Artwork Is A Wedding Gift That Will Draw You Together | HuffPost

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Artwork is that place where you start your adult married life together. You choose artwork as a couple, and thereby visually diarize this time in your life which means so much. Every single day. Why? Because it's on your wall. Not in a drawer.

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Gallery Owners, Art Interiors

Gallery Owners, Art Interiors

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Young man and happy woman hanging art picture in frame

So, you have a friend getting married. Or maybe it's you? Congratulations!

Now what? All the planning begins.

Go on the blogs, check out the trade shows... or maybe you're fortunate enough to have some help from a wedding planner, but the "wedding planning" bliss is a challenge for anyone.

But now think about what you want to ask of all your kind guests to purchase for you from your registry. That's the fun part!

(Sidebar: you should insist that your family and friends buy from your registries, lest you want to end up with that fabulous artsy decoupage tray that Aunt Mabel thought you'd love because you're artsy. Lord help you.)

Chances are you've been living with your fiance for a while (maybe not, you, the traditionalist!).

You can order flatware, plates or that Kitchenaid mixer in pale yellow that looks so pretty on your counter, but now you need your counter big enough for it... Ahhh... all those things you "need."

Registries are funny that way -- you tend to find things that you think you need but at the end of the day, it's a lot of stuff that needs drawers and shelves on which to be stored.

One of the best registry ideas is to register for original artwork.

Most galleries offer it, and it makes a ton of sense.

No storage needed. Just walls. And we all have those.

By the time you are married and feeling all adult-like, you look around at those prints you bought in university and they just don't feel right anymore (Robert Doisneau has run its course -- even if it is of a couple kissing).

Artwork is that place where you start your adult married life together. You choose artwork as a couple, and thereby visually diarize this time in your life which means so much. Every single day. Why? Because it's on your wall. Not in a drawer.

It's special and has meaning, and your friends and loved ones would want you to be happy and see that happiness everyday. So, set up that artwork registry and let your guests know that you want the gift that lasts forever (sounds cliche, but alas, it's true).

Most galleries will also offer gift certificates that you can put towards your chosen artworks, so it's a breeze for all those wonderful guests to contribute. (Online? Yes, please!)

Even if they don't like the artwork chosen by you, they will respect that everyone has different tastes in art, and that a gift certificate is a perfect idea.

What if you and your new husband-to-be don't agree on the artwork?

Then here are two solutions:

1. Pick your battles. Whoever it means more to gets to choose (next time the other one gets first pick).

2. Each of you choose a favourite. Hopefully you'll get both artworks as gifts, so you can both look lovingly at the walls with fond memories of who gave it to you.

(Sidebar: the former option of "pick your battles" is a great way to start a marriage anyway. Good practice for all of those disagreements that might occur. Cue happy face emoji here.)

At the end of the day, take this advice from one who wishes she'd thought of this idea, and instead put all of her gift money into silver flatware that now sits in a shoebox.

Because she's run out of drawers.

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What Your Favorite Artwork Says About You

Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss"(01 of19)

Obviously you are a romantic, one who dreams of traveling the world, eating fine foods and probably falling in love with an opera singer. Or, you're just attracted to shiny things like gold, and you owned too many college dorm posters. (credit:Wikimedia)

Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night"(02 of19)

You are a quiet intellectual who enjoys spending nights in... gazing out windows perhaps? You are exhausted with the use of the term "introvert." You may or may not be pursuing an unrequited love interest. And the object of that love interest is probably sunflowers. (credit:Wikimedia)

Edvard Munch's "The Scream"(03 of19)

"Laid back" is not a term people would use to describe you. You can often be seen finishing work in the wee hours of the night, complaining to friends by daylight that you're "so busy" and "stressed." You're making this face right now, aren't you? (credit:Wikimedia)

Frida Kahlo's Portraits (Any of Them)(04 of19)

You have extravagant style, a dominant speaking voice and an impetuous attitude overall. You utter the words "Why Not?" more than the average individual. If faced with the decision of which pet to buy, your brain goes straight to monkey. (credit:apn Photo/Lilli Strauss)

Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"(05 of19)

You've read too many thrillers that sensationalize art history, so much so that you've embarked upon your own quest to solve the mystery of this woman's smirk. This is, therefore, not the first time you've gazed upon her face today. We fear your undeterred resolve. (credit:Gettystock)

Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Dustheads"(06 of19)

Mainstream [insert anything here] is just not for you. Your friends consider you a source of information for things indie, alternative and artsy. You make a lot of mixed tapes. And your next choice for favorite artwork would have been anything by Keith Haring. Well done, you. (credit:AP/Christie's)

Georgia O'Keeffe's "Pink Tulip"(07 of19)

Your desert island check list: a good book, a strong cup of tea and an iPod stocked with a few hours of classical music. Or just this painting. This painting would do. (credit:AP)

Jackson Pollock's "Number 19"(08 of19)

You thrive in chaos. You eat while driving, read magazines backwards and need to have at least one layer of clutter around the house to feel comfortable. But hey, it works. (credit:AP)

Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory"(09 of19)

You are the type of person who feels very comfortable sharing vivid details from your slightly horrific dreams to the chagrin of every single one of your friends. You have inhaled. You have exhaled. And then you repeated the process a couple times for good measure. (credit:Photo Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Screenprints(10 of19)

Your biggest secret: You've more than once contemplated a singing career because, hey, your voice sounds really good echoing through the halls of empty staircases. (credit:AP)

Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights"(11 of19)

Oddball, horse of a different color, strange bird. There are more than a few phrases to describe the special brand of "you." But you don't care. Because you're too busy examining the 50 shades of crazy happening in this painting! Amiright? (credit:Wikimedia)

Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain"(12 of19)

You're a contrarian with a quick wit. If Magritte's "Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe)" was on this list, you would have picked that. In fact, you pick that anyway. (credit:Wikimedia)

Katsushika Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa"(13 of19)

Because who doesn't love a good early 19th century woodprint? Seriously, everyone loves this artwork, they just do. (credit:Wikimedia)

Cindy Sherman's Self Portraits(14 of19)

You have muttered the word "obvious" about 13 times throughout the course of reading this list. You love Cindy, but she's not even your first choice for favorite contemporary artist. (credit:PIERRE VERDY/AFP/Getty Images)

Damien Hirst's "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living"(15 of19)

You've never been to a museum. But you do have a morbid fascination with animals in vitrines. (credit:AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Barbara Kruger's "We Don't Need Another Hero"(16 of19)

You're reading this list from the study room of your college humanities department. Your coffee mug features either the visage of Notorious RBG or reads "eschew obfuscation." (credit:(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan))

Kara Walker's "A Subtlety"(17 of19)

You either enjoy massively popular art shows in Williamsburg, regardless of the content, because, well, this makes for a great 'gram. OR you are acutely aware of the surreal history hidden behind this 75-foot long sculpture and, for the record, hate selfies. (credit:(AP Photo/Richard Drew))

Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Rooms(18 of19)

Polka dots, need we say more? (credit:(Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images))

Banksy's "Riot Green"(19 of19)

Go home, friend, you're drunk. (credit:(AP Photo/Alastair Grant))

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