Love it or hate it, the most saccharine of celebrations - Valentine's Day is almost upon us ! Let's explore a little history of the origins of Valentine's Day and give you some ideas for how to turn the celebration a little bit Irish, with a personalised gift without the cheese!
Where did Valentine's Day originate ?
Valentine's Day as a celebration of love has been around since the 14th century. There are a number of different tales about the character after whom St Valentine's Day is named. One narrative is that St Valentine was a roman priest and physician who lived around 270 AD. He is believed to have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up his life for going against the wishes of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. The Emperor had decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and children so forbade the marriage of young men. St Valentine was marrying couples in secret so that the young husbands could be spared from war.
In the Middle Ages it was believed in France and England that February 14th was the beginning of bird's mating season and this is thought to be how this day became known as a day of romance. Valentine's greetings were common in the Middle Ages and poets at this time were responsible for declaring Valentine's Day as special day to 'choose a mate'.
Let's turn St. Valentine's Day a little bit Irish !
We love the idea of taking this one day a year and making it an opportunity to show your affection for the one you love in a unique and meaningful way. We also love how a little Gaeilge could turn the occasion into something even more meaningful and maybe a little less cheesy. So here are a couple of lovely ideas for expressing your affection for somebody in Irish. Our jewellery can be personalised with English or Irish phrases and words of your choice and yes we can stamp fadas too !
Affirmation Personalised Necklace in Gold - Solas My Shaol (Light of My Life)
What words of phrases can you use to say I Love You in Irish ?
So we did a little brainstorm in the Lulu + Belle studio and we came up with a list of our favourite ways to express your affection in Irish. Of course, we can always personalise our jewellery with the same phrase in English - the choice is yours.
Gold Birthstone Necklace with Heart Stamped GRÁ - LOVE
How to Personalise Lulu + Belle Jewellery in Irish for Valentine's Day
If you would like to personalise a piece of jewellery in Irish this Valentine's Day just choose a piece of jewellery that can fit the number of letters and/or characters that you need. Every piece of jewellery from Lulu + Belle has a character limit on the product description - don't forget to count the spaces between words as these also count as a character. If your words include fadas, just type the fada when entering the word or phrase you'd like stamped in the box 'how would you like to personalise' your necklace or disc?. Take inspiration from our list of ways to Say I Love You or find your own meaningful phrase this Valentine's Day. If you have a word or phrase that you'd like to have personalised on a piece of jewellery but are worried it won't fit, get in touch with us and we may have a creative solution.
Gold Double Disc Personalised Necklace with Tourmaline Birthstone Stamped Mo Stór - My Darling
To find the perfect personalised jewellery gift for your loved one explore our Valentine's Day Gift Edit Here.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
If you are a future bride - congratulations on your big day ! At Lulu + Belle we know how important the small details are and we are here to help with your wedding day jewellery. The right jewellery can add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your wedding outfit, while also serving as a cherished keepsake of your big day. For the bride, selecting the perfect jewellery is key to completing your bridal look. Your jewellery should complement your wedding gown and other accessories, while also reflecting your personal style.
Come behind the scenes with us as we give you a look inside the process of hand-making your orders, what's important to us at Lulu + Belle and the values behind what to we do and how we do it. Our hand-made ethos is important to us and we are constantly striving to do our best to balance what's best for our customers, our makers and our planet.
We are absolutely thrilled to have been nominated for the Irish Country Magazine's Irish Made Awards this year. This year their are 12 categories and Lulu + Belle is a finalist to win the jewellery category, along with one overall winner who will be announced at a special awards ceremony at the Morrisson Hotel in October. The overall winner will receive a prize worth €20,000 - and each category winner will be featured in Irish Country Magazine in the run up to Christmas this year.