Why wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger?

Ahh, now I know why. :) Amazing huh?

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THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE

Nah, I'm not talking about the movie here... I have a great video I found in you tube and it's quite popular now in facebook too.

Brides, this is for you in honor of your father (please watch with a tissue on hand)

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Wedding Vows Part Deux

China:

Wedded Love

Together, we love like fire and burn,
and become one mass of molten clay
figures of you of me.
We shatter them
and begin again
softening the pieces into clay
and make once more, figures
of you
of me.
I mingle with your clay
and you with mine
In life we rest under one cover
In sleep or death we share one resting place. -- KUAN TAO-SHENG(adaptation)

Catholic Vow

I,____,take you,____,to be my husband/wife.
I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.


Non-Traditional

The Bargain

My true love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he connot miss,
There never was a better bargain driven:
His heart in me keeps him and me in one,
My heart in him his thoughts and sense guides:
He loves my heart, for once it was his own,
I cherish his because in me it bides...
My true love hath my heart, and I have his. --- SIR PHILIP SIDNEY

Presbyterian Vow

I,____,take you,____, to be my husban/wife;
and I promise, before God and these witnesses,
to be your loving and faithful wife/husband
in plenty and in want,
in joy and in sorrow,
in sickness and in health
as long as we both shall live.


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June and July 2009 Auspicious Wedding Dates

Some couples pick auspicious day for their wedding and here are some of those dates this month and the month after :)

3 Jun Wednesday

8 Jun Monday

12 Jun Friday

19 Jun Friday

21 Jun Sunday

22 Jun Monday

23 Jun Tuesday

28 Jun Sunday

30 Jun Tuesday

2 Jul Thursday

6 Jul Monday

7 Jul Tuesday

9 Jul Thursday

12 Jul Sunday

15 Jul Wednesday

16 Jul Thursday

19 Jul Sunday

20 Jul Monday

21 Jul Tuesday

22 Jul Wednesday

25 Jul Saturday

26 Jul Sunday

31 Jul Friday

American Wedding Customs and Traditions Part 2

Bridal Bouquet

The type of flowers the bride clutches during the wedding ceremony signify her emotions towards the marriage(Mine's orange tulips and star gazers, what's yours? And do you know that you can now preserve your bouquet?).

In olden times, the bridal bouquet has herbs and spices instead of lowers. It was believed that these strongly aromatic plants will ward off evil spirits intent on possessing the bride(and make your groom sneeze..kidding!).

At present there are a lot of designs of bouquet the bride may decide to clutch throughout the ceremony. Some bouquets are cascading(which I think is becoming out of date), others are pomander balls, some wrapped in delicate fabric. The designs are endless.

Some brides decide to carry a bouquet of other significant thing for her, such as rice stalks or small branches of a special plant. Here is more information on the Flowers Symbolism.

Just to add, I didn't want to give away my bridal bouquet during the bouquet toss so what I did was I created a mock bridal bouquet (smaller than my original bouquet) and used it for the bridal toss. Oh, and my bridal toss was not the usual gathering all single ladies and standing at the bride's back thingy---I created a fun game for the single ladies and whoever won got the mock bouquet and paired with the winning single guy. Fun fun fun!

The Veil and the Bridesmaids

The purpose of the bride wearing a veil dates back to when people believed evil spirits were around to try and ruin the wedding ceremony. The bride wore a veil to cover her face so evil spirits would not know she was the bride. Likewise, bridesmaid were made part of the ceremony to surround the bride, so evil spirits would be confused about who the actual bride was, and leave. Many couples today still honor these customs, but use the veil to hide the bride's face until it is first revealed to her groom. The bridesmaids are chosen to help the bride celebrate her happy day. This is also true for the ushers to celebrate with the groom.

(long veils or short veils? It doesn't matter as long as it's your preference)

Bridesmaid Dress Color

The bride can choose what color that the bridesmaids will wear. The color usually coordinates with the other themes of the wedding, such as similar to the color of the flowers chosen. The bride should also think what color flatters the bridesmaids. These days, it is customary for the bride to decide what color and fabric the bridesmaids will wear, and the bridesmaid will then choose the most flattering style for herself. Some brides choose the other way around, they choose what style the bridesmaids will wear, and the bridesmaids wear different colors of the same style dress. More on American Color Symbolism.

Rings

Rings, because of its circular shape, symbolize eternity, endlessness… thus a never-ending marriage. Rings can be made of gold, platinum and other metals. Some are encrusted with jewels to signify the value of a couple’s love. Some couples have their names or messages engraved on the rings before the wedding. During the wedding ceremony, the Ring Boy (also often called the Ring Bearer) takes the rings up on a pillow so the bride and room can exchange rings.

I know some rich couple who had two sets of wedding rings. The first one were made of silver and a replica of their white gold and main wedding ring. Their reason? If in case the rings got lost during the ceremony, at least it wasn't the real ring. And they actually wear the fake ones everyday so the real ones won't get tainted and scratched.

One of these Attendants are not like the other...

Did you know ...

The custom of having bridesmaids all wearing similar dresses started from the need to have bride decoys at the wedding?

In the olden days, brides were far and few in between. Abduction of brides were a common event.

To prevent this, attendants of the bride wore similar dresses as the brides, and all are heavily veiled to throw kidnappers off as to who is the real bride.

These days, since kidnappings of brides are uncommon (and a crime, no less), there is no need for bridesmaids to dress alike.

Bridesmaids are now given the option to choose what style of dress they want to wear, as long as they have their bridesmaid dress in the same color and fabric as the wedding theme.

I don't know if there are brides out there that still require their bridesmaids to all dress alike. People may think of these pretty ladies wearing the same cut, color and fabric of dress -- not as bridesmaids -- but as the church choir instead? Just kidding :-)

Flower Girl Keepsake Box

Flower girls have a special role in your wedding. She is the one that will happily strew your path with flowers as you walk towards your groom. Other than this, with your flower girl all pretty in her special dress and pretty flowers, your guests will also ooh-ah this special little member of your wedding party (and maybe even get a few pinched cheeks, ouch.). She should indeed get a special token of thank you from you and your groom for attending your wedding.

If you really want to say a special thank you for a special girl, why not present your appreciation in a box especially embellished for her? She will feel doubly special if she sees she has a box different from what the adults received. It can contain items or trinkets that she will enjoy after the wedding. If the box is pretty, maybe the box can be used to store some of her own special trinkets as she grows. Who knows? Maybe the box will outlast all the items you will place inside!

To make your flower girl her keepsake box, do prepare the following in advance.

1. Compile the items you want to get your flower girl. It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy. Ask her parents for stuff she will be delighted in, and in the process get clearance from the parents if you intend to give your flower girl something of value.

Some stuff you can get are : a little stuffed animal, books, pens, a small bag, little girl's accessories, maybe a dress(?) if you like. Some couples pick children's jewelry, like a pearl bracelet, or simple earrings. Include a small picture frame in your shopping.

2. Take her picture doing fittings, the dinner rehearsal. Place the photo in the picture frame if you want to give the box on the day of the wedding itself. If you want to send her a framed photo after the wedding, it's your call.

3. If your items are already complete, get a box that will fit all the items you will give. If you are artistically inclined, embellish the box with buttons, ribbons, craft decor and the like. Don't forget to put her name in big, bold bling so she'll know the box is especially for her. If you just like to get a pre-made pretty box, that is fine too.

4. Write a letter of thank you for her before the wedding.

5. Line the box with pretty tissue, tulle, maybe even add scented potpourri for an extra special touch. Place all the items in, including the thank you note.

6. Arrange for your wedding help to have the box available along with the other thank you presents.

If feel an embellished box isn't your thing, you can do the same but place items in a special, girly bag. It is easier to carry around after the wedding party. She can even use the bag later on for other activities.

Whatever container or trinkets you get, surely your little flower girl will enjoy receiving an extra treat, besides the thrill of dressing up for a wedding.

Indian Men Living in U.S. Strike Out

Indian Men Living in U.S. Strike Out - WSJ.

Parents in India per the article are worried that Indian Men in the US are not such good economic bets due to the economic downturn in the US. It appears there is still a lot of arranged marriages in India.

Marriages with Children

Marriage with children: we thee wed! - Examiner.com - ‎Mar 7, 2009‎

I agree, let the children be a flower girl, ring bearer and make every effort to make them part of the wedding. I guess I should update my American Wedding Customs and Traditions article.

Chinese Wedding Trends

I do I do, I do - Stuff.co.nz

Nice article that shows some of the changes in China regarding Chinese Wedding Customs . My version is a bit more in depth, not to mention my Chinese Wedding Coloring Pages that are Printable! that show all the steps of a Chinese Wedding.

Filipino Wedding Customs

I just noticed a visitor from the Philiphines reading through my article on Filipino Weddings Customs and Traditions

Kinda neat!

American Wedding Customs and Traditions Updated

American Wedding Customs and Traditions got updated! I added some pictures, lots of content all about Wedding Customs and Traditions. It's twice as long as it used to be and I am exhausted!

Topics Covered

• Something Old, Something New
• White Wedding Dress
• Bridal Bouquet
• Veil and Bridesmaid
• Bridesmaids Dress Color
  
• Rings
• Flower Girl
• Ring Bearer
• Receiving Line
  
• Throwing of Rice
• Wedding Car
• Throwing the Bouquet
• Throwing the garter
• Wedding Reception
  
• Wedding Cake
• Wedding Locations
• Wedding Order of Events
• Wedding Rehearsal
• Wedding Rehearsal Dinner
• Gift Registration
• Wedding Shower
  

Bridal shower can be a show-and-tell

Bridal shower can be a show-and-tell - what a nice way to help the Wedding Tradition of having a Bridal Shower! A way to share wedding memories by having guests bring wedding keepsakes, such as an old Flower Girl Dress or wedding dress to share with other guests.
The article is full of great advice, like avoid foods that stain - like cranberries or red wine!

Wedding wings of love for couple

Wedding wings of love for couple from the BBC News. An Owl delivered the wedding rings to the bride and groom, sounds like something out of Harry Potter. And they had their pet dog present to see the wedding. Nice twist on the traditional Wedding customs and traditions.

Billboard for Wedding Proposal

Benson police officer uses billboard for wedding proposal - note also how the wedding ring uses the stone from his Great Grandmother's ring, another American Wedding Custom and tradition where the ring is often passed down within the family from generation to generation (more of an Irish/Scottish custom/tradition per my husband with his Scottish last name).  

Wedding Customs and Traditions UK

This is a neat article from a UK site about Weddings, it focuses more on the superstitions some of which are in US weddings, and some I have never heard of.

Wedding Customs and Superstitions - Weddings UK

My article, American Wedding Customs and Traditions is improving and is more focused on the modern wedding traditions, but it's great to see where these traditions came from.

A nursery rhyme on color I did not know, and it does not agree with my article on American Color Symbolism:

Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Blue, your love will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Brown, you will live in town,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Pink, your spirit will sink,
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back.

Wedding Customs and Traditions

I just updated the following pages on Wedding Traditions and Customs:

• American Wedding Customs and Traditions
• Chinese Wedding Customs and Traditions
• Vietnamese Wedding Customs and Traditions

There is so much more to add on customs for each of them. For American I want to add more about the Flower Girl who used to scatter grain (fertility symbol) and where that role originated, the veil (protect against evil), and the bride's maids (confuse evil with which one was the bride) are a few that come to mind for American Wedding Customs and Traditions. For Chinese, there are so many regional variants on Chinese Wedding Traditions and Customs. From the poor rural areas to rich Shanghai to the new US Chinatowns wedding with banquets in HK Seafood Palaces.

The Wedding Banquet also had some interesting Chinese marriage customs in it (funny movie, especially with the cultural issues that are so true).

Traditional 1850’s Wedding Celebration Re-Created

Traditional 1850’s Wedding Celebration Re-Created

Looks interesting, it's in Tennessee on a working farm. Here is the web site, I wish they had more details.

‘I do'-it-yourself wedding

‘I do'-it-yourself wedding

I especially like this quote:

Although it was a lot of work, our wedding turned out to be exactly how we intended: sincere and homemade, filled with love and friendship.

Traditional Chinese Wedding Pictures

Group wedding of traditional Chinese style in Shanghai from the www.chinaview.cn (Chinese News Agency). The boats at the end I have not seen before, may be a local Shanghai custom or it was done for the look. My page on Chinese Wedding Customs reflects the weddings I see.

Wedding March

Wedding march from the IHT. Good article about being an observant Jew while attending a wedding on a Saturday, where they are not allowed to be driven. American and Chinese Wedding Customs are a bit different.