Wedding Articles and information

Last month I spoke of dance as a mating ritual. This led me to think about other rituals or customs in the romantic world. In my research, I found a wealth of information on different customs around the world that could easily spark a new story or poem. I couldn't fit it all into this newsletter, so I selected a few wedding customs to focus on for this issue.

Romance happens all over the world and in different regions there are differing customs. One custom familiar to many would be the throwing of the bridal bouquet. This happens after the actual ceremony, the bride turns her back while a group of single women grapple for position behind her. She tosses the bouquet over her shoulder and the woman who catches it is supposed to be the next married out of that group. I couldn't find any statistical research on the outcomes, but I'd venture to guess this didn't always hold true!

This custom of tossing the bouquet stems from a combination of practicality and superstition. The bride was seen as a symbol of good luck on her wedding day and guests wanted to take a bit of that luck with them. Unfortunately for the bride, this "taking" came in the form of ripping portions of her wedding dress as a token to take home with them. Since the bride often wore her best dress to her wedding, this was distressing. The tossing of the bouquet, as well as the handing out of wedding favors, was created to head off those who would destroy her gown by giving them something containing bridal luck before they ran up and took it!

Another custom practiced in many parts of the world is carrying the bride over the threshold. Originally, the bride was kicking and screaming as she was stolen from her tribe or family. Once over the threshold or property boundaries, it appears the bride was his to keep! This evolved in some places into a bridal chase or game of hide and seek. The bride would disguise herself and hide on her parents property and the groom would seek her out, taking her to the church as a prize when discovered. Perhaps this tradition evolved into the current romantic "game" of playing hard to get!

After the wedding, the customs continue with the honeymoon. Most are familiar with the night of the wedding filled with intimacy and the act of fully giving yourself to your new spouse. This is similar to the origin of the custom, however, the honeymoon traditionally lasted a month! The term honeymoon is derived from the drinking of honey mead in order to increase fertility and attraction. The mead was consumed before retiring for the evening for a lunar month. If nothing else, the honey guaranteed a sweet kiss before turning in for the night!

Romantic customs are interesting and can trigger ideas for a story. For example, a tale of a stolen bride would be a wonderful start for a historical romance. In modern romance, customs give the reader a sense of familiarity. Most can relate to the tossing of the bouquet and throwing a little symbolism into the tale by weaving the custom into the plot could add interest. What customs do you include in your romance items?

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Picking The Very Best Wedding Favors

One of the most important, but most easily overlooked, aspects of planning a great wedding is choosing the right wedding favors. The little gifts presented to your honored wedding guests should be a reflection of your own personal taste and style, as well as a compliment to your guests.

Since your guests are likely to look upon the favors you choose as a cherished memento of a special day, it is important to take care when choosing them, and to choose items that the guests will appreciate.

== Places To Find Ideas ==

There are many types of items that can be used as wedding favors, and the wedding planning guides and bridal magazines are chocked full of advice and ideas on how to make your guests feel special and welcomed.

The internet as well is full of web sites, newsgroups and email lists which solicit and provide advice on how to choose the most perfect favors for your wedding day.

== The Photo Pack Idea ==

One interesting idea is to give your guests a photo pack as a wedding favor. It has become standard for couples planning a wedding to provide each guest with a disposable camera, and there are even special one time use cameras decorated with wedding themes.

Why not take this popular wedding favor one step further by pairing it with a cd which contains special photographs of the couple, and even a song or two from the wedding? These photo packs are growing in popularity, and they are a big hit with many guests.

== Picture Frame Favors ==

In addition, picture frames make wonderful wedding favors, and they continue to be a real favorite with wedding planners and wedding guests alike.

Picture frames can be purchased very inexpensively for the most part, and they can be decorated with dried flowers, lace, and other special touches, or even personalized with the name of each guest.

== Gift Of Food Wedding Favors ==

And of course the gift of food is always welcome, at weddings and everywhere else. Some of the most popular wedding favors are of the edible variety, and gift baskets full of cookies, or champagne flutes filled with fine chocolates, are sure to please even the most discriminating wedding guest.

No matter what type of favors you choose to honor your guests, it is important to start planning early. There is no shortage of things to do when planning a wedding and it is important to leave plenty of time for ordering and personalizing your wedding favors. by Shaunta Pleasant