Odd Wedding Customs & Traditions From Around the World

Odd Wedding Customs & Traditions From Around the World
By Toni Kaye

While weddings are a constant in all the world's cultures, not all weddings are created equal, and many wedding customs may seem very odd to people from other cultures. In India, a land noted for the extremely varied spiritual beliefs of its inhabitants, some wedding customs are related to a belief in evil spirits. For instance, at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, the groom's brother will scatter flower petals on the heads of the bridal couple to ward off evil spirits.

Another Indian method of driving off malign influences is to hold a coconut over the new couple's heads while circling them three times.

Food also figures in Moroccan weddings as well. Moroccan brides bathe in milk before the wedding to purify their bodies. While in the Philippines, people there employ a unique method for driving off evil spirits. The bride and everyone in her party all dress in the same color. That way, it's harder for any evil spirits present to find the bride and steal her away before the wedding ceremony occurs. In England, the bells are played as the bride and groom enter the church as a way to drive away the evil spirits. The bells toll again as the newly married couple leaves the church for the same reason.

Many common wedding customs are intended to either create good luck or ward off bad luck.

The English think that Wednesday is the best day of the week on which to marry. If you marry on Monday, you will have wealth. Those who marry on Tuesday will have good health. Oddly enough, Saturday is considered the unluckiest day on which to marry, but it's also the most popular day of the week for English weddings. On the other hand, the English think that finding a spider in your wedding dress means good luck in the future. In Egypt, the women attending the wedding will pinch the bride on her wedding day to give her good luck. However, the bride's female relatives make up for this impertinence by cooking for the new couple in the first week of their marriage so that the bride and groom can relax.

Although rice has traditionally been thrown at the bride and groom as they leave the chapel after an American wedding, that custom is gradually being phased out in favor of throwing birdseed and confetti because people found out that the birds that ate the grains of rice sometimes exploded after the rice expanded inside their guts! The French don't have a similar problem since they throw wheat at the bride and groom instead of rice. In the Czech-speaking countries, they throw neither rice nor wheat; instead, they throw peas!

Forget taking your father-in-law to be out for drinks if you live in Fiji. If you want to impress a Fijian bride's father, you need to ceremonially present him with a tabua (whale's tooth), which is a symbol of wealth and status. If you live in Wales, you don't need to bother with an engagement ring for your intended either. Traditionally, Welsh men would carve a wooden spoon for their fiancées, which the girl would wear around her neck as a symbol of her engagement. The old-fashioned term "spooning" that means to court a woman or go steady is actually derived from this quaint custom.

One of the oddest American courting customs was one known as "bundling," which originated in the New England region. Dutch and English settlers brought the custom over from the Old Country and it allowed engaged couples to lie in bed together before marriage (fully clothed, of course) as a way of dealing with the long, cold New England winter nights. Brrrr.

To learn about more Wedding Customs & Traditions from around the world, hop on over to: http://wedding-customs.NewWeddingIdeas.com where you will find wedding ceremony styles from virtually every nationality and country on Earth.

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings

Wedding Fair in Surrey

New wedding fair dates in Surrey have been added to the Surrey Weddings web site courtesy of Andrew Dodd of Surrey and Sussex Weddings.

If you are looking to attend a wedding fair in Surrey over the coming months, be sure to check out our page to find a wedding fair near you.

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings

Choose Your Wedding Bouquet

Bouquets of flowers have always been one attraction at any wedding. Bouquets are already part of the wedding tradition on all races. A bouquet of flowers symbolizes a blossoming maiden and reflects her emotions. Therefore, wedding bouquets should be carefully selected and planned the same way you plan for your wedding gown. Here are just a few tips in choosing your wedding bouquet:

1. It is recommended that you choose a flower that is on season to save money and time. This will not give you hard time trying to order the flower as well.

2. You can choose other alternatives like silk flowers especially if the flower you would like to use is not in season. Silk flowers are also suited in formal weddings; fresh picked flowers may not fit a very formal party.

3. Your bouquet should not drown you. Be sure that it will not cover your figure. If you are petite, the weight of the flower might be too heavy for your built and may affect your posture and how you carry your gown. Remember that your bouquet should not be too big so as not to cover your elegant gown and should be easy to carry.

4. The flowers you chose should last for the entire day. Make sure that your flowers still hold up even at the end of the day so that you will still look glamorous when taken pictures. Using a bouquet holder is suggested to keep the flowers fresh during the entire day. Also take the advice of your florist on which flowers easily wilt so that you can avoid choosing them.

5. Don't let your florist imagine the flower design you like. You may take a picture or a printed copy of the bouquet style you prefer. Also bring a sample fabric of the gowns so that the florist can choose the correct shade of flower that will match the color of the gowns. Some bouquets may be decorated with ribbons, lace and silk materials. You can advise the florist on what specific designs would you like to add for your flowers.

6. Why not choose a flower that has special meaning? That will not be difficult since most flowers have their meanings. Stephanotis stands for happiness in marriage, Rose means love and being true, and Tulips stand for perfect love and declaration of love.

7. One of the first things to consider when opting for a bouquet is the style. Choose the bouquet style that will suit you and your personality. Bouquets are more personal nowadays and reflect the brides' personalities. For Nosegays, where flowers are clustered in a round form, can vary in sophistication and will fit any personality. In Cascade bouquets, flowers are arranged in a descending form. These bouquets are voluptuous and can be the center of attention.

They are recommended for traditional weddings. There are flowers where stems are wrapped around in ribbons and they are called Hand-tied bouquets. These bouquets bring a casual aura and are recommended for garden weddings. There are also Contemporary bouquets where flowers are arranged in style but with no geometric form. These arrangements of flowers represent the individuality of a bride and are mostly used in sophisticated weddings.

8. The top wedding flowers are Rose, Lilly, Orchid, Hyacinth, Tulip, Stephanotis and Daisy. You may want to follow the trend and choose these flowers for your bouquet.

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings

Wedding Fair - County Mall, Crawley

I heard on Radion Mercury this morning that there will be a wedding fair taking place in County Mall in Crawley on the weekend of Saturday 13th September and Sunday 14th September.

I have tried to find more details, but unfortunately, this is all I know for now.

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings

Choosing a Wedding Venue

If you have always dreamed of a big church wedding in your home church, choosing a venue for your nuptials is not difficult. For the rest of us, picking the place to exchange our vows is more difficult.

Brides and Grooms who are not members of a particular church but who want a church wedding need to start early to find an available sanctuary that meets their needs. There are numerous things to consider when selecting a church.

The first thing to do is get started as soon as possible. Churches give first consideration to their members, so if you want to secure a spot, reserve early.

Next, you will want to find a church that has a sanctuary or chapel that will comfortably host your prospective number of guests without leaving a lot of pews empty.

When you have found one or more churches that meet your space requirements, find out what their policy on decoration is. Believe it or not, there are churches that will not let you decorate at all while others allow only limited enhancement to the church. Also check out what the general church décor is to make sure that the red pews won’t clash with your turquoise and purple color scheme.

Next, you’ll want to find out who officiates at the weddings. You may want a pastor at the church to perform the ceremony or you may want to bring in someone you know to do the honors. Central Christian Church in San Antonio, TX is happy to rent their facilities to area couples needing a venue for their wedding, but they require that a pastor on their church staff officiate.

Which brings up another requirement some church venues have – premarital counseling. Central Christian Church, mentioned above, requires that all couples who get married in their facility go through premarital classes at the church. They see offering their location as a venue for non members as an outreach ministry.

If you want to choose a venue other than a church, you have many options.

You may be thinking about an outdoor wedding such as one held at a park or on the beach. If it is a public space, you’ll want to contact the city, county, or state commission that oversees the space for reservation options. If it’s private land, you’ll want to contact the owner. Keep in mind that you should have a back up option in case of bad weather.

If you have friends or relatives with a big home or garden, a private wedding for a small number of guests can be quite nice. You won’t have to worry about finishing before the next bridal party comes in. Keep in mind though, that someone is living there before the wedding and they’ll have to live with any mess your guests make afterwards. Don’t let your wedding be the basis of any hard feelings.

Private wedding chapels are also an alternative. Often these chapels look like churches, but they’re owned by private parties.

Beautiful hotels can also be a great option for people planning to get married. One of the advantages is that the ceremony and the reception can be held at the same place which eliminates travel for the guests. Out of town guests can even be put up at the same hotel, sometimes at a discount package price.

Where ever you hold your wedding, you want it to be a romantic event. You’ll be happy you gave careful consideration to your decision when choosing a venue.

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings

How to Choose a Wedding Theme

Nowadays a lot of people like to choose a theme when they get married. Your options here range from the simple to something a little different. So, for example, you could have a theme of colour for your wedding or you couldtheme it to a TV programme that you and your partner particularly like!

Popular wedding themes

There are all kinds of popular themes for weddings at the moment. These include:

• Seasonal themes: Some people like to theme their wedding to match the season in which they get married. So, for example, they may have a spring, summer, autumn or winter theme with suitable colours and flowers as decoration. They may also, for example, ask their guest to wear appropriate colours to match the theme. Some people who are getting married at Christmas will throw a Christmas themed party complete with Father Christmas, fake snow and sleigh bells!

• Individual themes: A lot of people that throw a themed wedding will choose a theme that means something to them or that they particularly like. So, for example, a Star Trek fan may have a Star Trek wedding where they decorate the venue as the Enterprise and where they (and their guests) can dress up as Star Trek characters! Other popular themes here include Westerns, Fairy Tales, Gangsters, specific decades (such as a 1920s or 1960s theme) and Beach weddings.

Things to consider with themed weddings

If you are planning a themed wedding then you may want to check first that your suppliers (such as the venue, caterers and entertainers) can all add something to the mix. If, for example, you are throwing a Teddy Boy 1950s wedding then it would be great if the venue could be decorated in a suitable way and if you could get a rock and roll band that could play relevant songs. Some people use wedding planners for this whilst others will do it themselves. Bear in mind that you can use the Internet for inspiration here.

Conclusion

A lot of people will also set up a themed wedding gift list/registry to match their themed wedding. So, for example, if they are throwing a beach party style wedding then their wedding registry may simply ask people to make a donation to their honeymoon. Bear in mind that themed parties of this sort can also be a great way of celebrating wedding anniversaries as well. If, for example a couple are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary then they could hold a 1980s party and guests could bring along themed silver wedding gifts to make the party even more memorable

FURTHER INFORMATION FOR REFERENCE

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Booking a Band... What should you know?

by Tracey of Warble Entertainment

Firstly, you need to check that your venue will actually allow you to have a band! It’s no good booking a 10 piece ‘party’ band only to find that the performance area is 2 x 2 metres!!

For all ‘party’ bands, you need to ensure with the venue that there is a good, safe power supply available. Don’t forget - if your event is in a marquee, confirm with the marquee suppliers that there will be sufficient power for the bands requirements in the form of a powerful generator or dedicated supply.

‘Party’ bands tend to have a lot of equipment... a lot of heavy equipment! Think about the set-up and sound check times for the band.

Look after the band... Don’t forget - the band is only human!

Check the venue allows bands and hold the appropriate licenses.

Check the venue has enough space for everything you want!

Check with the venue where the band can park in relation to the performance area and how easy unloading will be.

Treat the band well, keep them fed and watered and make sure they have somewhere comfortable to change, relax.

Ensure some preparation for payment of the band has been considered before the big day!

To read the entire article, please go to the main Surrey Weddings web site or click the link below.

http://www.surrey-weddings.com/booking_a_band_what_should_you_know_.html

Regards
Roger Mayne
Surrey Weddings