On the twenty-eighth of April, then the wedding feast shall be,
You and everyone’s invited, so be welcome, bring your glee
To celebrate this happy day, with food and drink, all of it free
Please come enjoy, but also be
Aware of your civil decency

‘Welcome, welcome to the wedding! Take, eat, drink and enjoy!’ That is what this invitation says. But if you listen carefully, you will hear a hidden message: don’t come empty-handed. You are expected to bring something for the bridal couple. That is what 'be aware of your decency' is meant to put across. The family often gives the bridal couple a waffle iron to make crispy thin waffles; regionally traditional New Year's biscuits. When blacksmith L.L. and G.E. got married in 1740, they were given this beautifully decorated specimen. Note the crowned pierced heart between the bride's initials, and the groom’s monogram L.L. in between the images of a pair of tongs, an anvil and a hammer. Non-family members might turn up with, for example, a lump of butter or a tasty ham as a gift. The bridal couple also gave something in return. For example, the groom scattered pennies on the floor for the children who threw flowers and grass on the path in front of the bridal couple. ’Quid pro quo’ was the understanding. These gifts back and forth were meant to show that people could count on each other should the need arise.