The Good: Great detailing on the back of Bella’s dress, Great detailing on Edward
The Bad: Exceptionally minor balance issue, Detailing on Bella, A little pricier than comparable ornaments.
The Basics: "Edward And Bella’s Wedding" is a Hallmark ornament that Twilight fans ought to get excited about, breaking the tradition for the franchise!
The Twilight Saga ornaments have not, historically, done well in my estimation. Consumers also seem to be pretty neutral to them as I have easily been able to find them on the clearance rack at Hallmark stores around the United States even now. But, where the Edward And Bella (reviewed here!) and Edward, Bella, And Jacob (reviewed here!) ornaments were mediocre sculpts that seemed designed to cash in on the Twilight phenomenon, the new Hallmark Edward And Bella’s Wedding ornament is actually worthwhile. It may have taken Hallmark a few years to get up and running for fans of the Twilight franchise, but they have finally reached a quality level that ought to please most fans . . . just in time for the release of Breaking Dawn, Part 2.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” is a holiday ornament that features the first dance Bella and Edward shared as husband and wife in Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (reviewed here!). Edward and Bella dancing in their tuxedo and wedding dress, respectively, is the subject of the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament.
Basics
“Edward And Bella’s Wedding” features Edward Cullen in his tuxedo, arm around Bella’s waist as she looks up at him lovingly. The ornament, released in 2012, is a great sculpting and coloring of Edward. Edward’s hair includes multiple tones for depth and shading that prevent it from appearing to be a helmet and his outfit is immaculately detailed. Moreover, Edward is perfectly recognizable as Edward.
The same is not quite the case for Bella. While Bella’s facial sculpt is better than some of the prior versions, Hallmark completely miscolored her hair! He hair has never been as light as the reddish brown that this ornament has. Moreover, while the wedding dress is ornately detailed right around where Edward’s hand is on Bella’s back, there is no detailing on the bottom or front of the dress, making it look like the sculptors got bored while making the ornament.
Measuring 4" tall, 2 1/4" wide and 1 1/2" deep, the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is one of the pricier character ornaments with an initial price of $17.95 (by comparison, this year’s Gandalf ornament from The Hobbit is priced at $14.95 and the similarly-sized Ghostbusters ornament that has a sound chip is $17.95).
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament that captures the two lead characters from the film without any embellishments.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate fantasy Christmas Tree, the “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is a great addition. Despite being light on some detailing for Bella, “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” is an overall solid ornament. With a hook that comes out the back of Edward’s head, the ornament only sways when it (or the tree) is bumped. “Edward And Bella’s Wedding” ornament is fairly well-balanced; the weight on Bella’s dress prevents the ornament from hanging perfectly level on its own. But, with only about a ten degree bias toward Bella, this is hardly a dealbreaker for Twilight fans.
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license, like Indiana Jones, Marvel Comics and now Twilight. Twilight fans are likely to be deeply satisfied with this ornament in a way they might not have been with earlier ones. This is the Twilight ornament to stock up on if you can find it discounted after the season is over. Otherwise, I suspect this will take less time to appreciate than the prior ones, but it still will require some time before it increases in value.
Overview
The "Edward And Bella’s Wedding" ornament is easily the first big Twilight Saga success story for Hallmark and before the Saga ends on the big screen this fall, it gives fans something to get excited about!
For other genre ornaments from Hallmark, be sure to check out my reviews of:
2012 The Final Battle Harry Potter ornament
2012 Momaw Nadon Limited Edition Star Wars ornament
2011 Captain Jack Sparrow ornament
8/10
For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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