Old World Christmas Wedding 6 Piece Ornament Collection Standard

These German Bride Ornaments all have special meaning. Hanging them from their Christmas Tree will insure happiness and blessings for the year.

You will note that there are 15 items on this list. Different sources list different symbols and different meanings. This is not as strange as you would think… I see legends and traditions like a game of Telephone. Messages get passed along, and change just a bit along the way. Choose what is best for you.

(And I’m sure it’s no accident that there are a few fertility symbols…)

You will find the ornaments in sets of 6 or 12… and there is one additional set that just has a wedding theme.

German Bridal Ornaments Symbolism

Heart– symbolizes true love in the home
Home– symbolizes the family shelter
Angel– symbolizes faith and God
Church– symbolizes God’s presence in their lives
Basket of Fruit– symbolizes plenty to eat…and also generosity
Teapot– symbolizes hospitality
Bird– symbolizes happiness and joy
Bird in a Nest– symbolizes confidence in the shelter
Pine Cone– symbolizes eternity… also motherhood and fruitfulness
Animal– symbolizes peace with nature
Fish- symbolizes Christ… and also fertility
Rabbit– symbolizes hope and faith… and also fertility
Rose- symbolizes the Virgin Mary… and also beauty
Flower Basket– symbolizes beauty in the home…and also good wishes
St Nicholas/ Santa– symbolizes giving and sharing

A Set of German Bridal Ornaments makes a Nice Gift

Inge Glass has a two different sizes-

Mini– ornaments are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches
Regular- ornaments are 2 1/4 to 4 1/4 inches

Inge Glas The Bridal Collection Wedding German Glass Ornament Gift Set of 12Inge Glas The Bridal Collection Mini Wedding German Glass Ornament Set of 12

Inge-glas Wedding Bells German Glass Christmas Tree Ornament Free Box 1.8 InchINGE GLAS Bridal Lace, Blown Glass, Ornament Marriage Wedding Love, Decorative Hanging Ornaments, 106607

Kurt Adler German Bride Ornaments

Kurt Adler is well known for exporting quality Christmas Ornaments since World War II. Not only does the company make the traditional German Bridal Christmas Ornaments Set… you can find other wedding ornaments that can be personalized.

Kurt Adler 3 to 4.375-Inch Glass Bridal Ornament, 12 Piece Set, Multi-Color

Kurt Adler 2.75Kurt Adler 3.5Kurt Adler Noble Gems Glass 6-Piece Wedding Ornament Gift Box Set, 3-Inch to 4.5-Inch

Old World Bridal Ornaments

You can also get lovely German Bride Ornaments from Old World. They come in a beautiful lined box with a certificate explaining the symbolism. Currently, they have a special “tree” to go with the ornaments (as of this posting, it is free with the order of the 12 ornament set)

There are also single ornaments available for Brides from Old World.

Old World Christmas Bride’s Collection Ornament Box SetOld World Christmas Wedding Collection Ornament Box Set

Old World Christmas Ornaments: Wedding Cake Glass Blown Ornaments for Christmas TreeOld World Christmas Ornaments: Champagne Toast Glass Blown Ornaments for Christmas TreeOld World Christmas Ornaments: Love Birds Glass Blown Ornaments for Christmas Tree