The tiles were made at the Moravian Tile Works, which was founded by Henry Chapman Mercer, who built the Fonthill Museum, where we got married. The slab of wood that they are mounted on is from a local woodworker in Upper Bucks County.
The top tiles are pretty self explanatory. I love that the handshake symbolizes our marriage since we love to shake hands when we make a decision about something.
The four square tiles in the middle are symbolic as well and are arranged strategically to represent the qualities that we consider a balanced life. The top left tile, which depicts Fonthill Castle, represents home, while the bottom right tile represents travel and adventure. The top right tile represents an appreciation of nature, while the bottom left tile, which depicts the open book logo from our wedding, represents an appreciation of culture.
At the very bottom is a tile that says "Plus Ultra" which means "more beyond." We borrowed this motto from Henry Chapman Mercer. Its place on our crest represents that we still have a lot to look forward to in our life together and that our relationship will always keep growing.
I think it's pretty fun that we have a family crest since that kind of thing is usually reserved for royalty or rich people (in case you were wondering, we are neither). If you had a family crest what would you include in it?
Beautiful!! Our crest would probably exhibit a snowflake for our mutual love of all things winter, a tile that would signify a love of adventure, something to signify a love of animals and nature conservancy, and an appreciation of culture and intellect.
ReplyDeleteI might also steal something similar to the pillars at the bottom, because we always joke about "forever" but truly seek to appreciate each day we have together.
Nice! You should make one for your first wedding anniversary!
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